The role of radiation therapy in the management of the patient with IB carcinoma of the cervix

From June 30, 1967, through June 30, 1977, 209 patients were treated with IB lesions; 55 of these patients were classified as having bulky, barrel-shaped tumors greater than 4 cm. These 55 patients had a conservative hysterectomy without pelvic lymphadenectomy after a modified radical radiation therapy course. The remainder of the patients had either definitive radiation therapy or radical surgery. The follow-up of all patients from one to ten years reveals excellent local tumor control with only four pelvic failures in the radiotherapy-surgery group and no local failures in the group treated with radiation therapy alone. The treatment program outlined for the 55 radiation therapy-surgery group is unique in three respects: (1) all patients received a maximum of 3000 rad total pelvic dose, (2) the dose delivered from intracavitary radium was 25 % less than that given in the radiation therapy alone group, and (3) the conservative hysterectomy was carried out immediately after the completion of the radiation therapy.     

Glomus jugulare tumors. Long-term control by radiation therapy.

The records of 49 patients with glomus jugulare tumor seen at the University of Virginia from 1932 to 1985 were retrospectively reviewed with the objective of assessing long-term results of treatment. Follow-up ranged from 5 to 31 years, with a minimum of 10 years in 36 patients (73%). According to McCabe's classification, 17 patients (35%) were Group I, 11 patients (22%) were Group II, and 21 patients (43%) were Group III. Analysis by therapeutic technique revealed that 20 patients received surgery alone (41%), 15 patients received radiation therapy alone (31%), and 14 patients received combined therapy (28%). Only 7 patients (14%) have had clinical or radiologic evidence of disease progression. Three of these patients were treated by surgery alone and three by a combination of surgery and radiation, but the dose was less than 4000 cGy. Only one patient treated by radiation therapy alone or with surgery and radiation to a dose in excess of 4000 cGy demonstrated disease progression. Salvage radiation therapy was given to three of the seven patients when progressive disease was detected. Radiation therapy is an effective treatment for glomus jugulare tumor with minimal late progression of disease in adequately treated patients and no significant long-term complications.     

Role of Radiation Therapy in the Treatment of Primary Tracheal Carcinoma

Purpose: The objective of this work is to investigate the role of radiation therapy in the treatment of primary tracheal carcinoma.Methods and Materials: From 1963 to 1993, 106 patients presenting with a tracheal carcinoma received a radiation course as part of their treatment in three institutions. Eighty-four patients were treated with megavoltage radiation only, receiving doses ranging from 30 to 70 Gy, with a median dose of 56 Gy. Five patients received high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy, five patients underwent a surgical procedure, and eight received chemotherapy.Results: With a mean follow-up of 141 months, the overall 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates are 46%, 21%, and 8%, respectively. Prognostic factors included tumor size (less than 3 cm), performance status, and total radiation dose: the 5-year survival rate dropped from 12% for patients receiving doses greater than 56 Gy to 5% for lower doses. Performance status and radiation doses are the only independent significant factors in multivariate analysis; these results must however be analyzed with precaution in this retrospective study.Conclusions: Radiation is a good alternative to surgery for primary tracheal cancer. A review of the literature and our current results allow us to recommend a radiation dose greater than 60 Gy for primary irradiation. Collaborative studies are warranted to (1) determine the optimal radiation dose for definitive irradiation, (2) define the potential role of radiation after complete and partial surgery, (3) determine the role and optimal treatment scheme for HDR brachytherapy, (4) describe and record the late effects, (5) establish the potential benefit of chemoradiation.     

Spinal cord ependymomas in adults: analysis of 15 cases

This retrospective analysis was performed to examine the outcome of patients with spinal cord ependymomas treated with surgery and postoperative radiation therapy between 1982 and 1998. There were 10 male and 5 female patients, ranging from 16 to 74 years of age with a median age of 38 years. Surgery was gross total resection in 2 patients, subtotal resection in 10, biopsy in 3. All patients received radiation therapy with a total dose of 40-56 Gy. The 5 and 10 year overall survival rates were 83.3 and 83.3%, respectively. Twelve patients are still alive at a median follow-up period of 70 months. Of the 15 patients, 6 developed recurrent disease on follow-up. The median time to recurrence was 45 months (range: 24-80 months). Local failure within the initial irradiated volume occurred in 3 out of 6 patients who received less than 45 Gy and 2 out of 8 patients treated with more than 45 Gy. Four out of the six failures were salvaged with additional treatment. Re-irradiation was used as a part of salvage or sole treatment in 3 cases. The patient who was salvaged with radiation therapy only died of disease progression 41 months following recurrence and the other two who received a combination of surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy were still alive 57 and 30 months following relapse. The present study shows that surgery and post-operative radiation treatment for spinal ependymoma patients resulted in high survival rates. Patients with residual disease after surgery should be treated with radiation therapy with a dose of more than 45 Gy. Re-irradiation may be the treatment of choice for recurrent patients having less than complete resection or no surgery.     

Glottic Carcinomas Stage 0 And I: Treatment results in 151 patients

08 Dec 1987

A series of 151 patients with stage 0 and I glottic carcinomas treated during the period of 1965-1983 at the Radium Centre and the ENT-Department in Odense was analysed. The 5-year survival—corrected for intercurrent deaths—was 99%, with only 2 deaths from laryngeal cancer being observed so far. Nineteen patients developed recurrences which were treated with 11 partial and 7 total laryngectomies, while one patient received palliative treatment only. So far, 3 patients have developed new cancers inside the irradiated volume. These results are compared with the results of laser surgery. The risk of radiation induced development of new cancers is commented. The conclusion is that, so far, there is no need for a change of therapy in centres where radiotherapy is well established. However, the risk of late new cancers must be carefully observed.     

Neuroimaging classification of progression patterns in glioblastoma: a systematic review

The goal of the study is to examine the practice pattern and survival outcome of adult and pediatric patients with intracranial germinoma. Patients from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) brain tumor registry between the years 2004–2014 with intracranial germinoma were extracted for analysis. Patients who had distant metastasis, received no treatments, or only surgery/chemotherapy alone were excluded. An age cutoff of >?21 years old was used to define the pediatric population. Patients were stratified by the treatments radiation therapy alone (RT) and chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy (C?+?RT). 445 patients with intracranial germinoma meeting our inclusion criteria were identified. Of the adult patients, 65.7% received RT and 34.3% received C?+?RT, compared to the pediatric patients, where 31.8% received RT and 68.2% received C?+?RT. Those patients who received C?+?RT had a lower radiation dose compared to the RT group (p?<?0.001). The 5 and 10 year overall survival (OS) for the entire cohort was 92.6 and 87.9%, respectively. Univariate analysis demonstrated improved OS with younger age, private insurance, C?+?RT treatment, and pediatric patients. Only age and insurance type remained significant on multivariate analysis. The 5 year OS was 92.6% (RT) versus 97.2% (C?+?RT) (p?=?0.307) and 83.4% (RT) versus 95.4% (C?+?RT) (p?=?0.122) in the pediatric and adult patients, respectively. There is a higher use of C?+?RT with an accompanied reduction in RT dose in the treatment of intracranial germinoma. There is no difference in survival between the treatment approaches of RT or C?+?RT in the NCDB patient cohort.     

Bleomycin and radiation therapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aero-digestive tract: a phase III clinical trial

A group of 222 consecutive patients admitted with squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aero-digestive tract were studied in a prospectively randomized and stratified clinical trial. One-half of the patients received bleomycin injected intramuscularly 1 hour before the radiation treatment daily for 5 days a week; the other half received radiation therapy without the added chemotherapy. The total dose of radiation in both groups was about the same, and was given with curative intent even to the patients with advanced tumors who constituted the majority in both groups. Interstitial radiation as boost therapy or surgery was added in patients with residual tumor if the lesions were considered operable and the patient's condition would allow surgery. The addition of bleomycin did not increase the combined local and regional tumor control rates nor did it improve the survival, but did significantly increase the morbidity and the complication rate.     

Impact of the time interval between surgery and postoperative radiation therapy on locoregional control in advanced head and neck cancer

Between January 1975 and December 1980, 111 patients with AJCC stages III and IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with surgery followed by planned postoperative radiation therapy. A previous analysis of a subgroup of these patients showed that, when radiation was delayed more than 6 weeks from surgery, a higher incidence of regional failure occurred compared with the incidence observed when therapy began within a 6 week period. We have looked back at this group of patients plus others in an attempt to determine whether other factors played a role in the results obtained. In the current study, 50 patients had a delay of 6 weeks or more and, of these, 11 (22%) suffered a locoregional recurrence. However, 8 of these 11 patients received suboptimal radiation doses (less than 56 Gy) for permanent control of the disease. In fact, of 17 patients who received at least 60 Gy and had more than a 6 week delay, only 2 (12%) had locoregional failure. This was similar to the incidence of failure in the patients who received at least 60 Gy and who started radiation within the first 6 weeks from surgery (3/20 [15%]). The effect of delay was apparent only in those who received less than 60 Gy (27% vs. 7%, P less than 0.05). Therefore, we cannot validate the previous conclusion that a greater than 6 week delay in the delivery of postoperative radiation therapy in advanced head and neck cancers produces poorer results. The current analysis suggests that a prolonged delay in postoperative radiation therapy in itself does not have a negative impact on locoregional control as long as appropriate tumorcidal doses of more than 60 Gy are employed.     

Chordoma

Nineteen patients with chordoma seen at M. D. Anderson Hospital from 1948 to 1976 received definitive treatment. Six patients presented with disease in the basisphenoid region, 2 with disease in the lumbar spine (vertebral area), and 11 with disease in the sacrococcygeal area. Twelve of the 19 patients were male, and 5 patients were less than 16 years of age. Nine patients were treated with a combination of surgery and postoperative radiation therapy, 6 received radiation therapy only, and 4 underwent surgery only. Although the number of patients studied is small, the results suggest that surgery only is not an effective means of treating this disease. Radiation therapy only produces palliation for large inoperable lesions, but excision followed by irradiation is the best treatment for securing prolonged local control.     

Postoperative radiation therapy for pathologic stage C prostate cancer

From 1971 to 1981, 26 patients with pathologic Stage C prostate cancer were referred to this department for postoperative radiation therapy. During the same period 24 patients, undergoing radical prostatectomy at this institution, were found to have pathologic Stage C disease but did not receive adjuvant irradiation. Both groups of patients are compared at 5 years post surgery for disease-free survival, local control, and distant failure in an attempt to determine whether there is a demonstrable benefit of adjuvant irradiation in this setting. All irradiated patients started therapy 1 to 4 months post surgery. All were treated with megavoltage irradiation. The majority were treated to the pelvis by a 4-field technique to an absorbed dose of 46-50 Gy followed by a prostate boost via multiple fields to a total dose of 54-70 Gy. Three patients received 50-52 Gy to the pelvis only and 5 patients received 56-65 Gy to localized prostate fields only. Moderate complications in the irradiated group were 23% with no severe complications observed. This rate may be reduced with treatment of local prostate fields only. There was no significant difference in 5-year survival, 5-year disease-free survival, or distant metastases in patients treated with surgery only or surgery plus radiation. However, local recurrence at 5 years was significantly different (p = 0.046), 16.6% in the surgery only group and 0 in the irradiated group. This difference was more pronounced in the subset of patients with seminal vesicle invasion: 30% local recurrence in the surgery only group versus 0 in the irradiated group. These data suggest that the addition of postoperative irradiation in pathologic Stage C prostate cancer yields an improvement in local control, and that for the subset of patients at significant risk of local relapse, those with seminal vesicle invasion, adjuvant prostate bed irradiation should be recommended.     

Pediatric craniopharyngiomas: long term results of combined treatment with surgery and radiation.

From 1961 to 1981, 19 pediatric patients with craniopharyngiomas were treated with external beam radiation post surgery. Twelve underwent primary treatment while seven were treated for recurrence. Median follow-up is 21 years (range 8-28 years) with an overall 20-year survival of 62%. Twenty-six percent (5/19) developed disease recurrence following radiation. Of the multiple patient and treatment parameters analyzed, only initial disease status (i.e., primary vs recurrence), surgical extent, radiation dose, and treatment prior to routine use of CT scans (1961-1974) appeared to have major influence on patient outcome. The 20-year survival for those treated for primary disease was 78% versus 25% for those treated for recurrence. Fifty percent (3/6) of patients receiving tumor doses of < or = 5400 cGy developed recurrences versus 15% (2/13) in those receiving > 5400 cGy. Four of the five recurrences occurred in patients treated during the pre-CT era. Long term effects of treatment were analyzed. Surgical morbidity correlated strongly with extent of surgery. All patients who underwent total resection developed surgical sequelae. Radiation morbidity correlated strongly with radiation dose. The incidence of vascular or neurologic complications attributable to radiation were minimal, occurring in only two patients. Both received doses higher than that given with modern therapy. Long-term results from this series are better than those reported with surgery alone. Use of modern surgical and radiation equipment/technique along with CT/MRI imaging should yield improved treatment results both in terms of lower recurrence and lower toxicity rates.     

Complications of pelvic radiation in patients treated for gynecologic malignancies

Radiation therapy is a critical treatment modality in the management of patients with gynecologic tumors. New highly conformal external‐beam and brachytherapy techniques have led to important reductions in recurrence and patient morbidity and mortality. However, patients who receive pelvic radiation for gynecologic malignancies may experience a unique constellation of toxicity because of the anatomic locations, combination with concurrent chemotherapy and/or surgery, as well as potential surgical interventions. Although side effects are often categorized into acute versus late toxicities, several late toxicities represent continuation and evolution of the same pathologic process. Comorbidities and radiation dose can significantly increase the risk of morbidity. Current understanding of the incidence of various morbidities in patients treated with current radiation techniques for gynecologic malignancies, the impact of chemotherapy and surgery, treatment options for those effects, and future areas of research are highlighted. Cancer 2014;120:3870–3883. © 2014 American Cancer Society.     

5-Fluorouracil chemotherapy and pelvic radiation in the treatment of large bowel cancer. Decreased toxicity in combined treatment with 5-fluorouracil administration through the intraperitoneal route

Multimodality cancer therapy commonly involves the interactions of surgeon, radiation therapist, and medical oncologist. This prospective study was undertaken to record possible adverse effects of surgery, external beam radiation therapy, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy in the treatment of large bowel cancer. The dose of 5-FU by the intraperitoneal (IP) or intravenous (IV) routes was diminished when pelvic radiation therapy was given. The reduction in drug dose that was required was much greater when 5-FU was given IV as compared to IP. The proportion of patients remaining on IV 5-FU chemotherapy was significantly reduced when the patient received pelvic radiation. There was a significant increase in leukopenia and thrombocytopenia when patients received pelvic radiation. Hematologic toxicity was more severe when there was IV compared with IP administration of 5-FU. Pelvic radiation therapy diminished the patient's capacity to receive chemotherapy because of hematologic toxicity. The locoregional administration of 5-FU chemotherapy was better tolerated as part of a multimodality treatment regimen than was systemic administration.     

乳腺癌保乳术+化疗后动态调强放疗的临床观察

目的 观察乳腺癌保乳术+化疗后动态调强放疗的疗效和美容效果.方法 117例乳腺癌患者保乳术后先行4～6周期化疗再三维适形(6例)和动态调强放疗(111例).化疗分别采用CAF(环磷酰胺+多柔比星+氟尿嘧啶)、AC(多柔比星+环磷酰胺)、TA(紫杉醇+多柔比星)、NE(长春瑞滨+表阿霉素)、TX(紫杉醇+卡培他滨)方案.放疗采用6 MV-X线全乳腺调强放疗50Gy,瘤床电子线外照射加量10 Gy;其中68例患者锁骨上预防性照射50 Gy,42例肿块位于内侧象限的同时照射内乳淋巴引流区,锁骨上区、内乳区及胸壁均包在一个靶区里.雌、孕激素受体阳性加用内分泌治疗.治疗结束后6～12个月由2位医师评分评价美容效果.结果 随访至2009年9月,随访率为94.0%,随访满3、5年者分别为114、91例.全组3生存率为99.1%,5年生存率为96%,5年无瘤生存率为88%,局部复发率为3.6%,美容效果满意者为100%.放疗中及放疗结束后未出现明显放射性心肺等重要脏器损伤.结论 乳腺保乳术+化疗后胸壁动态调强放疗使靶区得到更均匀照射,有望提高局部控制率和生存率并降低正常组织并发症、肿瘤复发率.     

Advances of surgery and radiation therapy of glioblastoma and metastatic tumor

On the surgery for malignant gliomas, most cases are beyond the stage for desirable removal of tumors, because of the risk of damage to the normal function of surrounding brain tissue. The restriction of the surgical treatment has inevitably required postoperative radiation therapy. With a protocol aiming at removing tumors extensively and delivering high dose radiation to the tumor area, we treated 107 patients with cerebral glioblastoma. Wide removal of the tumor combined with intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) was applied to expected resectable cases at the first surgery or at the second salvage surgery after conventional external radiation therapy. Thirty patients underwent extensive removal with IORT and demonstrated a 2-year survival rate of 60%. Fifty six patients were treated only by postoperative radiation therapy and a two-year survival rate was only 6.8%. The results apparently indicate that areas adjacent to the margin of almost complete removal should be irradiated with a sufficient dose to sterilize the remaining malignant remnants. As metastatic brain tumors without systemic metastasis seldom develop to multiple lesions, surgical removal followed by local radiation therapy would be ideal in order to prevent brain atrophy and dementia induced by whole brain irradiation. IORT would be also useful for its strong local effect to tumors and for shortening the hospital stay of patients.     

Radiation therapy for sinonasal inverted papilloma

PurposeWe retrospectively reviewed long-term outcomes of patients with inverted papilloma (IP) treated with radiation therapy at our institution.Methods and MaterialsFrom 1969 to 2008, 13 patients with advanced or recurrent IP (n = 12) or cylindrical papilloma (n = 1) were treated with radiation therapy. The median age at radiation therapy was 53 years old (range, 32-84). Nine patients received postoperative radiation therapy, 3 received definitive radiation therapy, and 1 received preoperative radiation therapy. Of the 10 patients treated with combined-modality treatment, 1 underwent craniofacial resection and 9 underwent open resection. Eight patients, 4 patients, and 1 patient received once-daily fractionation, twice-daily fractionation, and planned split-course radiation therapy, respectively, to a median dose of 65 Gy (range, 45.3-70.4 Gy).ResultsThe median follow-up was 16.2 years. Actuarial 15-year overall and cause-specific survival rates were 62% and 82%. Fifteen-year actuarial local and regional control rates were 45% and 73%. Fifteen-year local-regional control rates for IP alone and IP associated with squamous cell carcinoma (IP-SCC) at the time of treatment were 80% and 16%. Fifteen-year overall survival rates for IP alone and IP-SCC were 40% and 50%. The only severe treatment complication was a grade 3 central nervous system radionecrosis. The most common grade 1-2 toxicities were mucositis (61%), pain (46%), conjunctivitis (31%), xerostomia (31%), epiphora (31%), and anorexia (31%).ConclusionsWhile surgery is the primary treatment for IP, radiation therapy should be considered in patients with SCC, multiply recurrent IPs, and incompletely resectable IP. Radiation therapy is associated with a relatively low risk of severe complications. Despite more aggressive treatment, local failure remains a considerable challenge.     

Sequential and adjuvant chemotherapy for malignant astrocytoma of the brain.

Twenty-nine patients with grade III or IV astrocytomas were treated with 1,3 bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), 75--100 mg/M2 intravenously (IV) for two consecutive days every four to six weeks, in an effort to improve the quality and length of their survival following surgical resection. Twenty-one of these patients received adjunctive chemotherapy as soon as they recovered from surgery and 18 received concomitant adjunctive radiation therapy as well. Eight patients were treated with radiation therapy after surgery, and BCNU was not added until evidence of tumor growth appeared. BCNU was discontinued and the epipodophyllotoxin, VM-26, was given at a dose of 100 mg/M2 IV weekly when further tumor growth occurred. Patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy had a shorter mean and median survival than patients receiving BCNU when progression appeared following radiation therapy. Six patients with progressive disease following surgical resection and radiation therapy for grade II astrocytoma were treated with BCNU. Improvement or stabilization of neurologic symptoms occurred in four of these patients. This trial of lower-dose BCNU therapy produced survival rates similar to higher-dose studies and permitted fewer physician visits by the patient.     

The role of radiation therapy in the management of ependymomas of the spinal cord

Twenty patients with biopsy-proven ependymomas of the spinal cord were treated between 1960 and 1984-7 with surgery only, 3 with radiation therapy only, and 10 with surgery and postoperative radiation therapy. Of these, 2 patients developed recurrent tumor at the primary site, 3 developed a recurrent tumor in the thecal sac, and 1 developed distant metastasis. The absolute 5- and 10-year survival rates were 95% (19/20) and 86% (12/14), respectively. None of 13 patients who were treated with radiation therapy only or combined surgery and postoperative radiation therapy developed recurrent tumor at the primary site, and none of 7 patients who received thecal sac irradiation developed thecal sac recurrences. In contrast, 2 of 7 patients (29%) treated with surgery alone developed recurrent tumor at the primary site, and 3 of 13 patients (23%) who received no thecal sac irradiation developed a recurrent tumor in the thecal sac. The failure rates following surgery were greatest in patients who had tumor removed in a piecemeal fashion (43%, 6/14). The results show that radiation therapy is probably not necessary if the tumor has been removed completely in an en bloc fashion. However, radiation therapy is needed if the tumor has been incompletely removed or removed in a piecemeal fashion. If the tumor has been removed in a piecemeal fashion, the radiation portals should be extended to include the thecal sac. Histologic subtypes influenced the pattern of recurrence. Myxopapillary ependymomas and high grade cellular ependymomas appear to be more likely to recur in the thecal sac. However, no big difference could be detected in local recurrence.     

Chordoma

Clinical presentation and management of ten patients with diagnosis of chordoma seen at University of Kansas Medical Center from 1959 to 1978 is presented. The average age was 41.5 years with a female to male ratio of 7:3. Primary treatment was surgical. Eight patients received radiation therapy with a varying dose ranging from 4000 to 8000 rad in four to eight weeks. Six patients recurred (60 %). The average period of recurrence was four years in the irradiated patients compared to 2'h years in non-irradiated patients. Three of ten patients (33 % ) are alive at five years free of disease. Favorable results with long term disease-free survival may be obtained with the combined use of surgery and aggressive radiation therapy to a dose of 6500 and 7000 rad in six to seven weeks, keeping in mind normal tissue tolerance.     

Survival and analysis of failure following hydroxyurea, 5-fluorouracil and concomitant radiation therapy in poor prognosis head and neck cancer.

Thirty-nine patients with head and neck cancer were entered into Phase I-II study of simultaneous radiation therapy with continuous infusion fluorouracil at 800 mg/m2/day and escalating doses of hydroxyurea. Twenty of these patients had recurrent disease after previous surgery and/or radiation therapy (group 1). Nineteen patients had not received prior local therapy but had advanced-stage disease (group 2). Cycles were repeated every other week until the completion of radiation therapy. The median follow-up was 32 months. Patients with recurrent disease were generally treated with palliative doses of radiation (median dose 5,000 cGy) while previously untreated patients received radiation with curative intent (median dose 7,040 cGy). The response rate for 15 evaluable patients with recurrent disease was 93% with 40% of patients achieving a complete response. For 17 evaluable patients without recurrent disease the response rate was 100%, with a complete response rate of 71%. This regimen exhibited a high activity and significant palliative benefit in group 1 patients. However the local control rate was 25% (5/20) because the majority of patients in this group eventually developed a local recurrence. The local control rate for group 2 patients was 84% (16/19). The higher local failure rate in group 1 patients appeared to be attributable to the palliative doses of radiation delivered and the fewer cycles of treatment received. We conclude that this regimen has palliative benefit in patients who have failed prior local therapy and has the potential for cure in patients with poor prognosis advanced stage disease as well.