Appropriate Timing of Surgery after Neoadjuvant ChemoRadiation Therapy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Surgery is the corner stone for the management of rectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the optimal time of surgical resection after the completion of neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) in treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study compared 2 groups of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, treated with neoadjuvant CRT followed by surgical resection either 6-8 weeks or 9-14 weeks after the completion of chemo-radiotherapy. The impact of delaying surgery was tested in comparison to early surgical resection after completion of chemo-radiotherapy. RESULTS: The total significant response rate that could result in functional preservation was estimated to be 3.85% in group I and 15.4% in group II. Some 9.62% of our patients had residual malignant cells at one cm surgical margin. All those patients with positive margins at one cm were in group I (19.23%). There was less operative time in group II, but the difference between both groups was statistically insignificant (P=0.845). The difference between both groups regarding operative blood loss and intra operative blood transfusion was significantly less in group II (P=0.044). There was no statistically significant difference between both groups regarding the intra operative complications (P=0.609). The current study showed significantly less post-operative hospital stay period, and less post-operative wound infection in group II (P=0.012 and 0.017). The current study showed more tumor regression and necrosis in group II with a highly significant main effect of time F=61.7 (P<0.001). Pathological TN stage indicated better pathological tumor response in group II (P=0.04). The current study showed recurrence free survival for all cases at 18 months of 84.2%. In group I, survival rate at the same duration was 73.8%, however none of group II cases had local recurrence (censored) (P=0.031). Disease free survival (DFS) during the same duration (18 months) was 69.4 % for patients in group I and 82.3% for group II (P=0.429). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical resection delay up to 9-14 weeks after chemo-radiation was associated with better outcome and better recurrence free survival.

Dosimetric prospective study comparing 2D and 3D planning for irradiation of supraclavicular and infraclavicular regions in breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to compare 2D plan and 3D plan regarding coverage of the target (supraclavicular and infraclavicular regions) and dose reaching the risk organs (using mean DVH). Depending on the results of this study, modifications can be made to the 2D conventional planning of supraclavicular and infraclavicular regions in order to achieve better coverage of the target tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a dosimetric study carried out at the radiation oncology department in NCI-Cairo University in the period from January 2012 to October 2012, on 15 patients with breast cancer who are eligible for supraclavicular and infraclavicular irradiation. For All patients, a 2D and a 3D plan were done. RESULTS: We found that the coverage of the supraclavicular and infraclavicular regions and the chest wall or breast together with levels I and II axilla (PTV) were significantly better with the 3D technique with less over dose than the 2D technique. That difference was highly significant and was most evident in MRM cases. Also we found that organs at risk received a dose in the 3D technique that was more than that received in the 2D technique, again that difference was highly significant and was also most evident in MRM cases but all doses were still within tolerance. CONCLUSIONS: From the present study we concluded that the coverage of the supraclavicular and infraclavicular PTV is significantly worse with the 2D technique using a single oblique field at a fixed depth of 3 cm for all patients despite their different builts.

A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of zoledronic acid in bony metastatic bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Zoledronic acid treatment reduces the incidence of skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with bone metastases from breast, lung, and urologic cancers including prostate and renal cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of zoledronic acid on SREs in patients with bone metastases from bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with bone metastases from bladder cancer who were receiving palliative radiotherapy were randomized to placebo or zoledronic acid (4 mg intravenous monthly) for 6 months. RESULTS: The patients (n = 40) were evenly distributed between the two treatment groups, and the baseline demographics of the two groups were similar. The follow-up varied from 8 to 65 weeks (median 24 weeks). Compared with patients receiving placebo, those receiving zoledronic acid had a lower mean incidence of SREs (2.05 +/- 1.0 vs. 0.95 +/- 0.9, respectively), and a larger proportion did not experience an on-study SRE (2 vs. 8 patients, respectively). Zoledronic acid also prolonged the median time to first SRE compared with the placebo (16 vs. 8 weeks, respectively). Multiple event analysis of SREs revealed that zoledronic acid decreased the risk of SRE development by 59% (hazard ratio 0.413). Zoledronic acid also increased the 1-year survival rate compared with placebo (36.3 +/- 11.2 vs. 0%, respectively). Zoledronic acid was generally well tolerated in our patient population. CONCLUSIONS: Zoledronic acid therapy decreased the incidence of SREs and improved the 1-year survival rate of patients with bone metastases from bladder cancer, potentially through its anticancer activity.