Stage IB cervical carcinoma: a clinical audit.

All patients with FIGO Stage IB cervical cancer registered with the Department of Clinical Oncology at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, during the 6 years from 1979 to 1984 have been reviewed, as part of a continuing programme of clinical audit. Of the 140 patients with Stage IB disease, 68 (49%) were treated by primary surgery of whom 44 (31%) also received adjuvant radiotherapy. Radical radiotherapy was the definitive treatment for 69 patients (49%). Three patients (2%) were not treated with curative intent. The crude 5-year survival rate for all cases was 72% and the cause-specific 5-year survival rate was 78%. Local tumour control at 5 years was 72%. There was no significant difference in outcome between the surgically treated and irradiated groups of patients. Age, histology and nodal status did not influence outcome. Irradiated patients with bulky tumours fared significantly worse than the other patients who received radical radiotherapy. Multivariate analysis of all patients revealed no significant independent prognostic variables. Primary surgery appears to confer no benefit over radical radiotherapy in terms of either survival or local control. Treatment-related late bladder and bowel morbidity was, however, significantly worse in irradiated patients.

Clinical oncology services to district general hospitals: report of a working party of the Royal College of Radiologists.

We conducted a survey of multidisciplinary non-surgical cancer services in district general hospitals without departments of radiotherapy and oncology. All consultants in clinical oncology (radiotherapy and oncology) in the United Kingdom were sent a questionnaire. This report is based on the analysis of information on 235 district general hospitals, which have an average of 450 acute or general beds. Non-surgical medical care for cancer patients at these hospitals is mainly provided by consultants in clinical oncology based at cancer centres. Initial assessment and follow-up, and some investigations and drug treatment, are organized at the district general hospitals, but radiotherapy and a substantial proportion of cytotoxic chemotherapy is administered at the cancer centres. The principal finding of the survey is that the average total weekly commitment of consultants in clinical oncology at district general hospitals is just under two sessions. We estimate that for each session at present provided at these hospitals there are five new cancer patients who would benefit from a specialized oncological opinion. For each new patient consultation there is a need for 5-10 times as many follow-up consultations. It is clear that the time available for cancer patients at district general hospitals, which on average are 22 miles away from the cancer centres, is far from adequate. We believe that it is correct to continue to base cancer services at cancer centres. This helps to ensure the maintenance of high standards and continuity of care. There is no need to alter the system, but there is a need to increase substantially specialist oncological presence at district general hospitals through the appointment of additional visiting consultants.

Has hyperthermia a place in cancer treatment?

Long before ionising radiations were discovered, attempts were made to exploit elevated temperatures to control malignant tumours. At irregular intervals over the last 100 years, hyperthermia has been suggested for use in cancer therapy but has never become established. There is little doubt that heat alone can destroy tumours; and it can enhance the anti-cancer effects of radiation and chemotherapeutic agents. Laboratory and in vivo animal data provide hyperthermia with a strong biological rationale, which gives the more recent revival of interest a sounder base than previously. The exact science of hyperthermia, however, is still in its infancy, and how it should be employed to its best advantage in human cancer therapy remains illusive. We review the current position of hyperthermia in clinical cancer management and look to see what achievements are likely in the near future.

An assessment of local hyperthermia in clinical practice.

A total of 116 small superficial tumours have been treated by radiation alone, hyperthermia alone, or radiation and hyperthermia combined in a Phase I/II study. Most tumours were metastases or local recurrences of adenocarcinoma of breast but other histologies were involved including melanoma. Hyperthermia was delivered predominantly by microwaves, but radiofrequency and ultrasound methods were also used. Rigorous thermal dosimetry, based on measurements from invasive multipoint thermocouple arrays, has shown that 58 per cent of hyperthermal treatments reached a minimum dose within tumour equivalent to 20 min at 43 degrees C (minEq43); 24 per cent reached at least 60 minEq43. Minima of 20 minEq43 were achieved successfully on every intended occasion in a quarter of the 75 tumours heated, and on one/two occasions in 39; unfortunately, this minimum threshold was not reached at any point monitored at any hyperthermia session in 17(23 per cent) tumours. Tumours that received radiation and effective hyperthermia were more likely to disappear completely (CR rate 86 per cent) than those that were irradiated but inadequately heated (CR rate 35 per cent) (P less than 0.001) or were treated by the same doses of radiation alone (CR rate 35 per cent) (P less than 0.05). This improvement with hyperthermia became more apparent with suboptimal radiation doses. A small but measurable growth delay was imposed by heat alone with a poor complete response rate (11 per cent). The real-time use of a thermal dose unit in clinical practice facilitates hyperthermal treatment comparisons and provides an important parameter for checking the technical performance of a heat delivery system. The results of this study emphasizes the need for improvements in intratumour temperature distribution, in order to establish minimum threshold temperatures to enhance tumour response rates.