The rapid improvement in visual field defect observed with weekly perimetry during intensity-modulated radiotherapy for optic nerve sheath meningioma.

During precision radiotherapy to treat optic nerve sheath meningioma, early improvement in visual function has been seen. This has been difficult to explain biologically. In the present study, we aimed to investigate this rapid improvement in visual function. To this end, we prospectively tested a single patient's visual field (VF) using Humphrey automated perimetry at weekly intervals. The patient exhibited significant stepwise improvement in VF during an intensity-modulated radiotherapy course.

Early intervention using high-precision radiotherapy preserved visual function for five consecutive patients with optic nerve sheath meningioma.

BACKGROUND: There has been a paradigm shift in the treatment for optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM) from surgery to fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) in other countries. However, FSRT has seldom been performed in Japan. The purpose of this retrospective study is to reconfirm the effectiveness of early intervention with precision radiotherapy for ONSM reported in our previous study. METHODS: Five consecutive patients with ONSM were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) or FSRT. They received the early interventions between 1.5 and 7 months after deterioration of the disease. The median dose was 52.8 Gy (range 46.0-59.4 Gy) and the median number of fractions was 25 (range 22-33). RESULTS: All patients experienced reestablishment of vision at the median follow-up time of 36 months (range 18-54 months). Four of them noted early improvement of visual deficits during the treatment course (range 2-4 weeks) and the remaining patient improved 3 weeks after completion of IMRT. The median tumor reduction was 53% (range 39-75%). One patient with diabetes mellitus developed retinal bleeding as a result of radiation retinopathy 16 months after IMRT, although the doses were acceptable. The remaining 4 patients have no late toxicity at the follow-up time of 31-54 months. CONCLUSIONS: A paradigm shift is necessary from surgery to early intervention using precision radiotherapy for the treatment of ONSM in Japan.

Rapid recovery of vision following early intervention with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy for optic nerve sheath meningioma.

PURPOSE: To report the outcomes of early intervention with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) in a patient with primary optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM). PATIENT AND METHODS: A male patient in his early 40s underwent 5-beam FSRT at a prescribed dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions over 35 days. The patient had an 11-month history of progressive visual impairment at the time of FSRT. RESULTS: On day 14 of treatment, the patient reported early improvement in his vision. Two weeks after the completion of FSRT, his left eye visual acuity and field recovered completely. However, the tumor regressed only slightly in the 2 years of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Early intervention with FSRT for optic nerve sheath meningioma resulted in a rapid response and complete improvement of visual impairment.

[Disorder of Gastric Myoelectric Activity in Patients with Cerebral Infarction:Electrogastrographic Assessment].

In this study, gastric myoelectric activity in patients with acute cerebral infarction was investigated using electrogastrography. The patients were divided into four groups; those with mild brainstem infarction(group A, n=13, men:8, women:5, 75±2 years old), severe brainstem infarction(group B, n=6, men:4, women:2, 79±4 years old), mild non-brainstem infarction(group C, n=14, men:7, women:7, 76±3 years old), and severe non-brainstem infarction(group D, n=9, men:3, women:6, 87±2 years old). In group B, the% ratio of normogastria(2.4-3.6 cycles per minute)was significantly lower in the fasting period. The dominant power(DP)significantly increased after the meal in group C, but did not in group A, compared to before the meal. The DP increased in all patients in group C after the meal, whereas it increased in only five of ten patients in group A. The possibility of gastric dysfunction should be considered in patients with brainstem infarction.

Feasibility study of a non-invasive eye fixation and monitoring device using a right-angle prism mirror for intensity-modulated radiotherapy for choroidal melanoma.

We aimed to describe the feasibility and efficacy of a novel non-invasive fixation and monitoring (F-M) device for the eyeballs (which uses a right-angle prism mirror as the optic axis guide) in three consecutive patients with choroidal melanoma who were treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The device consists of an immobilization shell, a right-angle prism mirror, a high magnification optical zoom video camera, a guide lamp, a digital voice recorder, a personal computer, and a National Television System Committee standard analog video cable. Using the right-angle prism mirror, the antero-posterior axis was determined coincident with the optic axis connecting the centers of the cornea and pupil. The axis was then connected to the guide light and video camera installed on the couch top on the distal side. Repositioning accuracy improved using this method. Furthermore, the positional error of the lens was markedly reduced from ±1.16, ±1.68 and ±1.11 mm to ±0.23, ±0.58 and ±0.26 mm in the horizontal direction, and from ±1.50, ±1.03 and ±0.48 mm to ±0.29, ±0.30 and ±0.24 mm in the vertical direction (Patient #1, #2 and #3, respectively). Accordingly, the F-M device method decreased the planning target volume size and improved the dose-volume histogram parameters of the organ-at-risk via IMRT inverse planning. Importantly, the treatment method was well tolerated.

Outcomes and toxicity of radiotherapy for refractory bone and soft tissue sarcomas.

Surgical resection is a well-established treatment option for sarcoma. However, anatomical barriers often hamper radical surgical procedures. The treatment of unresectable sarcoma, including local or distant failures following initial treatment, is challenging. The aim of the present study was to analyze the outcome of radiotherapy (RT) for refractory sarcoma, including unresectable, metastatic and recurrent disease, following radical treatment. We retrospectively reviewed a total of 67 tumors in 28 patients who were treated with RT between 2007 and 2014. Clinical target volume (CTV) was generally not defined in a preventive manner; therefore, in the majority of the cases, CTV equaled the gross tumor volume. The total delivered dose, number of fractions and biological equivalent dose were 52 (range, 40-69), 10 (range, 4-24) and 92.2 (range, 56-119.6) Gy, respectively. Only 1 patient developed local failure, with a median follow-up of 11 months (range, 1-59 months). Therefore, the 12-month progression-free survival rate for 67 sites was 96.8%. The overall survival rates at 12 and 36 months were 75.8 and 30.2%, respectively. A total of 2 patients developed grade >2 toxicities, including grade 3 mucositis and grade 4 pericardial effusion. Our results demonstrated that radical RT using modern techniques is highly feasible, achieves excellent local control, and may be an effective treatment option for refractory sarcoma.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy for Stage I lung cancer with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: special reference to survival and radiation-induced pneumonitis.

This retrospective study aimed to evaluate radiation-induced pneumonitis (RIP) and a related condition that we define in this report--prolonged minimal RIP (pmRIP)--after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for Stage I primary lung cancer in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We assessed 136 Stage I lung cancer patients with COPD who underwent SBRT. Airflow limitation on spirometry was classified into four Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grades, with minor modifications: GOLD 1 (mild), GOLD 2 (moderate), GOLD 3 (severe) and GOLD 4 (very severe). On this basis, we defined two subgroups: COPD-free (COPD -) and COPD-positive (COPD +). There was no significant difference in overall survival or cause-specific-survival between these groups. Of the 136 patients, 44 (32%) had pmRIP. Multivariate analysis showed that COPD and the Brinkman index were statistically significant risk factors for the development of pmRIP. COPD and the Brinkman index were predictive factors for pmRIP, although our findings also indicate that SBRT can be tolerated in early lung cancer patients with COPD.

Differences in rates of radiation-induced true and false rib fractures after stereotactic body radiation therapy for Stage I primary lung cancer.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the dosimetry and investigate the clinical outcomes of radiation-induced rib fractures (RIRFs) after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). A total of 126 patients with Stage I primary lung cancer treated with SBRT, who had undergone follow-up computed tomography (CT) at least 12 months after SBRT and who had no previous overlapping radiation exposure were included in the study. We used the Mantel-Haenszel method and multiple logistic regression analysis to compare risk factors. We analyzed D(0.5 cm(3)) (minimum absolute dose received by a 0.5-cm(3) volume) and identified each rib that received a biologically effective dose (BED) (BED3, using the linear-quadratic (LQ) formulation assuming an α/ß = 3) of at least 50 Gy. Of the 126 patients, 46 (37%) suffered a total of 77 RIRFs. The median interval from SBRT to RIRF detection was 15 months (range, 3-56 months). The 3-year cumulative probabilities were 45% (95% CI, 34-56%) and 3% (95% CI, 0-6%), for Grades 1 and 2 RIRFs, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor location was a statistically significant risk factor for the development of Grade 1 RIRFs. Of the 77 RIRFs, 71 (92%) developed in the true ribs (ribs 1-7), and the remaining six developed in the false ribs (ribs 8-12). The BED3 associated with 10% and 50% probabilities of RIRF were 55 and 210 Gy to the true ribs and 240 and 260 Gy to the false ribs. We conclude that RIRFs develop more frequently in true ribs than in false ribs.

Evaluation of potential internal target volume of liver tumors using cine-MRI.

PURPOSE: Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) is widely used for evaluating moving tumors, including lung and liver cancers. For patients with unstable respiration, however, the 4DCT may not visualize tumor motion properly. High-speed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences (cine-MRI) permit direct visualization of respiratory motion of liver tumors without considering radiation dose exposure to patients. Here, the authors demonstrated a technique for evaluating internal target volume (ITV) with consideration of respiratory variation using cine-MRI. METHODS: The authors retrospectively evaluated six patients who received stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to hepatocellular carcinoma. Before acquiring planning CT, sagittal and coronal cine-MRI images were acquired for 30 s with a frame rate of 2 frames/s. The patient immobilization was conducted under the same condition as SBRT. Planning CT images were then acquired within 15 min from cine-MRI image acquisitions, followed by a 4DCT scan. To calculate tumor motion, the motion vectors between two continuous frames of cine-MRI images were calculated for each frame using the pyramidal Lucas-Kanade method. The target contour was delineated on one frame, and each vertex of the contour was shifted and copied onto the following frame using neighboring motion vectors. 3D trajectory data were generated with the centroid of the contours on sagittal and coronal images. To evaluate the accuracy of the tracking method, the motion of clearly visible blood vessel was analyzed with the motion tracking and manual detection techniques. The target volume delineated on the 50% (end-exhale) phase of 4DCT was translated with the trajectory data, and the distribution of the occupancy probability of target volume was calculated as potential ITV (ITV Potential). The concordance between ITV Potential and ITV estimated with 4DCT (ITV 4DCT) was evaluated using the Dice's similarity coefficient (DSC). RESULTS: The distance between blood vessel positions determined with motion tracking and manual detection was analyzed. The mean and SD of the distance were less than 0.80 and 0.52 mm, respectively. The maximum ranges of tumor motion on cine-MRI were 2.4 ± 1.4 mm (range, 1.0-5.0 mm), 4.4 ± 3.3 mm (range, 0.8-9.4 mm), and 14.7 ± 5.9 mm (range, 7.4-23.4 mm) in lateral, anterior-posterior, and superior-inferior directions, respectively. The ranges in the superior-inferior direction were larger than those estimated with 4DCT images for all patients. The volume of ITV Potential was 160.3% ± 13.5% (range, 142.0%-179.2%) of the ITV 4DCT. The maximum DSC values were observed when the cutoff value of 24.7% ± 4.0% (range, 20%-29%) was applied. CONCLUSIONS: The authors demonstrated a novel method of calculating 3D motion and ITV Potential of liver cancer using orthogonal cine-MRI. Their method achieved accurate calculation of the respiratory motion of moving structures. Individual evaluation of the ITV Potential will aid in improving respiration management and treatment planning.

Adaptive replanning intensity-modulated radiotherapy for choroidal metastasis of breast cancer using optical coherence tomography.

Swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) is a convenient method for precise, early-stage detection of choroidal metastatic lesions, involving assessment of tumor response, and for regular follow-up studies. Using information obtained with SS-OCT, we performed intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for a patient with choroidal metastasis from breast cancer with more accuracy than had been previously possible. We made replanning adaptive radiotherapy (ART) three times based on the rapid tumor shrinkage detected by weekly assessments with SS-OCT. Accordingly, the planning target volume (PTV) decreased from 1.6 cm(3) to 0.61 cm(3) (38%), with 0.95 cm(3) (59%) and 0.75 cm(3) (46%) as intermediate values during the treatment course. The D0.1 cm3 of the right optic nerve was also reduced from 1.70 Gy/fraction to 0.69 Gy/faction, with 1.41 Gy/fraction and 1.29 Gy/fraction as intermediate values. Adaptive replanning IMRT made it possible to perform locally curative treatment of the metastatic choroidal lesion with a higher dose for the PTV, and a lower dose for organs at risk (OARs).

Clinical introduction of Monte Carlo treatment planning for lung stereotactic body radiotherapy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Monte Carlo (MC) calculations and optimized dose definitions in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung cancer patients. We used a retrospective patient review and basic virtual phantom to determine dose prescriptions. Fifty-three patients underwent SBRT. A basic virtual phantom had a gross tumor volume (GTV) of 10.0 mm with equivalent water density of 1.0 g/cm3, which was surrounded by equivalent lung surrounding the GTV of 0.25 g/cm3. D95 of the planning target volume (PTV) and D99 of the GTV were evaluated with different GTV sizes (5.0 to 30.0 mm) and different lung densities (0.05 to 0.45 g/cm3). Prescribed dose was defined as 95% of the PTV should receive 100% of the dose (48 Gy/4 fractions) using pencil beam (PB) calculation and recalculated using MC calculation. In the patient study, average doses to the D95 of the PTV and D99 of the GTV using the MC calculation plan were 19.9% and 10.2% lower than those by the PB calculation plan, respectively. In the phantom study, decreased doses to the D95 of the PTV and D99 of the GTV using the MC calculation plan were accompanied with changes GTV size from 30.0to 5.0 mm, which was decreased from 8.4% to 19.6% for the PTV and from 17.4%to 27.5% for the GTV. Similar results were seen with changes in lung density from 0.45 to 0.05 g/cm3, with doses to the D95 of the PTV and D99 of the GTV were decreased from 12.8% to 59.0% and from 7.6% to 44.8%, respectively. The decrease in dose to the PTV with MC calculation was strongly dependent on lung density. We suggest that dose definition to the GTV for lung cancer SBRT be optimized using MC calculation. Our current clinical protocol for lung SBRT is based on a prescribed dose of 44 Gy in 4 fractions to the GTV using MC calculation.

Approach to dose definition to the gross tumor volume for lung cancer with respiratory tumor motion.

The purpose of this study was to validate the dose prescription defined to the gross tumor volume (GTV) 3D and 4D dose distributions of stereotactic radiotherapy for lung cancer. Treatment plans for 94 patients were generated based on computed tomography (CT) under free breathing. A uniform margin of 8 mm was added to the internal target volume (ITV) to generate the planning target volume (PTV). A leaf margin of 2 mm was added to the PTV. The prescription dose was defined such that 99% of the GTV should receive 100% of the dose using the Monte Carlo calculation (iPlan RT Dose(TM)) for 6-MV photon beams. The 3D dose distribution was determined using CT under free breathing. The 4D dose distribution plan was recalculated to investigate the effect of tumor motion using the same monitor units as those used for the 3D dose distribution plan. D99 (99% of the GTV) in the 4D plan was defined as the average D99 in each of the four breathing phases (0%, 25%, 50% and 75%). The dose difference between maximum and minimum at D99 of the GTV in 4D calculations was 0.6 ± 1.0% (range 0.2-4.6%). The average D99 of the GTV from 4D calculations in most patients was almost 100% (99.8 ± 1.0%). No significant difference was found in dose to the GTV between 3D and 4D dose calculations (P = 0.67). This study supports the clinical acceptability of treatment planning based on the dose prescription defined to the GTV.

[Impact on reproducibility of the treatment position by improving immobilization device in image guided radiation therapy].

UNLABELLED: The immobilization device for treatment becomes important to obtain fixation and reproducibility of the treatment position. It was confirmed that reproducibility of the treatment position obtains higher accuracy by the method of using immobilization device. METHODS: We divided into three terms by the methods of immobilization. An infrared reflective marker performs the setup of a position at the start of treatment, and setup of the patient in a fixed implement is performed by ExacTrac. Difference between coordinates of the immobilization device and the patient position was calculated by the vector in three directions. We estimated the position error index (PE(index)) by using the square root of the sum of square of each vectors, and evaluated the amount of differences of patient position at three terms. RESULTS: Mean and standard deviation of index values were 9.53 ± 7.21, 8.50 ± 5.93, and 6.42 ± 3.80 at each three terms. With every passing year, the amount of gap and difference of the patient fixation has decreased. CONCLUSION: By the improvement of the use of the immobilization device, gap and difference of fixation has decreased. Accordingly, we could obtain better accuracy of fixation.

New approach for treatment of vertebral metastases using intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To perform aggressive radiotherapy for vertebral metastases. Using very steep dose gradients from intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), a protocol based on the concept of partial volume dose to the spinal cord was evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 50 patients with vertebral metastases were treated using IMRT. In previously unirradiated cases, where a prescribed dose of 80 Gy (BED10) was delivered, the constraint to the spinal cord should be less than 100 Gy (BED2). For previously irradiated cases, on the other hand, the dose is the same as in the previously unirradiated case; however, constraints for the spinal cord are a cumulative BED2 of less than 150 Gy, BED2 of less than 100 Gy in each instance, and a treatment gap of more than 6 months. There were 6 patients considered for a partial volume dose to the spinal cord. They all received higher BED2, ranging from 51-157 Gy of D1cc. RESULTS: Among the 24 patients who survived longer than 1 year, there was 1 case of transient radiation myelitis. There were no other cases of spinal cord sequelae. CONCLUSION: Based on the present results, we recommend a BED2 of 100 Gy or less at D1cc as a constraint for the spinal cord in previously unirradiated cases, and a cumulative BED2 of 150 Gy or less at D1cc in previously irradiated cases, when the interval was not shorter than 6 months and the BED2 for each session was 100 Gy or less. The prescribed BED10 of 80 Gy could be safely delivered to the vertebral lesions.

Patterns of care study of breast-conserving therapy in Japan: comparison of the treatment process between 1995 1997 and 1999 2001 surveys.

BACKGROUND: The Japan Patterns of Care Study (JPCS) conducted two national surveys to identify changes associated with the treatment process of care for patients undergoing breast-conserving therapy (BCT). Between the two national surveys, the Japanese Breast Cancer Society published its treatment guideline for BCT. METHOD: The first survey collected data on 865 patients treated between 1995 and 1997 (JPCS-1), and the second on 746 patients treated between1999 and 2001 (JPCS-2) by extramural audits. RESULTS: There was a shift to an older age distribution in JPCS-2 compared with JPCS-1. In JPCS-2, the average patient age was 53.9 compared with 51.5 in JPCS-1 (P < 0.001). There was a reduction in the extent of breast surgery and the proportion of the patients who received quadrantectomy was 57.0% in JPCS-1 and 30.3% in JPCS-2 (P < 0.001). In JPCS-2, a cast or shell for immobilization was used at a significantly higher rate of 52.9% compared with 32.6% for JPCS-1 (P < 0.001). The rate of boost irradiation was increased in JPCS-2, especially for patients with a positive surgical margin; it was significantly increased to 83.5% in JPCS-2 compared with 53.9% in JPCS-1 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The second survey revealed a rapid change in the trend of the treatment of BCT in Japan and represented high compliance of the treatment guideline for BCT published by the Japanese Breast Cancer Society (JBCS) in 1999.

Structural factors contributing to the Abl/Lyn dual inhibitory activity of 3-substituted benzamide derivatives.

To investigate why 3-substituted benzamide derivatives show dual inhibition of Abl and Lyn protein tyrosine kinases, we determined their inhibitory activities against Abl and Lyn, carried out molecular modeling, and conducted a structure-activity relationship study with the aid of a newly determined X-ray structure of the Abl/Lyn dual inhibitor INNO-406 (formerly known as NS-187) bound to human Abl. We found that this series of compounds interacted with both kinases in very similar ways, so that they can inhibit both kinases effectively.

High-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy for mobile tongue cancer: influence of the non-irradiated period.

BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that the outcome of primary radiotherapy in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck is strongly influenced by overall treatment time. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of high-dose-rate (HDR) interstitial brachytherapy (ISBT) for early mobile tongue cancer and to examine whether the non-irradiated period affected treatment results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-one patients with early mobile tongue cancer (T1-T2N0M0) were treated with HDR ISBT alone. The total dose was 54-60 Gy/9-10 fractions/5-9 days. All patients were classified into 4 groups: R0, maximum non-irradiated period (NIP) was less than 24 h (n=16); R1, maximum NIP was from 24 to 48 h (n=24); R2, maximum NIP was from 48 to 72 h (n=26); R3, maximum NIP was from 72 to 96 h (n=5). RESULTS: The 3-year local control rate was 94% in R0, 83% in R1, 85% in R2 and 100% in R3. The 3-year overall survival rate was 84% in R0, 92% in R1, 71% in R2 and 80% in R3. There was no significant difference in the local control rate, overall survival rate, or complications among the 4 groups. CONCLUSION: In HDR ISBT for early mobile tongue cancer, the non-irradiated period did not affect the treatment results or complications.

Postoperative irradiation for pterygium: retrospective analysis of 1,253 patients from the Osaka University Hospital.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Irradiation of ocular pterygium is considered a valuable treatment supplementation after surgical therapy. Since prospective randomized trials are scare and only limited patient data are available, the aim of this study was to evaluate the patient population treated with fractioned 90Sr irradiation after surgical pterygium resection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between September 1993 and March 2001, 1,147 patients with pterygium lesions (1,320 lesions) were treated surgically and with 90Sr postoperative beta-irradiation. A total dose of 30 Gy was used for patients treated within 48 h after surgery, while those treated>48 h postoperatively received a total dose of 35 Gy. A minimum follow-up period of 3 months was required for inclusion in the analysis, and 1,253 lesions were ultimately analyzed. RESULTS: Recurrence of the pterygium after postoperative 90Sr irradiation was observed in 97 of 1,253 cases (7.7%). Statistical analysis (uni- and multivariate) revealed, that male gender, younger age (<40 years), prior treatment (surgery and radiotherapy) and immediate irradiation (<2 h after surgery) were negative predictors for local recurrence. Temporary radiotherapy-induced side effects were observed in 15.2% of patients, including moderate conjunctivitis, local pain, visual disturbance and photophobia or an increase in tear flow. However, no long-term serious side effects were documented. CONCLUSION: 90Sr irradiation of pterygium after surgery represents a safe and effective treatment option to prevent disease recurrence. The data obtained in this study indicate that a certain interval after surgery might improve therapy outcome.

Phase I/II trial of hyperfractionated accelerated chemoradiotherapy for unresectable advanced pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a Phase I/II study to evaluate the local efficacy and toxicity of hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy (HART) combined with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin (CDDP) in patients with unresectable advanced pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Thirty-five patients (15 with Stage 4A and 20 with Stage 4B disease according to TNM classification) were enrolled between August 1997 and August 2001 into this Phase I/II trial. All patients received concurrent HART (1.5 Gy twice daily separated by 6 h for 5 days per week), 5-FU (375 mg/m(2) given as continuous intravenous infusion), and CDDP (2 mg/m(2) given as 30-min infusion just before each fraction of irradiation). In the Phase I trial, the total dose of radiation was escalated from 27 to 45 Gy. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were enrolled in the Phase I study and six patients were given the final planned dose (45 Gy) which did not exceed the maximum tolerated dose. Eleven patients (52.4%) suffered from Grade 3 or worse neutropenia. Vomiting and mucositis were observed in 21 (100%) and 12 (57.1%) patients, respectively. An additional 14 patients were entered in the Phase II trial and received a total dose of 45 Gy, which is recommended in Phase I trial. Concerning the local tumor control of 20 patients with the recommended regimen, 7 patients (35%) achieved partial response, 10 (50%) remained stable and local progressive disease occurred in 3 (15%). The median survival time and the overall 1-year survival rate were 11.2 months and 40.0%, respectively, in 20 patients who received the recommended regimen. In Stage 4A patients, they were 13.0 months and 70.0%, respectively. The trend of toxicities in patients with the recommended regimen was almost the same as that observed in the Phase I study. CONCLUSION: The chosen combined modality treatment was well tolerated, and showed an expected local efficacy for the treatment of unresectable advanced pancreatic cancer.

Intracavitary brachytherapy for carcinoma of the uterine cervix--comparison of HDR (Ir-192) and MDR (Cs-137).

PURPOSE: To compare the results of high dose rate (HDR) (Ir-192) and medium dose rate (MDR) (Cs-137) intracavitary brachytherapy (ICRT) for carcinoma of the uterine cervix. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May 1991 and March 2001, a total of 206 patients with Stage I-IVA previously untreated cervical cancer were treated with ICRT combined with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). HDR was administered to a total of 135 patients: 22 patients in Stage I, 49 in Stage II, 56 in Stage III, and eight in Stage IVA. MDR was administered to a total of 71 patients: six patients in Stage I, 27 in Stage II, 33 in Stage III, and five in Stage IVA. The MDR at point A was 30 Gy/hour for HDR and 1.7 Gy/hour for MDR treatment, and the corresponding median follow-up periods for survivors were 55 and 68 months. RESULTS: For the HDR group, 5-year cause-specific survival rates were 90%, 78%, 53% and 33% for Stages I, II, III, and IVA, respectively. For the MDR group, the corresponding rates were 100%, 76%, 51%, and 40%. In the HDR group, 19 patients (14%) developed Grade 2 or higher late complications, and, in the MDR group, four patients (6%) did. CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference in cause-specific survivals between the results of HDR and MDR brachytherapy for cervical cancer. The incidence of late complications tended to be higher for the HDR group than for the MDR group, but did not show a statistically significant difference (p=0.07).