ABSTRACT
Background: Carcinoma cervix contributes to a major proportion of cancer treatment in tertiary oncology centers. The outcomes are dependent on multiple factors. We conducted an audit to establish the pattern of treatment practiced for carcinoma cervix at the institute and suggest changes thereof to improve the quality of care. Methodology: A retrospective observational study of 306 diagnosed cases of carcinoma cervix was carried out for the year 2010. Data was collected with regards to diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: Out of 306 cases, 102 (33.33%) patients received only radiation therapy and 204 (66.66%) patients received concurrent chemotherapy. The most common chemotherapy used was weekly cisplatin 99 (48.52%), followed by weekly carboplatin 60 (29.41%) and three weekly cisplatin 45 (22.05%). Disease-free survival (DFS) at 5 years was 36.6% with patients of overall treatment time (OTT) of <8 weeks and >8 weeks showing DFS of 41.8% and 34% (P = 0.149), respectively. Overall survival (OS) was 34%. Concurrent chemoradiation improved overall survival by a median of 8 months (P = 0.035). There was a trend towards improved survival with three weekly cisplatin regimen, however, insignificant. Stage correlated with improved overall survival significantly with stage I and II showing 40% and stage III and IV showing 32% (P < 0.05) OS. Acute toxicity (grade I-III) was higher in the concurrent chemoradiation group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This audit was a first of its kind in the institute and threw light on the treatment and survival trends. It also revealed the number of patients lost to follow-up and prompted us to review the reasons for it. It has laid the foundation for future audits and recognized the importance of electronic medical records in the maintenance of data.
ABSTRACT
AIM: Dosimetic comparison of manual forward planning(MFP) with inverse planning(IP) for interstitial brachytherapy(ISBT) in cervical carcinoma. BACKGROUND: Brachytherapy planning by MFP is more reliable but time-consuming method, whereas IP has been explored more often for its ease and rapidness. The superiority of either is yet to be established. METHODOLOGY: Two plans were created on data sets of 24 patients of cervical carcinoma who had undergone ISBT, one by MFP with uniform dwell times and another IP on BrachyVision 13.7 planning system with a dose prescription of 600 cGy. Isodose shaper was used for improving conformity & homogeneity. Dosimetric parameters for target and organs at risk (OARs) were recorded. Conformity index (COIN), dose homogeneity index (DHI), overdose index (OI), Coverage index (CI) and dose nonuniformity ratio (DNR) were calculated. RESULTS: Mean high risk clinical target volume: 73.05(±20.7)cc, D90: 5.51â¯Gy vs. 5.6â¯Gy (pâ¯=â¯0.017), V100: 81.77 % vs. 83.74 % (pâ¯=â¯0.002), V150: 21.7 % vs. 24.93 % (pâ¯=â¯0.002), V200: 6.3 % vs. 6.4 % (p=0.75) for IP and MFP, respectively. CI: 0.81(IP) and 0.83(MFP) (pâ¯=â¯0.003); however, COIN was 0.79 for both plans. D2cc of OARs was statistically better with IP (bladder 54.7 % vs. 56.1 %, pâ¯=â¯0.03; rectum 63 % vs. 64.7 %, (pâ¯=â¯0.0008). CONCLUSION: Both MFP and IP are equally acceptable dosimetrically. With higher dose achieved to the target, for a similar OAR dose, MFP provides greater user flexibility of dwell positions within the target as well as better optimization. Isodose shaper may be carefully used for fine tuning. Larger sample sizes and clinical correlation will better answer the superiority of one over the other.
ABSTRACT
In the past few decades, concurrent chemoradiation has conclusively been established as the standard of care in resectable, locally advanced head and neck cancer. Platins until now have been the established radiosensitizer in all concurrent settings, including postoperative high-risk scenarios. However, retrospective and evolving data suggest that they have their limitations in terms of compatibility, toxicity, and intrinsic resistance. There is therefore the need to explore the scope of other agents that may address these issues through a different mode of action, a better toxicity profile, or preferably a combination of both. In recent years, taxanes have emerged as an effective chemotherapeutic agent for head and neck cancer for recurrent or metastatic disease and chemoinduction for downstaging before definitive treatment. In this article, the authors review the potential of taxanes as an alternative to platins in the concurrent setting.
