Oncoplastic breast-conservative surgery for breast cancers: a uni-institutional case-control study.

The current study was designed to compare oncological outcomes between oncoplastic (OBCS) and conventional breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Data collected retrospectively from two groups of patients diagnosed with breast cancer, cases group (OBCS) and control group (BCS), were analyzed. A total of 277 women were included in the analysis: 193 (69.7%) in the cases group and 84 (30.3%) in the control group. Resected volume was larger in the OBCS group (438.05 ± 302.26 cm3 vs 223.34 ± 161.75 cm3; p < 0.001). Re-excision was required for 7.1% of patients receiving BCS versus 4.7% in the OBCS group (p = 0.402). After long-term follow up, no local recurrences occurred in the OBCS group, while 2.4% of patients receiving BCS had local relapse (p = 0.045). Compared with BCS, OBCS increases oncological safety in terms of re-excision rate and local recurrence.

Management of patients with high-risk and advanced prostate cancer in the Middle East: resource-stratified consensus recommendations.

PURPOSE: Prostate cancer care in the Middle East is highly variable and access to specialist multidisciplinary management is limited. Academic tertiary referral centers offer cutting-edge diagnosis and treatment; however, in many parts of the region, patients are managed by non-specialists with limited resources. Due to many factors including lack of awareness and lack of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, a high percentage of men present with locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer at diagnosis. The aim of these recommendations is to assist clinicians in managing patients with different levels of access to diagnostic and treatment modalities. METHODS: The first Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference (APCCC) satellite meeting for the Middle East was held in Beirut, Lebanon, November 2017. During this meeting a consortium of urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologist and imaging specialists practicing in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia voted on a selection of consensus questions. An additional workshop to formulate resource-stratified consensus recommendations was held in March 2019. RESULTS: Variations in practice based on available resources have been proposed to form resource-stratified recommendations for imaging at diagnosis, initial management of localized prostate cancer requiring therapy, treatment of castration-sensitive/naïve advanced prostate cancer and treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer. CONCLUSION: This is the first regional consensus on prostate cancer management from the Middle East. The following recommendations will be useful to urologists and oncologists practicing in all areas with limited access to specialist multi-disciplinary teams, diagnostic modalities and treatment resources.

Outcomes and prognostic factors for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue in young adults: a single-institution case-matched analysis.

There is controversy regarding prognosis and treatment of young patients with oral cavity cancer compared to their older counterparts. We conducted a retrospective case-matched analysis of all adult patients younger than 40 years and treated at our institution for a squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. Only non-metastatic adult patients (age >18) with oral tongue cancer were eventually included and matched 1:1 with patients over 40 years of age, at least 20 years older than the cases, with same T and N category and treatment period. Sixty-three patients younger than 40 had an oral cavity squamous cell cancer out of which 57 had an oral tongue primary during the period 1999-2012, and 50 could be matched with an older control. No difference could be seen between younger and older patients with regard to overall, cancer-specific, or progression-free survival. The patterns of failure were similar, although in young patients, almost all failures occurred during the first 2 years following treatment. Although overall survival shows a trend toward lower survival in older patients, cancer-specific survival and analysis of pattern failure suggest that disease prognosis is similar between young and older adults with oral tongue cancer. Further work is needed to identify the younger patients with poorer prognosis who overwhelmingly fail during the first year after treatment and could benefit from treatment intensification. Until then, young adults ought to be treated using standard guidelines.

Induction chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy alone in locally advanced non-endemic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of induction chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (TPF) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (IC+CCRT) or CCRT alone in non-endemic locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data of 106 patients with NPC treated from January 1999 to June 2012 with IC+CCRT (n=58) or CCRT alone (n=48) were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 6.4years. Distribution of age, performance status, stage and concurrent chemotherapy regimen were imbalanced between the two groups. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were not significantly different between IC+CCRT and CCRT groups (OS: 78.3% vs. 82.7%, p=0.77; PFS: 72.5% vs. 68.2%, p=0.81, respectively). There were less total cumulative incidence of grade 3-4 late radiation morbidity in the IC+CCRT group (44.8% vs. 70.8%, p=0.01). Five-year OS for patients with post-IC complete response (CR), partial response (PR) and stable disease (SD) sub-groups were 100%, 79.4% and 60%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Compared with CCRT alone, IC (TPF regimen)+CCRT did not improve OS or PFS in patients with NPC, but less grade 3-4 late toxicities were observed. Responsiveness of IC may provide additional prognostic information.

Adjuvant brachytherapy for endometrial cancer: advantages of the vaginal mold technique.

PURPOSE: Treatment of endometrial carcinoma in the adjuvant setting includes in most cases vaginal brachytherapy. In our institution, we use the customized vaginal mold technique. Herein, we report the advantages of this personalized applicator in terms of target coverage, normal tissue preservation, the incidence of air pockets, and its potential impact on dosimetry. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 15 patients receiving postoperative vaginal cuff high-dose-rate brachytherapy with the mold applicator technique were enrolled in this prospective data collection study. Patients were treated with either two or four fractions of 5 Gy prescribed to the clinical target volume, which consisted of an irradiation of the vaginal cuff and the upper third of the vagina. Target coverage; dose to organs at risk, in addition to the volume; and the dosimetric impact of air pockets surrounding the mold were evaluated. RESULTS: In 15 patients, a total of 27 air pockets were identified. The average number of air pockets per patient was 1.8 (range, 0-4), with the average total air pocket volume being 0.1 cc (range, 0.01-0.54). The average dose reduction at 5mm from the air pocket was 26% (range, 6-45%). The minimal clinical target volume coverage reported was 95% and the maximal dose received by 2 cc of the bladder, rectum, and sigmoid never exceeded 110% of the prescribed dose. CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal cuff high-dose-rate brachytherapy using the molded applicator provides personalized tailored treatment in terms of anatomical conformity. This translates into a dosimetrical advantage with smaller and fewer air pockets than reported in the literature with the use of cylinders.