Online Adaptive Magnetic Resonance-guided Radiation Therapy for Gynaecological Cancers: Preliminary Results of Feasibility and Outcome.

AIMS: To present the preliminary results on the clinical utilisation of an online daily adaptive magnetic resonance-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) for various gynaecological cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve patients treated between September 2018 and June 2022 were included. Six patients (50%) were treated with pelvic radiation therapy followed by MRgRT boost as brachytherapy boost was ineligible or unavailable, three patients (25%) were treated with pelvic MRgRT followed by high dose rate brachytherapy, two patients (16.7%) were treated with only MRgRT, one patient (8.3%) was treated with linear accelerator-based radiation therapy followed by MRgRT boost for bulky iliac lymph nodes. RESULTS: The median age was 56.5 years (range 31-86 years). Eight patients (66.7%) had a complete response, three patients (25%) had a partial response and one patient (8.3%) died due to acute renal failure. The mean follow-up time was 11.2 months (range 3.1-42.6 months). The estimated 1-year overall survival was 88.9%. The median treatment time was 47 days (range 10-87 days). During external beam radiation therapy, 10 (83.3%) patients had concomitant chemoradiotherapy. Pelvic external beam radiation therapy doses for all cohorts were 45-50.4 Gy with a fraction dose of 1.8 Gy. The median magnetic resonance-guided boost dose was 32 Gy (range 20-50 Gy) and fraction doses ranged between 4 and 10 Gy. Three patients were treated with intracavitary high dose rate brachytherapy (26-28 Gy in four to five fractions). None of the patients had grade >3 late genitourinary toxicities. CONCLUSION: MRgRT is reliable and clinically feasible for treating patients with gynaecological cancers alone or in combination with brachytherapy with an acceptable toxicity and outcome. MRgRT boost could be an option when brachytherapy is not available or ineligible.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with low dose weekly gemcitabine in medically inoperable muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients

PURPOSE: We aimed to determine the efficacy and the toxicity of low dose weekly gemcitabine with radiation therapy in medically unfit muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients. METHODS: Twenty-six patients were included into the retrospective analysis. Weekly gemcitabine was administered 75 mg/m(2) with a median dose of 63 Gy radiation therapy. Clinical target volume was defined as the urinary bladder only in conformal treatment planning. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 51 months (range 14-118 months). Complete response rate was 62.5 %. The 5-year local progression-free survival, disease-specific survival and overall survival rates were 40.6, 59.5 and 58.5 %, respectively. Concurrent chemotherapy was continued in 80.7 % of patients without any interruption. Gemcitabine was stopped due to grade 3 thrombocytopenia (n = 1), cardiac angina (n = 1), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation (n = 1) or patients' reluctance (n = 2). CONCLUSIONS: Low dose weekly gemcitabine with concurrent radiotherapy is a tolerable regimen and have comparable outcomes with platinum-based combined treatments in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Prospective randomized trials can help in understanding the safety and efficacy of this treatment specially in medically unfit patients (AU)

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Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with low dose weekly gemcitabine in medically inoperable muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients.

PURPOSE: We aimed to determine the efficacy and the toxicity of low dose weekly gemcitabine with radiation therapy in medically unfit muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients. METHODS: Twenty-six patients were included into the retrospective analysis. Weekly gemcitabine was administered 75 mg/m(2) with a median dose of 63 Gy radiation therapy. Clinical target volume was defined as the urinary bladder only in conformal treatment planning. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 51 months (range 14-118 months). Complete response rate was 62.5 %. The 5-year local progression-free survival, disease-specific survival and overall survival rates were 40.6, 59.5 and 58.5 %, respectively. Concurrent chemotherapy was continued in 80.7 % of patients without any interruption. Gemcitabine was stopped due to grade 3 thrombocytopenia (n = 1), cardiac angina (n = 1), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation (n = 1) or patients' reluctance (n = 2). CONCLUSIONS: Low dose weekly gemcitabine with concurrent radiotherapy is a tolerable regimen and have comparable outcomes with platinum-based combined treatments in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Prospective randomized trials can help in understanding the safety and efficacy of this treatment specially in medically unfit patients.

Who may benefit from prophylactic cranial irradiation amongst stage III non-small cell lung cancer patients?

PURPOSE: To identify a high risk group of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who may benefit from preventive strategies in order to reduce the rate of brain metastasis. METHODS: Two-hundred stage IIIA (47.5%) and IIIB (52.5%) NSCLC patients were analysed (median age 61 years, range 29-82). Pathological diagnosis consisted of 27% adenocarcinomas, 48.5% squamous cell carcinomas, and 24.5% non-small cell lung carcinomas. Brain metastasis rate was calculated and compared in relation to age, gender, stage, histology, chemotherapy and surgery. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 15 months (range 2-65), and the 2-year survival rate was 35%. Two-year incidence of brain metastasis was 23%. In univariate analysis, 32.9% of the patients younger than 60 years of age developed brain metastasis, in contrast to 15.3% of those older than 60 years (p=0.003). Brain was the first metastatic site in younger patients (44.4%) which was significantly higher than in the older age group (23%) (p=0.03). Adenocarcinoma had higher risk (39.6%) than squamous cell carcinoma (15.7%) for brain metastasis (p<0.0001). Patients 60 years old or younger with adenocarcinoma (53.3%) had higher risk for brain metastasis than all the others (18%; p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: In locally advanced NSCLC patients, age and adenocarcinoma histology represent high risk factors for early development of brain metastasis. Many of the failures are isolated brain lesions and future studies are required to assess the benefit of preventive strategies in selected patients.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the Bartholin's gland: case report and systematic review of the literature.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the Bartholin's gland is a rare malignancy of the female genital tract. Seventy-nine cases have been reported in the literature. A 40-year-old women presented to our clinic with twice locally recurrent ACC of Bartholin's gland of the left vulva despite hemivulvectomy. Adjuvant radiotherapy was delivered after the third resection. There was no local recurrence after three years follow-up, although she developed lung metastases that remain under control with oral cyclophosphamide. Our case confirms the literature review, which indicates a slow growing tumor with frequent local recurrences (30%) and distant metastases (31%). Adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy should be considered in the management of ACC of Bartholin's gland.

Gamma knife radiosurgery in non small cell lung cancer patients with brain metastases: treatment results and prognostic factors.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for the treatment of brain metastases from non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and find out the prognostic factors for overall survival. METHODS: Between February 1997 and August 2003 100 patients underwent treatment for 184 brain metastases from NSCLC, either for recurrence (n=49) or with a new diagnosis (n=51). Median age was 55 years and 77 patients were male. Seventy-eight of the patients received whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) prior to or after GKRS and 26 patients had surgical removal of the metastasis. Imaging and clinical status were monitored every 3 months following treatment. Kaplan-Meier survival curves, Cox proportional hazards regression for risk factor analysis were used. RESULTS: The median follow up after the procedure was 8 months and after the diagnosis 11 months. The median overall survival for all patients was 9 months from the date of GKRS and 14 months from the diagnosis of brain metastasis. Local tumor control was achieved in 95% of the lesions. In multivariate analysis, adenocarcinoma histology, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score > 80, 1-3 metastases and tumor diameter <2 cm were related to longer survival. Addition of WBRT did not have any effect on overall survival. CONCLUSION: Gamma knife surgery appears to be effective in treating patients with brain metastases from NSCLC, either alone or with WBRT in selected groups of patients.

Impact of percent positive random biopsies on biochemical outcome in prostate cancer patients treated with external beam radiotherapy with or without androgen deprivation.

PURPOSE: To identify the prognostic factors for biochemical outcome in patients with localized prostatic adenocarcinoma treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with or without androgen deprivation (AD) and to investigate the impact of percent positive prostate core biopsies (PCB%). METHODS: From 1998 through 2003, 333 patients with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were treated in two institutions with definitive EBRT to a median dose of 72 Gy and 80% of them received short- or long-term AD. Biochemical failure was defined using ASTRO criteria with 3 consecutive rises in prostate specific antigen (PSA). RESULTS: Median follow up was 36 months. Gleason score, initial PSA, risk grouping, PCB%, AD and total duration of AD were found to be significant predictors for biochemical outcome in univariate analysis. Independent predictors for PSA failure on multivariate analysis were PCB% and duration of AD. Among 3 risk groups, in the intermediate risk group the biochemical control was significantly better in patients with < 67% positive core biopsies. In the subgroup analysis of patients who received a prostatic dose or= 67% positive core biopsies. These significant differences did not exist in patients receiving > 70.2 Gy and long-term hormonal therapy. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that high PCB% could be a predictor of biochemical relapse, especially in the intermediate risk group. The role of PCB% in prostate cancer should be investigated in further trials.

Toxicity and feasibility analysis for cisplatin-based concomitant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To assess the side effects of cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 2001 through 2007, 34 (27 males; 7 females) patients received a median of 70 Gy curative radiotherapy (RT) with conventional fractionation. Twenty-one (62%) patients received induction chemotherapy (CT): 8 of them received 2 courses of cisplatin (75 mg/m(2), day 1) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (750 mg/m(2), days 1-5) every 3 weeks and 13 patients received 3 courses of cisplatin (75 mg/m(2), day 1) and docetaxel (75 mg/m(2), day 1) every 3 weeks. Concomitant cisplatin was administered either 40 mg/m(2) weekly (n=8) or 75-80 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks (n=26) during RT. Median Karnofsky performance status (KPS) prior to RT was 80 (range 70-90). Patient, disease and treatment-related factors were analysed in relation to termination of concurrent CT. RESULTS: Concurrent CT was administered to 13 (38.2%) patients without cisplatin termination, whereas 10 (29.4%) patients received 2 cycles of the 3-weekly schedule. Grade 3 oral mucositis (47.1%), grade 2-3 weight loss (44.2%) and grade 2 fatigue (44.1%) were the most frequently dose-limiting side effects during concurrent therapy. The rate of receiving cisplatin cycles as planned was 85% for patients with KPS >80, whilst it was 15% only for patients with KPS < or = 80 (p=0.006). None of the patients suffering of grade 2 fatigue could complete all cycles compared to 68% of patients with < grade 2 fatigue who completed all cycles (p <0.001). The severity of mucositis was significantly related to initial haemoglobin level (p=0.02) and weight loss during RT (p=0.04). Median follow-up was 20 months (range 5-65). Three-year locoregional relapse free (LRRFS), disease free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 79.3%, 68.8% and 79.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Concurrent administration of CT during RT reveals better outcome but requires careful consideration for toxicity. Initial performance status prior to CRT might be a predictor for unplanned CT stopping due to side effects.

Concomitant administration of uracil-tegafur and leucovorin during adjuvant radiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: We report the feasibility and toxicity profile, and the impact on local control, disease-free survival and overall survival rates of our study which consisted of postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy using uracil-tegafur (UFT)/leukovorin (LV) in locally advanced rectal cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one patients operated for rectal adenocarcinoma (pT3/4 or N+) were enrolled onto the study. Twenty-three patients were males and 8 females with median age 62 years (range 21-85). Radiotherapy (RT) to the pelvis with conformal technique and individual blocks was delivered within 8 weeks following surgery. Total RT dose was 50.4 Gy and was given in a conventional single fraction of 1.8 Gy per day. Chemotherapy was administered concomitantly and consisted of UFT (300 mg/m(2)/day) and LV (30 mg/day) during RT-days. Following chemoradiotherapy, chemotherapy alone was administered for 4 cycles in the same dose for 28 days every 35 days. RESULTS: No lethal toxicity occurred. All patients completed the scheduled RT. Concurrent chemotherapy continued in 22 (70.9%) patients until the end of RT. Seventeen (54.8%) patients completed the whole concurrent chemoradiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy as planned. No grade 3-4 stomatitis/mucositis or haematological toxicities were observed during the whole treatment period. During concomitant therapy grade 1-2 toxicities were: nausea/vomiting 60%, dyspepsia/gastric pain 39%, diarrhea 39% and dysuria 10%, whereas grade 3 nausea and diarrhea occurred in 6% and 19%, respectively. Median follow-up was 22 months. Two-year local control, disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 96.3%, 72.3% and 83.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The acute toxicity profile of UFT/LV, local control, disease-free survival and overall survival in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy setting for operated, locally advanced rectal cancer seem comparable with the standard 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based therapies.

Hodgkin's disease in the nasopharynx.

Nasopharyngeal presentation of Hodgkin's disease (HD) is an uncommon event with relatively favorable prognosis. It is predominantly seen in males and most papers are case reports. Here, we report an unusual case in a female patient with stage IA(E)HD treated by radiotherapy (RT), and achieving complete disease remission, lasting 26(+) months.

Partial intestinal obstruction due to childhood refractory hon-Hodgkin's lymphoma, successfully treated with taxol.

In this report, we present a six-year-old male patient with partial intestinal obstruction due to refractory Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) whose partial obstruction was successfully treated with Taxol(R) without any surgical intervention. Following an unsuccessful treatment attempt to treat his high-grade (stage 3) B-cell lymphoma with standard and second-line chemotherapy regimens he was started on radiotherapy and third line chemotherapy during which he was admitted with partial obstructive ileus as a result of tumor progression. Treatment was continued with Taxol(R) and resulted in total cure of the ileus with reduction of palpable tumor mass over 24 h without necessitating any surgery. Taxol(R) (200 mg/m (2)/week) was administered without any major side effects/toxicities for six courses. A control CT of the abdomen revealed a significant reduction in tumor size. After the next course, the patient developed severe thrombocytopenia that unfortunately did not resolve before the patient died as a result of further tumor growth and dissemination. Although there are studies that report response to Taxol(R) treatment in adult patients with refractory NHL, our review of the literature failed to demonstrate any report about the effectiveness of Taxol(R) in childhood NHL. In conclusion, our case may indicate that Taxol(R) can be effective and be administered safely in an outpatient setting in children with refractory NHL with the aim of prolonging the survival without sacrificing good quality of life. Studies on larger number of patients are needed to make a definitive conclusion about the value of Taxol(R) in refractory childhood NHL.

Outcome of rectal and sigmoid carcinoma patients receiving adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in Marmara University Hospital.

Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment in resected stage II/III rectosigmoid carcinoma. We report a retrospective analysis of 33 patients who received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Patients received 5-fluorouracil (375mg/m2/day x 5days) and calcium leucovorin (20mg/m2/day x 5days), q4weeks, two courses before and two courses after radiotherapy. The 5-fluorouracil dose was reduced to 225mg/m2/day given continuously as protracted short-term infusion on the first and last 3 days during radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was started at 7th week and 45-50.4 Gy was given to pelvic region. Median age was 63 years. Median follow-up was 38 months starting from the operation date. Four-year local and distant control rates were 78% and 69%, respectively. Four-year disease-free survival and overall survival were 60% and 62%, respectively. Protracted short-term infusion of 5-fluorouracil during pelvic irradiation is a safe treatment modality. Further studies are needed to improve the local control of high-risk rectal and sigmoid carcinomas.