ABSTRACT
Purpose@#This study aimed to evaluate the radiation-induced adverse effects on ocular structures in head and neck cancer patients and investigate the radiation dose-volume effects on the cornea, lacrimal gland, retina, optic nerve and chiasm. @*Materials and Methods@#A total of 38 eyes of 19 patients were included in this prospective, cohort study. All patients underwent complete ophthalmological examination in addition to contrast sensitivity, visual field and visual evoked potentials (VEP) tests. Ophthalmological examinations and psychophysical tests were performed in 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th months and in the last visit. The relationship between the ophthalmologic findings, and the radiation doses below and above the cut-off values was evaluated. @*Results@#Contrast sensitivity decrease and visual field deterioration were observed in 42% of the patients in the last visit (median 26 months) whereas a prolonged latency and decreased amplitude of P100 wave in VEP was observed in 58% and 33% of the eyes, respectively at 24th month. Totally 16 patients (84.2%) developed dry eye disease and eight of them received radiotherapy below tolerance doses and had mild to moderate dry eye findings. Radiation-induced retinopathy was observed in three of the eyes in eight patients who received radiation above tolerance dose. @*Conclusion@#Head and neck cancers treated with radiotherapy, resulted in various ophthalmic complications. All patients who are treating with radiotherapy should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist in terms of anterior and posterior segment damage, even if the radiation dose is below the tolerance limit.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine the markers of prognosis in metastatic inflammatory breast cancer [IBC]. The prognostic value of patients' clinical characteristics and expression of c-erbB-2, p53, Ki-67, ER and PgR were assessed in the 45 patients with IBC who had developed distant metastasis. Immunohisto-chemical methods were used to detect the expression of c-erbB-2, p53, Ki-67, ER and PgR in surgical resection specimens of the patients' primary tumor. The median overall survival [OS] measured from the diagnosis of metastatic disease was 23 months. In the univariate analysis, p53 protein accumulation and the presence of visceral metastasis were predictive of poor survival [p = 0.01 and 0.003, respectively]. In the multivariate analysis, accumulation of p53 protein and the presence of visceral metastasis correlated with OS [p = 0.02 and 0.008, respectively]. In metastatic IBC, accumulation of p53 protein and presence of visceral metastasis are independent prognostic factors for OS. Established prognostic factors in non-IBC patients such as patient age, histologic grade, hormone receptor status and c-erbB-2 status did not have independent significance in IBC in this Study