Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma

BACKGROUND: Ewing's sarcoma usually is identified as a primary malignancy of bone affecting children and young adults. Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma is rare, and very few data are available addressing optimal surgical and oncologic treatment modalities. METHODS: The authors chose to review retrospectively 24 patients with extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma treated at the study institution with modern multimodality therapies. Anatomic location, tumor size, patient age at diagnosis, stage of disease at the time of diagnosis, surgical margins, radiation dose, and the type and dose of chemotherapy were documented for every patient. Follow-up averaged 64 months for surviving patients. RESULTS: The overall 5-year survival rate was 61% and the disease free survival rate was 54%. A multivariate analysis found that younger age at the time of diagnosis was associated with improved 5-year survival and disease free survival (P = 0.008 and P = 0.005, respectively). Patients who underwent wide resection and less-than-wide resection had better overall survival (P = 0.001 and P = 0.015, respectively) and disease free survival (P = 0.002 and P = 0.024) compared with those who underwent no attempt at surgical resection. Patients who underwent a wide resection had an improved overall survival compared with those who underwent a less-than-wide resection (P = 0.045). The size of the lesion (P = 0.277) and the presence of metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis (P = 0.219) were not found to be significant prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Age and surgical treatment were found to be important prognostic variables in the treatment of extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma. No other variables, such as tumor size, tumor location, stage of disease, or radiation therapy, were found to improve survival. Surgical resection should be considered for all patients with extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma.     

Ewing's sarcoma of the axial system in patients older than 15 years: dismal prognosis despite intensive multiagent chemotherapy and aggressive local treatment

BACKGROUND: Older age and axial location of Ewing's sarcoma have been reported as unfavorable prognostic factors. METHODS: The records of patients older than 15 years with the Ewing's family of tumors were reviewed retrospectively. After the induction chemotherapy consisting of alternating vincristine, adriablastin, cyclophosphamide (VAC) and etoposide, ifosfamide with mesna protection (IE), a local treatment modality was chosen based on tumor and patient characteristics. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients with a median age of 19 years were evaluated. Median follow-up was 26 months (range 4-58). Seventeen patients (68%) had died. In univariate analysis, factors predictive of shorter survival were the patients presenting with metastatic disease, with the primary tumor located at the pelvis, those who never achieved complete response to chemotherapy and those who had chemotherapy for <12 months. Only a negative link with pelvic location was observed in multivariate analysis [risk ratio 7.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.52-37.06; P = 0.0134]. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 10 months (95% CI 6.2-13.8) and 14 months (95% CI 9.3-18.7), respectively. Cumulative 2-year PFS and OS were 19.0% (95% CI, SD +/-8.4) and 32.7% (95% CI, SD +/-9.8), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of patients with axial Ewing's sarcoma is dismal despite an intensive, multimodality approach including multiagent, alternating chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiotherapy. A more aggressive approach should be considered for this group of Ewing's sarcoma patients.     

Prognostic factors in localized Ewing's tumours and peripheral neuroectodermal tumours: the third study of the French Society of Paediatric Oncology (EW88 study).

PURPOSE: (1) To improve survival rates in patients with Ewing's sarcoma (ES) or peripheral neuroectodermal tumours (PNET) using semi-continuous chemotherapy and aiming to perform surgery in all; (2) To identify early prognostic factors to tailor therapy for future studies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty-one patients were entered onto the trial between January 1988 and December 1991. Induction therapy consisted of five courses of Cytoxan, 150 mg/m(2) x 7 days, followed by Doxorubicin, 35 mg/m(2) i.v on day 8 given at short intervals. Surgery was recommended whenever possible. The delivery of radiation therapy was based on the quality of resection and the histological response to CT. Maintenance chemotherapy consisted of vincristine + actinomycin and cytoxan + doxorubicin. The total duration of therapy was 10 months. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 8.5 years, the projected overall survival at 5 years was 66% and disease-free survival (DFS) was 58%. In patients treated by surgery, only the histological response to CT had an influence on survival: 75% DFS for patients with a good histological response (less than 5% of cells), 48% for intermediate responders and only 20% for poor responders (> or = 30% of cells), P < 0.0001. The initial tumor volume by itself had no influence on DFS in these patients. In contrast, the tumour volume had a strong impact on DFS in patients treated by radiation therapy alone. Age had no impact on outcome. CONCLUSION: Therapeutic trials for localized Ewing's sarcoma should be based on the histological response to chemotherapy or on the tumour volume according to the modality used for local therapy.     

Non-metastatic Ewing's sarcoma of the ribs: the French Society of Pediatric Oncology Experience

From 1984 to 1997, 57 consecutive patients with non-metastatic Ewing's sarcoma of the ribs were treated according to multimodal French Society of Pediatric Oncology (SFOP) protocols EW 84, EW 88 and EW 93. The results of treatment were reviewed and analysed. Median age was 12 years. 34 patients had large tumours (greatest tumour dimension > or = 8 cm); pleural effusion was noted in 26. A tumour-positive margin after surgery was noted in 15 patients. Histological response after chemotherapy was assessed in 34 patients. 34 patients received radiation therapy. With a median follow-up of 5 years, the projected overall and relapse-free survival rates were 69 and 62%, respectively. The major site of relapse was local. None of the following was significant in predicting relapse: tumour size, gender, age at diagnosis, existence of pleural effusion, level of rib tumour, rib component, type of local control, surgical margin (positive or negative). Response to chemotherapy was the sole significant prognostic factor (P=0.004). Patients with pleural effusion had a higher percentage of relapse if they were treated without local radiation therapy. Our study confirms the prognostic significance of response to initial chemotherapy. Radiation therapy may be withheld in selected cases, but seems necessary in patients with pleural effusion.     

Ewing's Sarcoma of the Head and Neck: A Retrospective Analysis of 24 Cases

Introduction and purpose. Primary Ewing's sarcoma arising from the bones of the head and neck region is extremely rare representing only 1- 4% of all Ewing's sarcoma cases. Previous reports suggest a better prognosis for that particular anatomic site. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinico-epidemiologic characteristics of that rare clinical presentation, as well as its patterns of failure and prognosis following treatment.Materials and methods. This study included a retrospective review of the medical records of patients with the diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma of the head and neck region treated at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center between 1975 and 1996.Results. Out of a total number of 24 cases analyzed, there were 17 males and 7 females with a ratio of 2.4:1. The median age at diagnosis was 16.5 years. A painful swelling was the most common clinical presentation.The maxilla was the most common site of presentation (9/24 cases). There were 3/24 cases who presented with metastatic disease at diagnosis.The majority of patients (16/24 cases) had a tumor size >10 cm. Most patients were treated with systemic chemotherapy plus localized irradiation following an initial biopsy.With a mean follow up of 3.4 years, the 5-year actual overall survival (OS) for the whole group was 53%, while the 5-year actuarial disease-free survival (DFS) was 30%. These figures were higher than those repor ted from our institution for young patients (相似文献   

Prognostic value of histopathology in Ewing's sarcoma. Long-term follow-up of distal extremity primary tumors

The pathologic material from 56 patients diagnosed initially as Ewing's sarcoma of the distal extremity and treated on National Cancer Institute protocols between 1968 and 1984 was reviewed and correlated with clinical outcome. Histologically, the tumors were categorized, based on recent pathologic criteria, into three diagnostic groups: (1) typical Ewing's sarcoma, (2) atypical Ewing's sarcoma, and (3) other (predominantly peripheral neuroepithelioma [PN]). Thirty-two patients (57%) had typical Ewing's, 13 (23%) were atypical, and 11 (20%) were in the "other" diagnostic category (seven [13%] PN, two primitive rhabdomyosarcoma, one primitive sarcoma of bone, and one synovial cell sarcoma). No cases of metastatic neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma, or lymphoma were found. Forty-five patients had localized disease at diagnosis; 11 had metastases. Patients with typical Ewing's sarcoma were less likely to have metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis. Only two of 32 patients with typical Ewing's sarcoma had metastases compared with nine of 24 patients in the two other groups. The pattern of relapse was also different in these other groups compared with typical Ewing's patients; five patients developed lymph node metastases and two patients developed brain metastases. Although the presence of metastatic disease at diagnosis was a strong negative prognostic factor, our histologic grouping was independently prognostic of clinical outcome in patients with localized disease. Patients with typical osseous Ewing's sarcoma had an improved overall survival (P2 = 0.03) and patients with other tumors (neither typical nor atypical Ewing's sarcoma) had a poorer disease-free survival (P2 = 0.02). Since no generally accepted histopathologic prognostic criteria exist for Ewing's sarcoma, the potential value of our proposed classification should be evaluated in a larger retrospective and a prospective study.     

初治转移鼻咽癌疗后预后评分模型建立及分层治疗研究

目的 建立初治转移鼻咽癌疗后预后评分模型,探讨其分层治疗的可行性。 方法 2002—2010年共263例符合入组条件的初治鼻咽癌转移患者纳入研究。原发灶主要包括常规放疗、3DCRT、IMRT等,照射范围包括鼻咽病灶+颈部淋巴引流区。骨转移病灶的处理主要是常规外放疗,肝、肺等主要选择手术切除、放疗及射频消融处理等。大部分患者一线治疗均采用以顺铂为基础的联合化疗方案。将患者一般特点、肿瘤状态以及治疗相关因素等纳入多因素分析,根据预后因素n值(其中HR=eⁿ)建立预后模型。 结果 影响患者OS因素包括KPS≤70(P=0.00)、联合器官转移(P=0.00)、合并肝转移(P=0.00)、转移数目≥2个(P=0.00)、LDH>245 IU/I (P=0.00)、化疗周期数1~3个(P=0.00)、转移灶疗效为SD或PD (P=0.00)、原发灶未接受放疗(P=0.01)。根据患者预后评分分为低危组(0~1.5分)、中危组(2.0~6.5分)、高危组(≥7.0分),5年OS率分别为59.0%、25.1%、0(P=0.00)。 结论 基于患者KPS、血清LDH水平及联合脏器转移、合并肝转移、转移数目建立的预后评分模型能有效预测患者生存,积极的治疗方式包括≥4个周期化疗和原发灶放疗等能提高低、中危组患者生存时间;而对高危组患者原发灶放疗不能带来生存获益,以姑息性化疗为主。     

Detection of thymidylate synthase expression in lymph node metastases of colorectal cancer can improve the prognostic information.

PURPOSE: The level of thymidylate synthase (TS) in primary colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported as a prognostic marker. The purpose of this study was to determine whether TS expression in lymph node metastases of Dukes' C CRC is a prognostic marker. PATIENTS AND METHODS: TS expression in the primary tumor and lymph node metastases from 348 patients with Dukes' C CRC was retrospectively assessed using immunohistochemistry and the monoclonal antibody TS 106. The patients had all been enrolled onto our previous study of 862 CRC patients who were included in Nordic trials that randomly assigned the patients to either surgery alone or surgery plus adjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: TS expression in lymph node metastases was a distinct prognostic marker in the entire study group for overall survival (OS; P = .02) and disease-free survival (DFS; P = .04). A low TS expression in the lymph node metastases correlated with a better clinical outcome. In the subgroup of patients treated with surgery alone, the expression of TS in lymph node metastases also had a prognostic value for OS (P = .04) and DFS (P = .03), but this was not the case for the other subgroup who received adjuvant fluorouracil-based chemotherapy (OS, P = .5; DFS, P = .2). The expression of TS in the primary tumor only had a significant prognostic value among patients who were treated with surgery alone (OS, P = .03; DFS, P = .03) and not among the entire patient population. CONCLUSION: These data show that TS expression in lymph node metastases is a prognostic marker for patients with Dukes' C CRC.     

Prognostic variables for the selection of patients with operable soft tissue sarcomas to be considered in adjuvant chemotherapy trials.

From 1975 to 1988, 144 patients naive of treatment, with non-metastatic soft tissue sarcoma were treated at Fondation Bergonié by surgery, followed by radiotherapy and without chemotherapy. An analysis of prognostic variables was done on this population to determine patients for whom an adjuvant chemotherapy would be relevant. Prognostic variables in overall survival (OS), metastasis-free survival (MFS), disease-free and local free recurrence survivals were analysed by univariate and multivariate analysis. In multivariate analysis using Cox's model, only tumour depth and tumour grade were significant with the MFS end point, while tumour depth, tumour grade and tumour site were significant when considering OS. A predictive stratification for patients is proposed: a favourable prognostic group with grade 1 tumour or superficial, grade 2 tumour (5-year OS: 97.8%; 5-year MFS: 100%); an intermediate prognostic group with deep, grade 2 tumour or superficial, grade 3 tumour (5-year OS: 58.8%; 5-year MFS: 48.1%); and finally a poor prognostic group with deep, grade 3 tumour (5-year OS: 31.7%; 5-year MFS: 34.1%). Patients in the intermediate and poor prognostic groups who present a high metastatic risk are to be considered for adjuvant chemotherapy trials.     

Role of exclusive chemotherapy as first line treatment in oligodendroglioma

PURPOSE: The optimal therapy of oligodendrogliomas remains uncertain. Although chemosensitive, these tumors are not chemocurable. We investigated whether chemotherapy delays the need for radiation therapy (RT) without decreasing length and quality of survival. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Among 89 patients treated for oligodendrogliomas at the Centre Léon Bérard of Lyon from 1982 to 1999, 59 patients fitted inclusion criteria, having had centrally reviewed pure oligodendroglioma requiring treatment. According to the WHO's classification 35 patients had Grade III and 24, Grade II oligodendrogliomas. RESULTS: According to the intent to treat, patients were retrospectively classified in three groups as exclusive RT (Group 1), radio-chemotherapy (Group 2), or exclusive chemotherapy (Group 3). Median progression-free survival (PFS): was 47 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 39-56], and median overall survival (OS) was 109 months (95% CI 83-134). In univariate analysis, PFS was correlated with frontal location and WHO classification; OS was correlated with frontal location and Post-operative Karnosky performans status both appearing as independent prognostic factors for OS in multivariate analysis. There was no significant difference between the treatment groups with regard to PFS (P = 0.82) and OS (P = 0.64). In the group of patients treated with exclusive chemotherapy the 5-year PFS and OS rates were 44 and 71%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Front-line exclusive chemotherapy results in prolonged OS in patients with confirmed pure oligodendroglioma. Whether this strategy improves quality of life remains debatable.     

首发单纯骨转移乳腺癌患者的临床病理特征及预后分析

  目的  探讨乳腺癌首发单纯骨转移（bone-only metastasis, BOM）患者的临床病理学特征及预后特点。  方法  回顾性分析2009年1月至2016年12月967例于天津医科大学肿瘤医院治疗的转移性乳腺癌患者的临床病理资料。分为180例BOM组与787例非BOM组, 对BOM组患者的预后因素行单因素分析和Cox回归模型多因素分析, 并根据激素受体（hormone receptor, HR）状态、转移数目及治疗方式行亚组分析。  结果  BOM组与非BOM组患者的中位无进展生存（progression-free survival, PFS）时间分别为19.4个月与10.0个月, BOM组中位总生存（overall survival, OS）时间为45.6个月。BOM组与非BOM组HR阳性患者分别占81.7%（147/180）与64.7%（509/787）（P < 0.001）。Cox回归模型多因素分析显示HR状态、转移位置、转移数目和治疗方式是BOM患者预后的独立影响因素。BOM组的HR阳性患者内分泌治疗（P=0.004）或联合治疗（P < 0.001）较单独化疗的预后更佳。影响BOM组HR阳性患者预后的主要因素为骨转移数目和内分泌治疗。单部位骨转移患者行内分泌治疗（P=0.004）或联合治疗（P= 0.002）较单独化疗的预后更佳, 多部位骨转移患者行联合治疗较单独化疗（P < 0.001）或内分泌治疗（P=0.04）的预后更佳。  结论  对于HR阳性BOM尤其是单部位骨转移患者, 单纯内分泌治疗可获得较为满意的疗效, 而对于多部位BOM则应考虑行联合治疗。      

Intensive combined modality therapy of small round cell and undifferentiated sarcomas in children and young adults: local control and patterns of failure

Seventy-five patients (ages 4-35 years) with the following small round cell tumors and undifferentiated sarcoma were treated at the National Cancer Institute: Ewing's sarcoma (n = 32), peripheral neuroepithelioma (n = 14), rhabdomyosarcoma (n = 24), undifferentiated sarcoma (n = 5). Most patients had poor prognostic features including 36 (48%) with metastatic disease, and 42 (56%) with central (truncal) tumors (22 in the pelvis). Treatment included 5 cycles of intensive induction chemotherapy with vincristine, cyclophosphamide and adriamycin, plus aggressive local radiation therapy using simulation and computerized treatment planning for all patients. Thereafter, complete clinical responses were consolidated with intensive chemotherapy, total body irradiation and autologous bone marrow transplantation. There were three local only failures, 10 local plus distant failures, 36 distant only failures, 3 treatment-related deaths, and one intercurrent death. Overall actuarial survival and event-free survival at 4 years are 49 and 29%, respectively. Actuarial freedom from local progression was seen in 74% of patients at 4 years, quite remarkable considering the bulk and location of most of these tumors. Without aggressive surgery, many of these high risk patients had satisfactory outcomes, but better systemic treatments are still needed.     

非小细胞肺癌脑转移患者全脑放疗不同剂量预后分析

目的:分析非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)脑转移患者不同全脑放疗(WBRT)剂量的预后及影响因素。方法:回顾性分析2013—2015年间于河北医科大学第四医院行WBRT的244例NSCLC脑转移患者。按照不同WBRT剂量(EQD 2Gy)分为30~39 Gy组104例、≥40 Gy组140例。比较两组患者颅内无进...     

92例初治尤文氏肉瘤家族肿瘤综合治疗疗效和生存分析

背景和目的：尤文氏肉瘤家族肿瘤（Ewing’ssarcomafamilyoftumor,ESFF）恶性度高、进展快,其最佳治疗方法目前仍在探讨中。本研究旨在分析ESFF的临床特点和探讨其治疗方法。方法：回顾性分析1995年1月至2008年4月中山大学肿瘤防治中心收治的92例初治ESFF。结果：骨尤文氏肉瘤（Ewing’ssarcomaofbone,ETB）23例,骨外尤文氏肉瘤（extraosseousEwing’Ssarcoma,EOE）21例,外周性原始神经外胚叶瘤（peripheralprimitiveBeuroectodermaltumor,PNET）43例,Askin瘤5例。中位随访时间31．5个月（10～137个月）。局限期综合治疗38例,单一治疗19例,两组3年生存（overallsurvival,OS）率分别为63％、20％,3年无事件生存（events．freesurvival,EFS）率分别为46％、18％,两组问生存差异具有统计学意义（P均〈0．001）。局限期综合治疗患者在全身化疗的基础上加用手术加或不加放疗组远期生存均优于化疗＋放疗组（x2=7．591、9．212,P=0．006、0．002）。CAV／IE交替方案对局限期接受综合治疗患者延长了无事件生存期,但其总生存时间差异无统计学意义（X2=6．950、3．530,P=0．008、0．06）。多因素生存分析显示治疗模式以及疗效是独立的预后因素。结论：综合治疗能明显改善局限期ESFT患者疗效和生存．手术加化疗加或不加放疗的治疗模式在疗效和生存方面优于化疗加放疗治疗模式。治疗模式和近期疗效是独立的预后因素。     

Curability of Ewing's sarcoma and considerations for future therapeutic trials

Twenty previously untreated children with primary Ewing's sarcoma and 8 children with primary tumor and metastatic disease were treated with surgery or radiation therapy (6,000-7,000 rads) for their primary tumor and T-2 chemotherapy. Of the 20 children with primary Ewing's sarcoma treated with T-2 "adjuvant" chemotherapy, 15 had no evidence of recurrent disease for from 31+-82+ months (median 46+ months) from the start of treatment. The actuarial 5-year disease-free survival rate for this group of patients was 75%. Eight patients presenting with metastatic disease had complete responses to T-2 chemotherapy, but 7/8 with metastatic disease eventually had tumor recurrence. Examination of the treatment failures, both those patients relapsing after adjuvant chemotherapy for primary Ewing's sarcoma (5), and those relapsing after having a complete response of metastatic disease (7) to T-2 chemotherapy, revealed that all relapses occurred at the end of the second year of T-2 chemotherapy or after chemotherapy was stopped. In addition, of 23 patients receiving "curative" radiation therapy to their primary tumor, 5 had local recurrence (22%) and 6 (26%) had severe functional debility secondary to combined radiation therapy and T-2 chemotherapy. The conclusions drawn from this experience have led us to consider a new approach to the treatment of Ewing's sarcoma, namely: 1) more aggressive initial or "induction" chemotherapy with subsequent T-2 "maintenance" chemotherapy to eradicate more completely all metastatic microfoci of disease presumed to be present in patients with primary tumor at the time of diagnosis, and ostensively present in patients with metastatic disease; 2) the use of surgery alone or in combination with moderate doses of radiation therapy in those patients in whom we can predict a high frequency of local recurrence (pelvic lesions) or a high percentage of "functional failures" (young children with lower extremity lesions). Preliminary results with this latter approach are encouraging with 11/13 patients with primary Ewing's sarcoma free of disease at 12+-26+ months. A longer follow-up of this more aggressive treatment is needed to determine the superiority of this approach for both increased survival and improved late physical rehabilitation.     

术后放疗在子宫肉瘤治疗中的意义

目的 探讨子宫肉瘤术后放疗的价值和预后因素。方法 回顾分析本院1994—2014年收治的经病理确诊的182例子宫肉瘤患者资料。49例术后放疗,133例未术后放疗。放疗采用盆腔野体外照射,处方剂量30~50 Gy分10~25次,5 次/周。采用Kaplan-Meier法计算LRRFS、OS并Logrank法检验差异,Cox法多因素预后分析。结果 全组5年样本量为114例,术后放疗、未放疗的分别为24、90例(分别为2008年10月前收治的例数)。全组5年LRRFS、OS分别为62.1%、56.2%,术后放疗、未放疗的LRRFS分别为78.0%、55.3%(P=0.013),OS分别为64.1%、51.7%(P=0.070)。多因素分析显示病理类型、组织学分级、分期是LRRFS及OS影响因素(P=0.032、0.008、0.000及P=0.046、0.000、0.000),术后放疗是LRRFS的影响因素(P=0.013)。结论 术后放疗显著提高子宫平滑肌肉瘤LRRFS和OS,为子宫平滑肌肉瘤术后个体化放疗提供证据,但仍需进一步探讨。     

Prognostic factors in Ewing's tumor of bone: analysis of 975 patients from the European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study Group.

PURPOSE: To further elaborate on prognostic factors for Ewing's sarcoma of bone and to document improvements in relapse-free survival (RFS) and trends in local therapy over the study period (1977 to 1993). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on a combined Gesellschaft Für P?diatrische Onkologie und H?matologie/Cooperative Ewing Sarcoma Study and United Kingdom Children's Cancer Study Group/Medical Research Council data set of 975 patients registered with the respective trial offices before the current collaborative European Intergroup Cooperative Ewing's Sarcoma Study trial. Both groups independently undertook studies with similar chemotherapy during the period. RESULTS: The key adverse prognostic factor is metastases at diagnosis (5-year RFS, 22% of patients with metastases at diagnosis v 55% of patients without metastases at diagnosis; P: <.0001). For the group with metastases, there was a trend for better survival for those with lung involvement compared with those with bone metastases or a combination of lung and bone metastases (P: <.0001). In the group of patients with no metastases at diagnosis, multivariate analysis demonstrated that site (axial v other), age-group (< 15 v > or = 15 years), and period of diagnosis had significant influence on RFS (all P: <.005). RFS was superior in the period after 1985 compared with the period before 1985 for nonmetastatic patients (45% v 60%, respectively; P: <.0001) and for metastatic patients (16% v 30%, respectively; P: =.016). Patients who relapsed within 2 years of diagnosis had a less favorable prognosis than patients who relapsed later (5-year survival after relapse, 4% v 23%, respectively; P: <. 0001). There were other changes over the period; in particular, radiotherapy or amputation were more common in the period before 1986, whereas endoprosthetic surgery was widely used in the later period. CONCLUSION: Survival and RFS improved over the period. Prognostic factors are metastases at diagnosis, primary site, and age.     

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for peripheral malignant neuroectodermal tumor of bone: recent experience at the istituto rizzoli.

PURPOSE: The results achieved in 44 patients with nonmetastatic peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) of bone treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy are reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A six-drug regimen of chemotherapy (vincristine, doxorubicin, dactinomycin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and etoposide) was administered to all patients. Local treatment consisted of surgery in 20 patients, surgery followed by radiotherapy in 13, and radiotherapy only in 11. RESULTS: At a mean follow-up of 4.5 years (range, 2 to 7 years), 23 patients (52%) remain event-free, 20 have relapsed (45%), and one has died of chemotherapy-related toxicity. The 5-year event-free survival and overall survival were 54.2% and 62.7%, respectively. To assess the prognostic significance of neural differentiation in the family of Ewing's sarcoma, these results have been compared with the outcomes of 138 concomitant patients with typical Ewing's sarcoma (TES) who were treated according to the same protocol. Of these, 103 (75%) remained continuously event-free, 34 (24%) relapsed, and one died of chemotherapy-related toxicity. It follows that PNET patients treated with this chemotherapy regimen have a significantly worse prognosis than typical ES patients (5-year event-free survival, 54.2% v 70.6%, P <.012; 5-year overall survival, 62.7% v 78.3%, P <.002). CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that studies into new adjuvant therapy for Ewing's sarcoma modulated according to risk of relapse should also consider neural differentiation as a risk factor.     

Long-term results in 144 localized Ewing's sarcoma patients treated with combined therapy

The results of 144 previously untreated cases of primary Ewing's sarcoma of bone are reported with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. This series was treated between 1972 and 1982 at Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli with a combined therapy. The local control of the disease consisted of amputation (ten cases), resection followed by radiation therapy (35-45 Gy) (48 cases) and radiation therapy alone (40-60 Gy) (86 cases). Adjuvant chemotherapy, rigorously standardized, was performed according two different protocols: the first (85 cases treated in the period 1972-1978) consisted of vincristine (VCR) Adriamycin (doxorubicin) (ADM), and cyclophosphamide (EDX); the second (59 cases treated in the period 1979-1982) of VCR, ADM, EDX and dactinomycin (DACT). At a follow-up of 5 to 16 years (median, 9), 59 patients (41%) are continuously disease-free (CDF), 81 (56%) developed metastatic disease and/or local recurrence, and four (3%) had a second malignancy. Three factors seem to be correlated to prognosis: the site of the initial lesion (only 23% of the pelvic lesions are represented in the CDF group versus 46% of the other locations); the chemotherapy protocol (32% of the cases in the first protocol are CDF versus 54% in the second); the type of local treatment (60% of the patients treated with amputation or resection plus radiotherapy versus 28% of those treated with radiation therapy alone are CDF). A local recurrence was observed in 24% of the patients (8% in the group locally treated with surgery or surgery plus radiation therapy versus 36% in the group treated with radiation therapy alone). These data suggest that even though adjuvant chemotherapy can improve the long-term results in localized Ewing's sarcoma patients, this disease still represents, in a high percentage of cases, a lethal process whose final prognosis widely depends on the local control of the lesion. Due to the questionable effect of the radiation therapy alone in controlling the primary lesion and its important side effects, the role of surgery in treating Ewing's sarcoma of bone should be extended.     

Improved palliation of cerebral metastases in epithelial ovarian cancer using a combined modality approach including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.

PURPOSE: Recent reports suggest an increasing incidence of CNS metastases in patients with ovarian cancer. We reviewed our experience in the management of brain metastases from ovarian carcinoma and merged our results with those of several other series reported in the literature to determine prognostic factors and the role of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1977 to 1990, 15 of 795 patients who were treated for epithelial ovarian cancer at Duke University developed brain metastases. Fourteen of the patients were treated for their brain metastases; this included radiation therapy (RT; four), surgery and RT (one), RT and systemic chemotherapy (six), and all three treatment modalities (three). A meta-analysis was performed that combined the data from the current series with those of several recent clinical series that reviewed patients with brain metastases from ovarian carcinoma (67 patients total) to elucidate the impact of treatment and extent of disease on survival. RESULTS: In the current series, median survival (MS) after the diagnosis of brain metastases was 9 months. For the combined series, MS was 5 months. Thirteen patients who were treated with whole-brain RT and systemic chemotherapy (MS, 7 months), 10 patients who were treated with RT and surgery (MS, 10 months), and nine patients who were treated with all three modalities (MS, 16.5 months) had significantly longer survival than 19 patients who were treated with RT alone (MS, 3 months) (P = .05, P = .01, and P < .001, respectively). In a multivariate analysis, the only variable that provided prognostic information was treatment, namely the addition of systemic chemotherapy or surgery to RT for the treatment of brain metastases. CONCLUSION: Multimodal treatment of patients with brain metastases from ovarian cancer can result in significant palliation.