Treatment of Patients with Distant Metastases from Phyllodes Tumor of the Breast.

BACKGROUND: Here, the treatment methods and results of patients with phyllodes tumor of the breast (PT) with distant metastases at a single institution are presented. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on a group of 295 patients with PT treated from 1952 to 2010. RESULTS: Distant metastases developed in 37 (12.5 %) patients; 3/160 (1.9 %) patients had benign PT, 6/36 (16.7 %) were considered borderline, and 28/99 (28.3 %) had malignant PT. Most frequently, the metastases were located in the lungs; 28 (75.7 %), bone 7 (18.9 %), brain 4 (10.8 %), and liver 2 (5.4 %). Metastases occurred on overage 21 months (2-57) after surgery. Patients with lung metastases were generally treated with monochemotherapy or polychemotherapy. In one patient Testosterone and in two patients resection of metastases combined with Doxorubicin were used. Patients with bones or brain metastases were treated with palliative radiotherapy only or combined with Doxorubicin. The mean survival (MS) from diagnosis of distant metastases (DM) was 7 months (2-17). The longest mean survival in patients with bones metastases was 11.8 months, the worst survival was for patients with brain metastases--2.8 months. Hormone therapy appeared to have low efficacy (MS: 2 months) as well as monochemotherapy (MS: 3-5 months). Improved MS was obtained using Doxorubicin (7 months) and Doxorubicin with Cisplatin, Cyclophosphamide, or Ifosfamide (9 months). CONCLUSION: The prognosis of patients with DM from PT is poor. The role of surgery and irradiation of such patients is very limited. There appears to be no role for the use of hormone therapy. This study showed that polychemotherapy with Doxorubicin and Ifosfamide suggest that it might be more effective than once thought.

Recurrent mutations of BRCA1, BRCA2 and PALB2 in the population of breast and ovarian cancer patients in Southern Poland.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the BRCA1, BRCA2 and PALB2 genes are well-established risk factors for the development of breast and/or ovarian cancer. The frequency and spectrum of mutations in these genes has not yet been examined in the population of Southern Poland. METHODS: We examined the entire coding sequences of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and genotyped a recurrent mutation of the PALB2 gene (c.509_510delGA) in 121 women with familial and/or early-onset breast or ovarian cancer from Southern Poland. RESULTS: A BRCA1 mutation was identified in 11 of 121 patients (9.1 %) and a BRCA2 mutation was identified in 10 of 121 patients (8.3 %). Two founder mutations of BRCA1 accounted for 91 % of all BRCA1 mutation carriers (c.5266dupC was identified in six patients and c.181 T > G was identified in four patients). Three of the seven different BRCA2 mutations were detected in two patients each (c.9371A > T, c.9403delC and c.1310_1313delAAGA). Three mutations have not been previously reported in the Polish population (BRCA1 c.3531delT, BRCA2 c.1310_1313delAAGA and BRCA2 c.9027delT). The recurrent PALB2 mutation c.509_510delGA was identified in two patients (1.7 %). CONCLUSIONS: The standard panel of BRCA1 founder mutations is sufficiently sensitive for the identification of BRCA1 mutation carriers in Southern Poland. The BRCA2 mutations c.9371A > T and c.9403delC as well as the PALB2 mutation c.509_510delGA should be included in the testing panel for this population.

Distant metastases from invasive lobular breast carcinoma classic type - treatment and prognosis.

INTRODUCTION: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) comprises 4-15% of all malignant neoplasms of the breast. The "classical variant of ILC" (C-ILC) constitutes some 60-80% of this cancer. The main cause of treatment failures is dissemination observed in 8-38% patients The disant metastases (DM) are frequently localized in: bones, gastrointestinal tract, uterus, leptomeninges, and ovaries. The aim of this study was to present the methods and results of the treatment of patients with DM from the classical variant of ILC (C-ILC) at a single institution in Poland. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1983 and December 2004, 210 women with C-ILC of the breast were primarily treated surgically (mastectomy in 182 (86.7%) patients and breast conserving therapy in 28 (13.3%) patients). Then adjuvant therapy (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormonotherapy) was applied according to presence of clinical indications. RESULTS: The present study focused on a group of 41 patients with a median age of 59 that died with DM from C-ILC during the ten-year follow-up. This failure developed on average 65 months (3-186) after surgery of ILC. The most frequently DM developed: bones (39.1%), GI (small bowell, stomach, colon, rectum) - 31.8%, and reproductive organs (ovary, uterus) - 19.1%. In therapy of DM, different configuration surgery, radiotherapy, and chemo-hormonotherapy were used. The median survival after the diagnosis of DM was connected with localization of distant metastases. CONCLUSION: Patients with classic variant of infiltrate lobular cancer of breast should be regularly follow-up, which could permit early diagnosis of distant metastases and improve treatment results.

Pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant cisplatin in BRCA1-positive breast cancer patients.

The aim of this study is to estimate the frequency of pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant treatment with cisplatin chemotherapy in women with breast cancer and a BRCA1 mutation. One hundred and seven women with breast cancer and a BRCA1 mutation, who were diagnosed with stage I to III breast cancer between December 2006 and June 2014, were treated with cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks for four cycles, followed by mastectomy and conventional chemotherapy. Information was collected on clinical stage, grade, hormone receptor status, and Her2neu status prior to treatment. pCR was determined by review of surgical specimens. One hundred and seven patients were enrolled in the study, including 93 patients who were treated for first primary breast cancer and 14 patients who had previously received treatment for a prior cancer. A pCR was observed in 65 of the 107 patients (61 %). Platinum-based chemotherapy is effective in a high proportion of patients with BRCA1-associated breast cancer.

Toxicity of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The analysis of acute and late toxicity of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) based on review of 120 patients treated in Centre of Oncology in Krakow between 2001 and 2007. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medium age of the patients was 52 years (43-66). Overall, 12 patients (10.0%) were in Stage IB2, 54 (45.0%) in Stage II, 43 (35.8%) in Stage III, and 11 (9.2%) in Stage IVA. Squamous cell carcinoma was present in 114 (95.0%) patients. Well-differentiated (grade 1) tumour was found in 39 (32.5%) patients, moderately differentiated (grade 2) in 41 (34.2%), and poorly differentiated (grade 3) in 40 (33.3%). Karnofsky performance status score was 70 in 72 (60.0%) patients, and 80-90 in 48 (40%). External radiation therapy was delivered with high-energy six to 15 MV photon beams using four-field brick technique. The total dose of 50 Gy was given in 25 fractions within five weeks using standard fractionation. Concurrently with external radiotherapy, six cycles of chemotherapy were administered to all the patients as an intravenous infusion of once-weekly cisplatin 40 mg/m2. On completion of external beam radiotherapy, low-dose rate brachytherapy with tandem and two colpostats was performed to deliver the dose of 40 Gy to point A in two 20 Gy insertions at weekly intervals. RESULTS: Of the 120 patients in the investigated group, 78 (65%) were disease-free for five years. Symptoms of acute treatment-related toxicity grade 3 or 4 (WHO) occurred in 21.6% of patients including leucopoenia in 7.5%. anaemia in 5.0%, nausea and vomiting in 3.3%, diarrhea in 5.0%, and urinary tract infection in 0.8%. Full planned treatment (teleradiotherapy + chemotherapy + brachytherapy) completed 78.3% of the group; full planned radiotherapy without full chemotherapy completed 20% of the patients. Late treatment complications of grade 3 or 4 were observed in two (1.6%) patients (narrowing of large intestine requiring surgery and recto-vaginal fistula). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with LACC treated with CCRT, the most frequent acute toxic effects include: haematological disorders (leucopoenia, anaemia), gastrointestinal disorders (nausea and vomiting, diarrhea), vulvo-vaginal disorders, and urinary tract infection. The most frequent late toxic effects included: rectal bleeding, bowel complications requiring surgery, stenosis or recto-vaginal fistula, and haematuria.

Radiotherapy for carcinoma of the vagina. Immunocytochemical and cytofluorometric analysis of prognostic factors.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the potential prognostic factors in patients with primary invasive vaginal carcinoma (PIVC) treated with radical irradiation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The analysis was performed on 77 patients with PIVC treated between 1985 and 2005 in the Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Institute of Oncology, Cancer Center in Krakow. A total of 36 patients (46.8 %) survived 5 years with no evidence of disease (NED). The following groups of factors were assessed for potential prognostic value: population-based (age), clinical (Karnofsky Performance Score [KPS], hemoglobin level, primary location of the vaginal lesion, macroscopic type, length of the involved vaginal wall, FIGO stage), microscopic (microscopic type, grade, mitotic index, presence of atypical mitoses, lymphatic vessels invasion, lymphocytes/plasmocytes infiltration, focal necrosis, VAIN-3), immunohistochemical (protein p53 expression, MIB-1 index), cytofluorometric (ploidity, index DI, S-phase fraction, proliferation index SG2M) factors. RESULTS: Significantly better 5-year NED was observed in patients: < 60 years, KPS ≥ 80, FIGO stage I and II, grade G1-2, MIB-1 index < 70, S-phase fraction < 10, and proliferation index < 25. Independent factors for better prognosis in the multivariate Cox analysis were age < 60 years, FIGO stage I or II, and MIB-1 index < 70. CONCLUSION: Independent prognostic factors in the radically irradiated PIVC patients were as follows: age, FIGO stage, MIB-1 index.

Clinical picture of infiltrating lobular carcinoma of the breast: an analysis of 96 patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to present the clinical picture of infiltrating lobular carcinoma (ILC) of the breast. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A detailed analysis was performed for the group of 96 ILC patients subject to initial surgical treatment in the Krakow Branch of Centre of Oncology between 1983 and 1996. The investigated group was selected out of 2,347 breast cancer patients treated during that period, based on re-examination of histologic specimens of the initial patient group. RESULTS: The following distinctive demographic and clinical features of ILC were found: average age of patients: 59 years (37 - 83); average duration of pathological symptoms: five months; most frequent site of primary tumor: upper outer quadrant (54.2%); primary tumor Stage: I/II0 (64.6%), III0A (35.4%); tumor size in breast: up to five cm (69.8%), larger than five cm (30.2%); no axillary lymph nodes involvement in 51% of patients; multifocality of lesions in 10% of patients; contralateral disease occurrence in eight percent of patients; atypical pattern of distant metastases, e.g. gastrointestinal system, gynaecologic organs, and cerebral meninges. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this analysis as well as on literature reports, it was found that the fundamental differences between ILC and infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) included demographic and clinical features as patient age, primary tumor size at diagnosis, incidence of multifocality and contralateral disease, sites of distant metastases, and histopathological status of axillary lymph nodes.

Effectiveness of radiotherapy in patients with primary invasive vaginal carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to present an institutional experience in radiation therapy of primary invasive vaginal carcinoma (PIVC) patients treated in the Krakow Branch of Centre of Oncology, with special regard to treatment effectiveness and failure causes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 1967 and January 2007, 162 PIVC patients were treated with radical radiotherapy in the Krakow Branch of Centre of Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Institute. Twenty-seven (16.7%) patients in Stage I(0) were treated with intracavitary brachytherapy alone; for 127 (78.4%) patients in Stage I(0)- IV(0) intracavitary brachytherapy was combined with external radiation therapy; and eight (4.9%) patients in Stage IVA(0) were given only external radiotherapy. RESULTS: In the investigated group of 162 patients, five-year disease-free survival was observed in 46.3% of the cases. Patient age and FIGO Stage of neoplastic disease were independent prognostic factors. Five-year disease-free survival was observed in 64.9% of the patients < 60 years of age and only in 30.7% > or = 60 years of age; and in 62.3% of PIVC patients in Stages I and II(0) as compared to 19.7% of Stages III(0) and IV(0) cases. Among 78 patients who died of PIVC, in 60 (76.9%) cases the cause of death was locoregional failure; in six (7.7%), locoregional failure and distant metastasis; and in 12 (15.4%), distant metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: Radiotherapy is effective treatment for PIVC patients. Age below 60 years and non-advanced neoplastic disease were independent favourable prognostic factors in the investigated group of patients. The primary cause of treatment failure was failure to achieve locoregional disease control.

Phyllodes tumors of the breast. The treatment results for 340 patients from a single cancer centre.

PURPOSE: The primary treatment of choice for patients with phyllodes tumor of the breast (PTB) is surgery. Two major problems regarding the treatment of such patients remain unclear: what is the appropriate surgical margin and what role is played by adjuvant radiotherapy (ART). METHODS: The study provides a retrospective review of all patients with PTB treated between 1952 and 2013 at a single institute. The histology slides were re-examined based on WHO criteria. The clinical characteristics and therapy outcomes were obtained. The five-year survival with no evidence of disease (NED) was used as the end point. RESULTS: The study population comprised 340 women with PTB. Fifty-five percent of the patients were diagnosed with the benign, 11.8% with borderline and 33.2% with malignant PTB. All the patients received primary treatment with surgery (mastectomy-27.1%, and BCS- 72.9%). Local recurrence (LR) was found in 28 (9.1%) of these patients. Four patients with borderline and 8 with malignant PTB who were treated with BCS and had tumor-free margins < 1 cm received ART. None of these patients had LR and all survived 5 years NED. Of the 340 patients from our group, 294 (86.4%) survived five-years NED. CONCLUSION: The prognosis for benign PTB is excellent and can be cured with surgery alone. A sufficient margin would be 0.1 cm (data from the literature) or 0.2-0.4 cm (our study). We recommend application of ART for such patients but the role of ART in patients with borderline and malignant PTB treated with BCS and with surgical margin < 1 cm remains uncertain.

The efficiency of treatment in patients with uterine-confined endometrial cancer.

AIM: To present our experience regarding the efficiency of treatment in patients with uterine-confined endometrial cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 775 patients with uterine-confined endometrial cancer (UCEC) were treated between July 1985 and June 2000 in the Krakow Branch of Sklodowska Memorial Institute. RESULTS: Among the 775 patients, 5-year disease-free survival was observed in 82.8% patients; 96% patients with low risk of disease recurrence, 93.6% patients with intermediate risk and 78.3% patients with high risk survived five years with no evidence of disease. In the group with a high-risk disease recurrence rate, 5-year disease-free survival was statistically higher among patients treated with adjuvant brachytherapy plus external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in comparison to patients treated with adjuvant brachytherapy (BRT) alone (82.4% vs 72.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The recommended treatment in patients with high and moderate differentiation of UCEC with FIGO Stage IA is surgery alone. Surgery with adjuvant EBRT in the group of patients with intermediate risk of cancer recurrence allows over 90% of patients to be cured. In the group of patients with a high risk of disease recurrence adjuvant BRT with EBRT is statistically more efficient in comparison to BRT alone.

Tumour cell kinetics as a prognostic factor in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated with radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: Proliferative rate and DNA ploidy status were evaluated by flow cytometry in cervical cancer patients, prior to radiotherapy, to assess their importance as prognostic factors to predict survival rates. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between 1987 and 1995, a total of 260 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix, FIGO stages IB-IIIB were analysed. Tumour samples were incubated with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) in vitro to measure their total labelling index (totLI) and LI (totLI for diploid and anLI for aneuploid tumours). Proliferation was also assessed by S-phase fraction (SPF) analysis of the DNA profile. Patients had intracavitary therapy (three applications, each of 16 Gy to point A) and XRT of 40-50 Gy given over 4-5 weeks. RESULTS: The cervical tumours were characterized by a high proliferation rate which varied within each clinical stage of disease. The totLI ranged from 1.1 to 33.1% with median value of 9.6% whilst the LI ranged from 1.1 to 37.1% with a median value of 10.9%. Univariate analysis identified patient's age (cut-offpoint < or = 50&greater; years) and to a lesser extent proliferation (cut-off point, median totLI=9.6%) as significant prognostic factors for 5-year survival. The median survival time for younger patients ( < or = 50 years) with tumours of low proliferation (totLI < or = 9.6%) tumours was 17.5 months compared with 56 months in the faster proliferating tumours (P=0.0354). In the older patient sub-group, proliferation rate had no influence on survival. The median LI value was not a useful parameter in survival. Cox multivariate analysis showed that patient age ( < or = 50 years) and low proliferation of the tumour cells (totLI < or = 9.6) were unfavourable prognostic factors for cervical cancers treated with radiotherapy. DNA ploidy was not significant in this series. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that further improvements in therapy might be gained by selection of alternative treatments strategies such as neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation sensitizers in younger patients with more slowly proliferating tumours.

[Teratoma of the ovary. Analysis of prognostic factors]. / Potworniaki jajnika. Analiza czynników rokowniczych.

Forty-one patients with teratoma of the ovary were operated in the Center of Oncology in Kraków. The five-year disease-free survival for all patients was 68.3%. The histological grading appear to be an important prognostic factor. The five-year disease-free survival for patients with grade 0 was 100%, grade I--80%, grade II and III--14.3%.

[Homogeneous dysgerminoma of the ovary. Analysis of 25 cases]. / Homogenne rozrodczaki jajnika. Analiza 25 przypadków.

Between 1972 and 1985, 25 patients with ovarian pure dysgerminoma were treated in the Center of Oncology in Cracow. In twenty-two (88%) patients total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and postoperative radiotherapy was undertaken. Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy alone was undertaken in 3 patients in stage IA. The five-year disease-free survival for all patients was 84%, for patients in stage IA degrees -- 100% (11/11), I degree -- 94.4% (17/18), II degrees and III degrees -- 57.1% (4/7).

[Computer program "PANCREAS"]. / Program komputerowy "PANCREAS".

Contemporary computer technology allows precise and fast large database analysis. Widespread and common use depends on appropriate, user friendly software, usually lacking in special medical applications. The aim of this work was to develop an integrated system designed to store, explore and analyze data of patients treated for pancreatic cancer. For that purpose the database administration system MS Visual Fox Pro 3.0 was used and special application, according to ISO 9000 series has been developed. The system works under MS Windows 95 with possibility of easy adaptation to MS Windows 3.11 or MS Windows NT by graphic user's interface. The system stores personal data, laboratory results, visual and histological analyses and information on treatment course and complications. However the system archives them and enables the preparation reports of according to individual and statistical needs. Help and security settings allow to work also for one not familiar with computer science.