Musculoskeletal tumors: follow-up with MR imaging after treatment with surgery and radiation therapy

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was used as a follow-up technique in 60 patients who underwent surgery and/or radiation therapy for primary malignant musculoskeletal tumors. MR imaging was performed on a 1.5-T imager with T1- and T2-weighted imaging sequences; MR imaging findings were confirmed by means of posttreatment surgery and histologic analysis or follow-up for at least 1 year. If a low-signal-intensity lesion was seen on T2-weighted images in a patient who had undergone radiation therapy or surgery, the patient usually did not have active tumor (sensitivity, 96%). If a high-signal-intensity lesion was seen after a patient had undergone only surgery, the patient had active tumor (six of six such cases). In patients who had undergone only radiation therapy, however, the presence of a high-signal-intensity lesion may indicate either active tumor or radiation-induced inflammatory changes. Thus, in such cases, differential diagnosis of active tumor may be difficult, if not impossible, to make from MR images.     

Combined surgery and radiation therapy versus surgery alone in primary mammary carcinoma. I. The effect of orthovoltage radiation.

The effect of routine postoperative irradiation in the treatment of carcinoma of the breast has been evaluated. Postoperative irradiation had no effect on the proportion of patients free of disease nor on the survival rate, but the incidence of local recurrence and homolateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis was reduced. In stage II patients homolateral axillary lymph node metastases were also encountered less frequently in the irradiated group. Distant metastases occurred either in stage II patients with postoperative irradiation as compared with controls.     

Stage I and II breast carcinoma: treatment with limited surgery and radiation therapy versus mastectomy

Between 1980 and 1986, 2,140 patients with surgical stage I or II breast carcinoma were treated including 1,179 patients with T1-2N0 disease and 961 patients with T1-2N1 disease. Among the 1,179 patients without node involvement, 215 underwent limited surgery (complete excision and axillary node dissection) and radiation therapy; 964 patients underwent modified radical mastectomy only. Of the 961 patients with node involvement, 106 were treated by means of limited surgery and radiation therapy; of these, 48 also received chemotherapy. The remaining 855 patients underwent mastectomy; of these, 381 also received chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy. The 5-year survival rates for patients with no node involvement were 96% for the group treated by means of limited surgery and radiation therapy and 88% for the group treated by means of mastectomy (P greater than .05). The 5-year survival rates for patients with node involvement were 96% for the group treated by means of limited surgery and radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy and 77% for the group treated by means of mastectomy with or without chemotherapy (P less than .01). This study demonstrates no disadvantage from treatment by means of limited surgery and radiation therapy and suggests that adjuvant radiation therapy may be important in increasing survival among patients with T1-2 breast carcinoma and positive axillary nodes.     

A comparison of treatments of squamous cell carcinoma of the base of tongue: surgical resection combined with external radiation therapy, external radiation therapy alone, and external radiation therapy combined with interstitial radiation

PURPOSE: The outcomes of patients treated at a single institution over a specific time frame using three different therapeutic approaches for cancer of the base of tongue were reviewed. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1992 and 1998, 53 patients were treated with curative intent for base of tongue cancer. Seventeen patients underwent surgical resection with postoperative radiation therapy, 16 patients received definitive external radiation therapy only, and 20 patients were treated with external and interstitial radiation, with neck dissection in 16 of those patients. Local control, survival, and functional status were assessed with each approach. RESULTS: The 5-year actuarial local control and survival for the surgically treated patients were 74% and 44%, respectively. The patients treated with external radiation therapy alone had local control of 28% and 5-year survival of 24%. The patients treated with external and interstitial radiation with neck dissection as indicated had 5-year actuarial local control of 87% and survival of 33%. Survival was not statistically different between the three treatment approaches (p=0.0995) but local control was worse in the definitive external radiation group (p < 0.0001). Speech and swallowing function among the long-term survivors was superior in the definitively irradiated patients compared with the operated patients. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective analysis, survival and local control was lowest in the patients treated with external radiation alone, however, patient selection likely played an important role. Local control was far better with surgical treatment and with external combined with interstitial radiation but survival remains less than 50% with each approach. Surgical treatment was superior for patients with T4 disease. Functional status was higher in the long-term survivors treated nonsurgically.     

Orbital lymphomas and pseudolymphomas: treatment with radiation therapy

A retrospective analysis of 16 patients with orbital lymphoma or pseudolymphoma from 1961-1984 was undertaken to evaluate the use of radiation therapy. Pathologic assessment confirmed that four patients had benign pseudolymphoma, and 12 patients had true malignant lymphoma, including two with advanced disease at presentation. With a median follow-up of 4 years, the local control rate with radiation therapy was 100%, although the two patients with advanced disease died of lymphoma 26-33 months after irradiation. While doses of 1,600-2,000 cGy appear adequate for pseudolymphoma, for lymphoma a dose of 3,000-4,000 cGy is necessary. Subconjunctival lesions can be treated in a single anteroposterior field; retroorbital lesions require an additional lateral field.     

Cancer of the glottis: prognostic factors in radiation therapy

The authors conducted a multivariate analysis of the prognostic factors in 96 patients with early glottic cancer treated by radiation therapy. Of these, 73 had T1 and 23 had T2 tumor. The primary tumor was controlled in 82% of T1 and 74% of T2 lesions. Actuarial five-year survival rates were 87% for T1 and 74% for T2. Carcinoma of the anterior commissure associated with bilateral vocal cord involvement, subglottic tumor extension, persistent or recurrent laryngeal edema, and impaired cord mobility was found to adversely influence the prognosis. The data suggest that irradiation is the treatment of choice for glottic cancer limited to the vocal cords or with minimal extension to the anterior commissure or supraglottic larynx.     

Outcomes of radiation therapy for maxillary sinus carcinoma

PURPOSE: We evaluated the outcome of radiation therapy for maxillary sinus carcinoma treated in our institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1984 to 2001, 48 patients with maxillary sinus carcinoma were irradiated with or without chemotherapy and surgery. Patients ranged from 20-89 years of age (median, 68 years) and included 29 men and 19 women. The clinical T factors for these patients, according to the UICC classification (1997), were T2(n = 2), T3(n = 13), and T4(n = 29). Lymph node involvement was observed in 13 patients. The follow-upperiod ranged from 2.5 to 150 months (median, 25 months). The total radiotherapy dose ranged from 40 Gy to 72.8 Gy. Forty-three patients underwent surgery. Intra-arterial chemotherapy was delivered in 39 patients, and systemic chemotherapy was delivered in 7 patients. Fourteen patients were classified as "unresected" (radiation therapy with or without antrostomy), and 34 patients as "resected" (partial, total, or extended total maxillectomy with pre- or postoperativeirradiation). RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival rate(OS), cause-specific survival rate(CSS), and local control rate(LC) of all patients were 52%, 64%, and 75%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the "uaresected" and "resected" groups in OS, CSS, or LC. Local recurrence was observed in 12 patients. In the "resected" group, for local control, it was important to reduce viable tumor before maxillectomy. Preoperative > or = 60 Gy irradiation was considered to be effective to reduce tumor viability. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference between the "unresected" and "resected" groups in OS, CSS, or LC. In the "resected" group, preoperative irradiation > or = 60 Gy was considered to be effective for local control. In radical treatment of maxillary sinus carcinoma, maxillectomy is not always necessary. Concurrent chemoradiation therapy with or without antrostomy is a reasonable treatment strategy.     

Cancer cure with organ preservation using radiation therapy

In 1985, the American Cancer Society has anticipated that 910,000 new cases of invasive cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. More than 37% of those patients can be treated for cure with organ preservation using radiation therapy. The basic biologic background for such an approach to the problem is well established. Clinical data to substantiate the validity of the concept date from 1902 to the present. Without question, organ preservation is becoming a major and important concept in the management of the patient with cancer, and new and innovative techniques for treatment are enabling the organ to be preserved, the cancer to be cured, and appropriate cosmesis and function to be preserved. Many tumor sites are appropriate for this treatment technique, including the breast, the eye, the larynx, and the prostate. In 1985, there has been new emphasis on the successful treatment of cancer with the preservation of the organ intact. The maxim to offer the patient the maximum potential for cure with the minimum complication now has an additional concept related to the opportunity to preserve cosmesis and function.     

Giant cell tumors of bone: treatment with radiation therapy

Records of 15 patients with giant cell tumor of bone treated with radiation therapy over a 35-year period were reviewed; ten patients for whom follow-up information was available constituted the study group. One patient was treated by means of orthovoltage equipment only, a second, by both orthovoltage and megavoltage equipment (cobalt 60). The remaining eight were all treated with megavoltage to doses of 40-52 Gy in 24-30 fractions. Seven patients are alive without disease, with an average survival of 192 months (range, 48-360 months). Three patients died of uncontrolled local and distant disease (average survival, 52 months; range, 23-99 months): one with metastasis in the lungs at time of treatment and two after treatment. Although incidence of lung metastasis appears high, it may be due to patient selection because chemotherapy had failed in all three. Complications from irradiation in one surviving patient required surgical closure of a dural fistula 19 years after treatment. No radiation-induced sarcomatous transformations of controlled tumors were noted. These data suggest that giant cell tumor of bone can be well controlled by radiation therapy. Megavoltage irradiation should be considered in treating local disease not easily controlled by surgery in the axial skeleton. Complications are minimal, and normal function can be preserved in the treated areas.     

采用风险分类分析局部中晚期鼻咽癌单纯调强放疗疗效

目的 探讨采用风险分类方法评估局部中晚期鼻咽癌单纯调强放疗疗效的可行性,为前瞻性研究提供依据。 方法 将185例接受单纯调强放疗的局部中晚期鼻咽癌病例,按治疗后死亡风险分为高危组和低危组(无高危因素),高危因素包括下列之一:GTVnx > 30 cm³;T₄N₂M₀期;颈部多个淋巴结转移,其中一个短径 > 4 cm,以及任何T和N₃M₀期。分析和比较两组病例的临床疗效。 结果 中位随访时间110.9个月(6.7~152.4个月)。高危组和低危组的5年总生存率、局部区域无复发生存率、无远处转移生存率分别为61.0%和90.5%(χ²=30.298,P<0.05)、78.3%和91.5%(χ²=6.352,P<0.05)、71.6% 和92.0%(χ²=16.346,P<0.05)。 结论 该风险分类方法简单易行,可以区分局部中晚期鼻咽癌中的不同失败风险病例,有利于指导临床有针对性开展前瞻性研究。     

Effect of radiation therapy alone or in combination with surgery and/or chemotherapy on tumor and symptom control of recurrent rectal cancer

Purpose

To define the value of radiotherapy alone or in combination with other treatment modalities in salvage and/or palliation of locally recurrent rectal cancer with or without concomitant distant metastases.

Patients and Method

A series of 280 patients, treated between 1975 and 1990 was retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into 2 groups: 166 patients had a local recurrence only (group 1), 114 presented with simulteneously distant metastases (group 2). In group 1, 50 patients had only radiotherapy, 20 had radiation in combination with surgery, 68 patients had radiation and chemotherapy, and 28 patients had a combination of all 3 treatment modalities. In group 2 these numbers were 41, 7, 59 and 7, respectively. The median follow-up time was 11 months (1 to 118).

Results

The 2- and 5-year survival of group 1 were 33% and 12%. In group 2 the 2-year survival was 9%. The 2- and 5-year symptom-free survival for both groups were 18%/12% and 1%/0%, respectively. There was no significant difference in survival and symptom-free survival between treatment including concomitant 5-FU or 5-FU once a week and treatment without chemotherapy. In the combined treatments which included surgery there was a longer survival and symptom-free survival. In both groups a subanalysis of the patients who had radiation only showed a dose-response relationship for symptom-free survival. This was not the case for survival.

Conclusion

In local recurrence of rectal cancer without detectable distant metastases, radiotherapy and/or surgery have value toward survival and symptom-free survival. Further intense efforts in preventing the local recurrence by improving primary treatment are warranted.