Intraoperative radiotherapy with electrons as partial breast irradiation in limited stage breast cancer: Early term clinical and cosmetic outcomes.

PURPOSE: We aimed to report the experience of intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) with Mobetron (Intraop Medical Incorporated, Santa Clara, CA, USA) as a partial breast irradiation (PBI) for patients with early-stage breast cancer and explanation of IOERT application and present early clinical and cosmetic result. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between November 2012 and February 2014, in Ankara Oncology Hospital, Radiation Oncology Clinic, was performed IOERT as a PBI with a single dose of 21 Gy for 21selected patients. Median tumor size was 1.5 cm (range, 0.6-2.8 cm). Median treatment duration was 2.04 min (range, 1.26-2.44 min). According to final pathology, two patients were found to have close margin and mastectomy was applied. Three cases (two were N1 mic and one case had perineural invasion and tumor size was >2 cm) received whole breast irradiation. RESULTS: Median follow-up time was 3 years (range, 26-42 months). One patient died because of nonbreast cancer reason, all of the other patients (except one) alive without disease. There was no Grade 3 or 4 toxicities related to the IOERT. Good or excellent cosmesis was revealed 79% (15/19) and 95% (18/19), by physician and patient, respectively. CONCLUSION: IOERT, for patients with early-stage breast cancer as a part of breast-conserving treatment, offer patients better cosmetic results with less skin toxicity and increases comfort of patients by shortening duration of treatment time.

Adjuvant radiotherapy for gastric carcinoma: 10 years follow-up of 244 cases from a single institution.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) of gastric carcinoma improves survival among high- risk patients. This study was undertaken to analyse long-term survival probability and the impact of certain covariates on the survival outcome in affected individuals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2000 and December 2005, 244 patients with gastric cancer underwent adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) in our institution. Data were retrieved retrospectively from patient files and analysed with SPSS version 21.0. RESULTS: A total of 244 cases, with a male to female ratio of 2.2:1, were enrolled in the study. The median age of the patients was 52 years (range, 20-78 years). Surgical margin status was positive or close in 72 (33%) out of 220 patients. Postoperative adjuvant RT dose was 46 Gy. Median follow-up was 99 months (range, 79-132 months) and 23 months (range, 2-155 months) for surviving patients and all patients, respectively. Actuarial overall survival (OS) probability for 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year was 79%, 37%, 24% and 16%, respectively. Actuarial progression free survival (PFS) probability was 69%, 34%, 23% and 16% in the same consecutive order. AJCC Stage I-II disease, subtotal gastrectomy and adjuvant CRT were significantly associated with improved OS and PFS in multivariate analyses. Surgical margin status or lymph node dissection type were not prognostic for survival. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative CRT should be considered for all patients with high risk of recurrence after gastrectomy. Beside well-known prognostic factors such as stage, lymph node status and concurrent chemotherapy, the type of gastrectomy was an important prognostic factor in our series. With our findings we add to the discussion on the definition of required surgical margin for subtotal gastrectomy. We consider that our observations in gastric cancer patients in our clinic can be useful in the future randomised trials to point the way to improved outcomes.

The results of 21-year experience of treating anal squamous cell carcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: Anal squamous cell carcinomas are one of the rare cancer types. Due to the developments in the past 35 years, surgery is no longer the first treatment of choice. The aim of this study was to retrospectively examine the outcomes of 24 patients treated in a single center in the last 21 years in terms of applied treatment, local relapse, distant metastasis, post-treatment complications, and survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data obtained from 24 anal squamous cell carcinoma patients, who were treated in Ankara Oncology Research and Education Hospital between 1990 and 2010, were retrospectively evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 24 patients, 16 had anal canal squamous cell carcinoma and eight had perianal squamous cell carcinoma. All of the patients with anal canal squamous cell carcinoma (n=16) received chemoradiotherapy. Three of these patients who did not respond to treatment, underwent abdominoperineal resection. The patients with perianal squamous cell tumors were treated by local excision. During the follow -ups, seven patients experienced local relapse, and one patient had distant organ metastasis. Only one patient died. Five-year disease free survival rate was found as 66%. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the first alternative in the treatment of anal squamous cell tumors should be chemoradiotherapy; and surgery seems to be the appropriate approach for the non-responsive and relapsing cases.