European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer

American Brachytherapy Society consensus guidelines for locally advanced carcinoma of the cervix. Part I: General principles

Soft tissue sarcoma.

Background.
Our objectives were to determine the incidence of acute and late toxicities and to estimate the 2-year overall survival for patients treated with reirradiation and chemotherapy for unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

Methods.
Patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma or a second primary arising in a previously irradiated field were eligible. Four weekly cycles of 5-fluorouracil 300 mg/m2 IV bolus and hydroxyurea 1.5 g by mouth were used with 60 Gy at 1.5 Gy twice-daily fractions. Toxicity was scored according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (RTOG/EORTC) criteria.

Results.
Seventy-nine of the 86 patients enrolled were analyzable. The worst acute toxicity was grade 4 in 17.7% and grade 5 in 7.6%. Grade 3 and 4 late toxicities were found in 19.4% and 3.0%, respectively. The estimated cumulative incidence of grade 3 to 4 late effects occurring at >1 year was 9.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0, 19.7) at 2 and 5 years. The 2- and 5-year cumulative incidence for grade 4 toxicity was 3.1% (95% CI: 0, 9.3). The estimated 2- and 5-year survival rates were 15.2% (95% CI: 7.3, 23.1) and 3.8% (95% CI: 0.8, 8.0), respectively. Patients who entered the study at >1 year from initial radiotherapy (RT) had better survival than did those who were <1 year from prior RT (median survival, 9.8 months vs 5.8 months; p = .036). No correlation was detected between dose received and overall survival. Three patients were alive at 5 years.

Conclusion.
This is the first prospective multi-institutional trial testing reirradiation plus chemotherapy for recurrent or second SCCHN. The approach is feasible with acceptable acute and late effects. The results serve as a benchmark for ongoing RTOG trials. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 2008

Final report of rtog 9610, a multi-institutional trial of reirradiation and chemotherapy for unresectable recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Purpose Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) increases both local tumor control and toxicity. This study evaluates clinical factors that are associated with and might predict severe late toxicity after CCRT. Methods Patients were analyzed from a subset of three previously reported Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) trials of CCRT for locally advanced SCCHN (RTOG 91-11, 97-03, and 99-14). Severe late toxicity was defined in this secondary analysis as chronic grade 3 to 4 pharyngeal/laryngeal toxicity (RTOG/European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer late toxicity scoring system) and/or requirement for a feeding tube ≥ 2 years after registration and/or potential treatment-related death (eg, pneumonia) within 3 years. Case-control analysis was performed, with a multivariable logistic regression model that included pretreatment and treatment potential factors. Results A total of 230 patients were assessable for this analysis: 99 p...

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Factors Associated with Severe Late Toxicity After Concurrent Chemoradiation for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: An RTOG Analysis

Purpose To analyze the results and evaluate the prognostic factors in the retreatment of locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods and materials Forty-one patients with locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, who were reirradiated between 1979 and 2000, were retrospectively analyzed. There were 32 men and 9 women with median age of 46 years. Histologically, 9 tumors (22%) were World Health Organization (WHO) I, 17 (41.5%) WHO II, and 15 (36.5%) WHO III. According to the 1998 TNM staging system of the American Joint Committee on Cancer, the recurrent disease was Stage I in 5 (12.2%), Stage II in 11 (26.8%), Stage III in 6 (14.6%), and Stage IV in 19 (46.4%) patients. Treatment was delivered with 4–6 MV X-rays or Co-60 γ rays. The median reirradiation dose was 50 Gy. Treatment was delivered at 1.8–2 Gy/fraction daily, 5 days a week. Chemotherapy was used in 41.5% of the patients. Results Median follow-up was 23 months (range, 3–143 months). The 2-year and 5-year local progression-free and overall survival rates were 39%, 23%, 48%, and 28%, respectively. On univariate analysis, age ( p = 0.04), total reirradiation dose ( p = 0.0008) were significant prognostic factors for local progression-free rate. For overall survival age, total reirradiation dose, stage, T stage were significant. On multivariate analysis only total dose ( p = 0.005) remained significant for local progression-free rate and total reirradiation dose ( p = 0.02), interval to recurrence ( p = 0.03), stage ( p = 0.018) were significant for overall survival. Conclusions Early diagnosis of local recurrence and high-dose reirradiation (60 Gy) are crucial for improving the local control and survival.

Reirradiation for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Treatment results and prognostic factors

To establish recurrence patterns among locally advanced head and neck non-nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients treated with radical (chemo-) radiotherapy and to correlate the sites of loco-regional recurrence with radiotherapy doses and target volumes 151 locally advanced HNSCC patients were treated between 2004-2005 using radical three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy. Patients with prior surgery to the primary tumour site were excluded. The sites of locoregional relapses were correlated with radiotherapy plans by the radiologist and a planning dosimetrist. Median age was 59 years (range:34-89). 35 patients had stage III disease, 116 patients had stage IV A/B. 36 patients were treated with radiotherapy alone, 42 with induction chemotherapy, 63 with induction and concomitant chemoradiotherapy and 10 concomitant chemoradiotherapy. Median follow-up was 38 months (range 3-62). 3-year cause specific survival was 66.8%. 125 of 151 (82.8%) achieved a complete response to treatment. Amongst these 125 there were 20 local-regional recurrence, comprising 8 local, 5 regional and 7 simultaneous local and regional; synchronous distant metastases occurred in 7 of the 20. 9 patients developed distant metastases in the absence of locoregional failure. For the 14 local recurrences with planning data available, 12 were in-field, 1 was marginal, and 1 was out-of-field. Of the 11 regional failures with planning data available, 7 were in-field, 1 was marginal and 3 were out-of-field recurrences. The majority of failures following non-surgical treatment for locally advanced HNSCC were loco-regional, within the radiotherapy target volume. Improving locoregional control remains a high priority.

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Recurrence patterns of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma after 3D conformal (chemo)-radiotherapy

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic factors, survival rate and the efficacy of the treatment modalities used in patients with extraskeletal Ewing’s sarcoma. Methods: Data of patients with extraskeletal Ewing’s sarcoma followed up at our center between 1997 and 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The median age of 27 patients was 24 years (range, 16‐54 years). The median follow-up was 31.8 months (range, 6‐144 months). Tumor size was between 1.5 and 14 cm (median: 8 cm). Eighty-five percent of patients had localized disease at presentation and 15% had metastatic disease. Local therapy was surgery alone in 16% of patients, surgery combined with radiotherapy in 42% and radiotherapy alone in 27%. All patients were treated with vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and actinomycin-D, alternating with ifosfamide and etoposide every 3 weeks. In patients with localized disease at presentation, the 5-year event-free survival and overall survival were 59.7 and 64.5%, respectively. At univariate analysis, patients with tumor size � 8 cm, high serum lactate dehydrogenase, metastasis at presentation, poor histological response to chemotherapy and positive surgical margin had significantly worse event-free survival. The significant predictors of worse overall survival at univariate analysis were tumor size 8� cm, high lactate dehydrogenase, metastasis at presentation, poor histological response to chemotherapy, radiotherapy only as local treatment and positive surgical margin. Conclusions: Prognostic factors were similar to primary osseous Ewing’s sarcomas. Adequate surgical resection, aggressive chemotherapy (vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide and actinomycin-D alternating with ifosfamide and etoposide) and radiotherapy if indicated are the recommended therapy for patients with extraskeletal Ewing’s sarcoma.

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Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors in adults: prognostic factors and clinical outcome.

The Role of Split-course Hypofractionated Palliative Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer

Purpose To report the experience of treating selected fit patients with locally advanced head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma with three cycles of induction TPF (docetaxel 75 mg/m 2 , cisplatin 75 mg/m 2 , 5-fluorouracil 750 mg/m 2 , Days 2–5) followed by concurrent three-weekly bolus cisplatin 100 mg/m 2 chemoradiotherapy. Methods and Materials Between March 2006 and February 2010, 66 patients with nonmetastatic Stage IV head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma were treated in a single institution with three cycles of induction TPF, followed by radical radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin 100 mg/m 2 . Results Median age was 54 years (range, 33–69 years). Median follow-up was 21 months (range, 4–55 months). During TPF, Grade 3 toxicity occurred in 18 patients (27%), dose modifications in 10 (15%), delays in 3 (5%), and unplanned admissions in 6 (9%); a clinical tumor response was documented in 60 patients (91%). Median time from the final cycle of TPF to commencing radiotherapy was 22 days. Sixty-two patients (94%) received radical radiotherapy, and all completed treatment with no delays ≥3 days. One, two, and three cycles of concurrent cisplatin were delivered to 18 patients (29%), 38 patients (61%), and 3 patients (5%), respectively. Ninety-two percent of patients received enteral feeding; median weight loss during treatment was 7%. Forty-two patients (68%) had unplanned admissions with no on-treatment deaths. Three unrelated deaths occurred after treatment. At 1 year after treatment, 21% of patients without disease progression remained gastrostomy dependent. Of 58 assessable patients, 50 (86%) achieved a complete response after treatment. One- and 2-year progression-free survival, cause-specific survival, and overall survival were 88%, 92%, and 86% and 80%, 85%, and 80%, respectively. Conclusion The combination of induction TPF with concurrent cisplatin chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is tolerable, with encouraging efficacy.

Feasibility and Efficacy of Induction Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and 5-Fluorouracil Chemotherapy Combined With Cisplatin Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Nonmetastatic Stage IV Head-and-Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas

Didem Çolpan Öksüz

Papers

Reirradiation for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Treatment results and prognostic factors

Recurrence patterns of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma after 3D conformal (chemo)-radiotherapy

Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors in adults: prognostic factors and clinical outcome.

The Role of Split-course Hypofractionated Palliative Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer

Feasibility and Efficacy of Induction Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and 5-Fluorouracil Chemotherapy Combined With Cisplatin Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Nonmetastatic Stage IV Head-and-Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas