Concurrent three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy and chemotherapy for postoperative recurrence of mediastinal lymph node metastases in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a phase 2 single-institution study.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of radiotherapy plus concurrent weekly cisplatin chemotherapy on the postoperative recurrence of mediastinal lymph node metastases in esophageal cancer patients. METHODS: Ninety-eight patients were randomly enrolled to receive either three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy alone (group A) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (group B). A radiation dose of 62-70 Gy/31-35 fractions was delivered to the recurrent tumor. Furthermore, the patients in group B simultaneously received weekly doses of cisplatin (30 mg/m(2)), and the survival outcomes and toxic effects were compared. RESULTS: The response rate of group B (91.8%) was significantly greater than that of group A (73.5%) (χ(2) = 5.765, P = 0.016). The 1- and 3-year survival rates of group B (85.7% and 46.9%, respectively) were also greater than those of group A (69.4% and 28.6%, respectively). However, there were no significant differences in the 5-year survival rates. The numbers of patients who died of distant metastases in groups A and B were 13 (26.5%) and 5 (10.2%), respectively (χ(2) = 4.356, P = 0.036). Acute radiation-related esophagitis and granulocytopenia in group B was frequent. However, intergroup differences in terms of late toxicity were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) is a practical and feasible technique to treat the recurrence of mediastinal lymph node metastases of postoperative esophageal cancer. In addition, concurrent chemotherapy can increase local tumor control, decrease the distant metastasis rate, and increase the long-term survival rate.

[Extraction of mitochondrial DNA of Tilletia indica Mitra and application of the ATP6 gene on fungal phylogenetic analysis].

Tilletia indica Mitra, an important pest around the world which is the causative agent of Karnal Bunt of wheat, was very close to Tilletia walkeri phylogenetically and morphologically. 69.6 ng mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of Tilletia indica obtained from 6.4 mg total DNA by the method of CsCl/bisbenzimide density gradient ultracentrifugation can be used for electrophoresis, cloning, enzyme restriction analysis and PCR amplification. The ATP6 gene sequence was cloned from the fragment of mtDNA and sequenced for analysis of phylogenetic tree with the other related sequences in GenBank by the software PAUP to reveal the phylogenetic relationships within the Tilletia species.