Clinical assessment of 252Californium neutron intracavitary brachytherapy using a two-channel Y applicator combined with external beam radiotherapy for endometrial cancer

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of 252Californium neutron intracavitary brachytherapy using a two-channel Y applicator combined with external beam radiotherapy for the treatment of endometrial cancer. METHODS: Thirty-one patients with stage I-III endometrial cancer were recruited for this study. The stage I patients received only 252Californium neutron intracavitary brachytherapy with a two-channel applicator. The stage II and III patients received both 252Californium neutron intracavitary brachytherapy using a two-channel applicator and parallel-opposed whole pelvic radiotherapy. RESULTS: The five-year local control rate was 80.6% (25/31), the overall survival rate was 51.6% (16/31), and the disease-free survival rate was 54.8% (17/31). The incidence of serious late complications was 12.9% (4/31). CONCLUSIONS: 252Californium neutron intracavitary brachytherapy using a two-channel applicator combined with external beam radiotherapy was effective for treating endometrial cancer and the incidence of serious late complications related to this combination was within an acceptable range.

Brain tumor and Gliadel wafer treatment.

Glioblastoma is a rapidly progressive and extremely fatal form of brain tumor with poor prognosis. It is the most common type of primary brain tumor. Even with the most aggressive conventional treatment that comprises surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, most patients die within a year of diagnosis. Developments in molecular and cell biology have led to better understanding of tumor development, leading to novel treatment strategies including biological therapy and immunotherapy to combat the deadly disease. Targeted drug delivery strategies to circumvent the blood-brain barrier have shown efficiency in clinical trials. Gliadel wafer is a new approach to the treatment of glioblastoma, which involves controlled release delivery of carmustine from biodegradable polymer wafers. It has shown promising results and provides a silver lining for glioblastoma patients.

Glioblastoma: experiência uni-institucional com 48 pacientes tratados com cirurgia, radioterapia e quimioterapia / Glioblastoma: single institutional experience with 48 patients treated with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy

OBJETIVO: Identificar fatores prognósticos e avaliar a evolução clínica de pacientes com diagnósticode glioblastoma submetidos a cirurgia e radioterapia, com ou sem quimioterapia adjuvante. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: trabalho retrospectivo com 48 pacientes portadores de glioblastoma tratadosno período de 1997 a 2007. Todos os pacientes foram classificados segundo critérios do recursive partitioning analysis (RPA). RESULTADOS: Observaram-se predominância do sexo feminino, idade maior ou igual a 50 anos, performance status maior ou igual a 70, e as classes mais prevalentes,de acordo com a classificação RPA, foram a V e VI. Em 72,9% dos pacientes foi realizada ressecção parcial da lesão e em 27,1%, ressecção subtotal ou total. Quimioterapia foi administrada em47,9% dos pacientes e a dose de radioterapia foi de 50û60 Gy em 72,9% dos casos. A sobrevida global mediana observada foi de 52 semanas. CONCLUSÃO: Os dados obtidos mostram que a sobrevida global de pacientes portadores de glioblastoma foi semelhante aos resultados encontrados na literatura e dependente de fatores como a adição de quimioterapia, dose de radioterapia eíndice de Karnofsky.

OBJECTIVE: To identify prognostic factors and evaluate the clinicaloutcome of patients with glioblastoma treated with surgery and radiotherapy combined or not with chemotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In this retrospective study, 48 patients with glioblastoma were treated between 1997 and 2007. All patients wereclassified according the recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) criteria.RESULTS: The majority of patients were female, with 50 years of age or above. Performance status of 70 or greater were found in 70.8% of cases, and RPA classes V and VI prevailed. Seventy-two percent of patients were submitted to partial resection and 27.1% to total or subtotal resection. Chemotherapy wasadministered in 47.9% of patients and doses between 50 and 60 Gy were delivered in 72.9%. The median overall survival was 52 weeks. CONCLUSION: Our data show an overall survival that approaches the related in others reports and were dependent of factors such as chemotherapy, dose of radiation and Karnofsky performance status.

Uso de uma microemulsão lipídica como veículo de quimioterápicos no tratamento do câncer de mama metastático / Use of a lipidic microemulsion as chemotherapic excipient in metastatic breast cancer

Em estudos anteriores demonstramos que em pacientes portadores de Leucemia Não Linfocítica Aguda e Carcinoma de Mama a microemulsão lipídica se liga a receptores de LDL, sugerindo que a LDE pudesse ser utilizada como carreador de quimiterápicos. Posteriormente, mostramos que o quimioterápico carmustina apresenta bom índice de incorporação à LDE. Foi demonstrado que o complexo é estável quimicamente e que a incorporação ao quimioterápico não altera as propriedades da emulsão. Com base nesses dados, o objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a toxicidade clínica e laboratorial do complexo carmustina-LDE dose de 300 mg/m² de superfície corpórea, administrada por via endovenosa a cada 4 semanas, em 18 pacientes portadoras de neoplasia primária de mama e refratária ao tratamento quimioterápico convencional. Esta dose é 20 por cento superior à máxima de carmustina prescrita na quimioterapia convencional, enquanto o intervalo entre as dose é menor...

Resultados a largo plazo de dos protocolos terapéuticos, en niños con leucemia linfoblástica aguda de riesgo habitual. Experiencia en el Centro Médico Nacional "20 de Noviembre" / Long-term results of two therapeutic protocols in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia of habitual risk. The \"20 of November\" National Medical Center Experience

El objetivo de este trabajo es conocer la sobrevida libre de enfermedad, a largo plazo, en niños con leucemia aguda linfoblástica (LAL), sometidos a dos diferentes programas terapéuticas. Se definió riesgo habitual a pacientes mayores de 2 años y menores de 10, sin infiltraciones neurológica, madiastinal o testicular, con cifra de leucocitos inferior a 25 x 10 a la 9/l y con variedad citomorfológica distinta a L-3. En el primer grupo (LAL81) se incluyeron 30 pacientes, de 1981 a 1986 y recibieron: inducción con vincristina (VCR), y prednisona (PDN); consolidación con mercaptopurina (MP), citarabina (ARA) y doxorubicina (DOX); profilaxis al sistema nervioso central (SNC) con radioterapia y metrotrexate (MTX)-ARA hidrocortisona (HDR) intratecales; sostén con MP y MTX. En el segundo grupo (LAL87) se incluyeron 28 enfermos de 1987 a 1993. Se manejaron: inducción con VCR, PDN y L-asparaginasa (ASP); consolidación temprana y tardía con MP, ARA, DOX, carmustina (BCNU) y ciclofosfamida (CFA); profilaxis al SNC con MTX-ARA-HDR y sostén con MP y MTX. Sólo hubo una falla. Se obsevaron 11 recaídas en el grupo LAL81 y 9 en el otro (p=0.71). De ellas, dos en cada grupo, fueron al SNC. La sobrevida libre de enfermedad en el LAL81 fue de 0.39 a 14 años. En el LAL87 de 0.53 a los 8 años (p=0.62)

Recent advances in cancer therapy

The treatment of cancer has developed substantially from its conception in the first years of the 20th century. Since the introduction of alkylating agents during second World War, the oncology specialty has markedly grown. In the recent years, new drugs have been approved for the treatment of cancer. Such examples include the taxanes (Docetaxel and Paclitaxel), Vinorelbine, Irinotecan, Topotecan, Gemcitabine and Gliadel. We will discuss these new chemotherapuetic agents, their pharmacology, indications, toxicity and appropriate dosing. There is no doubt that further clinical research is needed to determine the optimal use of these agents