Evoluçäo histórica do tratamento do câncer de esôfago no Hospital A. C. Camargo / Historical evolution of the treatment of esophageal cancer at the Hospital A. C. Camargo, Säo Paulo, Brazil

OBJETIVOS. De uma casuística de 1.900 pacientes portadores de câncer de esôfago, matriculados no Hospital A.C. Camargo, Sao Paulo, SP, no período de 1947 a 1986, foram estudados 234 casos submetidos a ressecçao cirúrgica. Durante estas quatro décadas aconteceram modificaçoes marcantes na filosofia da terapêutica destas neoplasias. MÉTODO. Foram identificadas cinco diferentes séries históricas e scus resultados apresentados. RESULTADOS. O primeiro grupo (1947-60) consistiu de 47 casos, que somente foram submetidos a cirurgia. 0 segundo grupo (1961-70), com 56 casos, teve radioterapia pré e pós-operatória em baixas doses. A reconstruçao do trânsito foi realizada com cólon subcutâneo. De 1971-75, o mesmo esquema terapêutico foi usado, exceto para a radioterapia pré-operatória, que foi administrada em altas doses (31 casos). No quarto grupo (1976-82), com 68 casos, houve associaçao da quimioterapia à radioterapia. No último grupo (1983-86), com 32 casos, o esquema foi: quimioterapia pré-operatória, ressecçao cirúrgica com reconstruçao pelo estômago, seguida de radioterapia em altas doses no leito cirúrgico e quimioterapia. Os fatores prognósticos estudados que demonstraram significância estatística foram o diâmetro do tumor e o comprometimento linfonodal periesofágico. CONCLUSAO. A sobrevida de cinco anos dos pacientes com este último planejamento terapêutico permitiu uma evoluçao de 3,7 por cento para 9,0 por cento, conseguindo-se, igualmente, sobrevivência de dez anos.

[Historical evolution of the treatment of esophageal cancer at the Hospital A. C. Camargo, São Paulo, Brazil]. / Evolução histórica do tratamento do câncer de esôfago no Hospital A.C. Camargo.

OBJECTIVES: From 1947-1986 we reviewed a historical series of 1,900 cases of esophageal cancers registered at the A.C. Camargo Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil. Two hundred and thirty four cases were submitted to surgical resection. During these 4 decades the treatment philosophy of these tumors has changed. METHOD: Five different historical groups were identified and the results are presented. RESULTS: The first group (1947-60) consisted of 47 cases only submitted to surgical resection. The second group (1961-70) of 56 cases had pre and pos surgery radiotherapy in low doses and the reconstruction was made using subcutaneous colon. From 1971-75 the same approach was used except with high dose preoperative radiotherapy (31 cases). In the 4th group (1976-82) of 68 cases preoperative radiotherapy (high dose) and chemotherapy were used. In the last group (1983-86) composed of 32 cases the treatment was preoperative chemotherapy, surgical resection with gastric reconstruction followed with high doses radiotherapy in the surgical bed and chemotherapy. The only significant prognostic factors in the statistical analysis were tumor size and involvement peri-esophageal lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: A five year survival from 3.7% to 9.0% was obtained through the use of the fifth group treatment planning.

Prognostic factors in glottic carcinoma clinical stage I and II treated by surgery or radiotherapy.

INTRODUCTION: Decision making regarding selection of treatment for early glottic carcinoma remains controversial. This study was undertaken to assess the impact of such factors as patient age, stage of tumor, site and size of characteristic of the lesion, and other characteristics relative to disease free and overall survival rates. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of 145 consecutive patients with stage I and II glottic carcinomas treated between 1954 and 1990 were reviewed retrospectively. Surgery was performed on 50 patients (34.5%), and irradiation therapy was performed on 95 (65.5%). Cox's regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratios of recurrence and death. RESULTS: Median follow-up was 69.3 months. Death due to cancer or treatment complications occurred in 29 patients, whereas 25 patients died due to causes not related to cancer. Five-year rates for overall survival and disease-free intervals were 94.6% and 70.8%, respectively. Tumor control was achieved by initial surgery or irradiation in 78% and 69.5%, respectively. T stage and vocal cord mobility in this series were not associated with prognosis. Arytenoid involvement intended to indicate a worse prognosis. Other site involvement such as anterior commissure had no prognostic impact. DISCUSSION: Although stage I and II glottic cancers represent a heterogenous group, survival rates after surgery or radiotherapy vary relatively little. Death due to occurred in 17.9% of patients included in this series, whereas 17.2% died due to causes not related to cancer. Local recurrence following irradiation (29.5%) occurred more frequently than following surgery (10%). The choice of treatment modality for stage I and II glottic cancer should be justified by patient preference, involvement of anterior commissure, and impairment of vocal cord mobility and should not be a contraindication to radiotherapy.

A randomized trial of neoadjuvant vs concomitant chemotherapy vs radiotherapy alone in the treatment of stage IV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Treatment results of irradiation as a single treatment for advanced stage IV unresectable head and neck cancer remains uniformly poor and apparently has not changed with the most recent improvements in oncological care. Despite several negative results of randomized studies, neoadjuvant or concomitant chemotherapy and radiotherapy seems to improve the number of complete responses and also the duration of disease-free survival. The present study was designed to determine the feasibility, potential risks and benefits of the two methods of combined treatment and radiotherapy alone on the management of advanced unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the upper respiratory and digestive system. From 1983 to 1986, 90 patients entered the trial. Thirty patients were randomized to each study group: radiotherapy alone (70 Gy); neoadjuvant chemotherapy (vinblastine, mitomycin, cisplatin, and bleomycin) and radiotherapy; concomitant chemotherapy (cisplatin and bleomycin) and radiotherapy. An increased frequency of complete responses (33%) was seen in patients treated with the two different combinations of chemotherapy and irradiation compared to irradiation alone (10%). However, toxicity was more common in patients treated with the two modalities of combined treatment and there were no differences in overall survival rates (P = 0.706).