Development of gastro-lymphatic fistula during chemoradiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer: a case report.

This is a case report of a gastro-lymphatic fistula which appeared during chemoradiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer. A 60-year-old male was referred to the University of the Ryukyus Hospital because of a 10 kg monthly weight loss and dysphagia. Computed tomography (CT) scans indicated thickened esophageal wall at the lower thoracic esophagus and a swollen lymph node attached to the lesser curvature of the stomach. Histological analysis of the biopsy specimen revealed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and the diagnosis was of advanced esophageal cancer. A combination of chemotherapy (nedaplatin and 5-fluorouracil) and radiotherapy was initiated. After radiotherapy (20 Gy), CT scans revealed that the swollen lymph node penetrated the gastric wall resulting in a gastro-lymphatic fistula. Although gastrostomy and intestinal fistula repair were performed for gastric decompression and tube feeding, respectively, the patient's general status did not improve and he died two months after interruption of his chemoradiotherapy. The results indicate that there may be some risks of gastro-lymphatic fistula in patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for advanced esophageal cancer when there are possible signs of involvement by CT scans.

Radiotherapy for localized sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid: a retrospective analysis of 83 patients.

The current study retrospectively analyzed the results of radiotherapy for clinically localized sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid.We reviewed records of 83 patients with histologically confirmed sebaceous carcinoma who were treated radiotherapeutically between 1983 and 2015. Sixty-five patients (78%) were initially treated with radiotherapy of curative intent, while the remaining 18 patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy due to tumor recurrence or positive surgical margins. Thirty-seven patients belonged to T1-2, while 46 belonged to T3-4. All 83 patients were treated with radiotherapy with a median radiation dose of 60 Gy. The median follow-up period was 92.1 months (range, 2.8-310.3 months). At the time of analysis, 13 patients (15.1%) died, and 36 patients (43.3%) had local recurrence. The 7-year overall survival, freedom from neck lymph node recurrence, and local control (LC) rates for all patients were 83.5%, 75.5%, and 52.3%, respectively. Patients with a tumor size ≤10 mm had a higher 7-year LC rate than those with a tumor size >10 mm (58.8% vs 46.6%, P = 0.054). Neck lymph node recurrence was observed in 17 patients (20%) and significantly related to the tumor size. Late toxicity of an eyelid dysfunction of grade 3 was observed in 1 patient with T3 tumor. Radiotherapy for sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid is a reasonable alternative to surgical resection for tumors <10 mm in size with few severe complications, while larger tumors should be treated with surgery if feasible.

Treatment and prognosis of brain metastases from gynecological cancers.

Brain metastases from gynecological cancers were retrospectively investigated in 18 patients who were treated between 1985 and 2006. Six patients received surgical resection followed by radiotherapy, and 12 patients received only radiotherapy. The median survival for all patients was 4.1 months (range 0.7-48.2 months), and the actuarial survival rates were 11% at both 12 months and 24 months. Univariate analysis showed that treatment modality, extracranial disease status, total radiation dose, number of brain metastases, and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) all had statistically significant impacts on survival. Two patients survived for more than 2 years, and both had single brain metastasis, inactive extracranial disease, 90-100% KPS, and were treated with surgical resection followed by radiotherapy. Improvements in neurological symptoms were observed in 10 of the 12 patients treated with palliative radiotherapy, with median duration of 3.1 months (range 1.5-4.5 months). The prognoses for patients with brain metastases from gynecological cancers were generally poor, although selected patients may survive longer with intensive brain tumor treatment. Palliative radiotherapy was effective in improving the quality of the remaining life for patients with unfavorable prognoses.

[Concurrent chemoradiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal-report of four cases].

We have treated four Japanese patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal using concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The chemotherapy consisted of one or two cycles of mitomycin C 10 mg/m(2)/day (intravenous bolus injection) on day 1, and 5-fluorouracil 700 or 1,000 mg/m(2)/day (continuous intravenous infusion) on days 2-5 during radiotherapy. The total radiation dose was 40-54 Gy to the primary lesion. Acute grade 4 hematological toxicity was observed in one patient. These four patients have been alive and free of disease (follow-ups of 55, 14, 7 and 5 months, respectively), with excellent function of the anal sphincter after treatment. These results suggest that concurrent chemoradiotherapy is safe and effective for Japanese patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal.

Radiation enterocolitis requiring surgery in patients with gynecological malignancies.

PURPOSE: To identify the characteristics, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of radiation enterocolitis requiring surgery in patients with gynecologic malignancies. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The records of 1,349 patients treated with pelvic radiotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. The majority of the patients (88%) were treated with 50 Gy or 50.4 Gy pelvic irradiation in conventional fractionations with anteroposterior fields. RESULTS: Forty-eight patients (3.6%) developed radiation enterocolitis requiring surgery. Terminal ileum was the most frequent site (50%) and most of the lesions had stenosis or perforation. On univariate analysis, previous abdominopelvic surgery, diabetes mellitus (DM), smoking and primary site had an impact on the complications, and on multivariate analysis, abdominopelvic surgery, DM, and smoking were independent predictors of the complications requiring surgery. After the surgical intervention, the frequency of Grade 2 or more bleeding was significantly lower in patients treated with intestinal resection in addition to decompression than those treated with intestinal decompression alone. CONCLUSIONS: Severe radiation enterocolitis requiring surgery usually occurred at the terminal ileum and was strongly correlated with previous abdominopelvic surgery, DM, and smoking. Concerning the management, liberal resection of the affected bowel appears to be the preferable therapy.

Hyperfractionated radiotherapy and multi-agent chemotherapy (procarbazine, ACNU and vincristine) for high-grade gliomas: a prospective study.

AIM: To evaluate the feasibility, efficacy and toxicity of hyperfractionated radiotherapy and multi-agent chemotherapy, including procarbazine, nimustine (ACNU) and vincristine, in adults with high-grade gliomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Radiotherapy was administered using two fractions per day of 1.2 Gy to a total dose of 72 Gy. The chemotherapy consisted of procarbazine (90 mg/m2 orally, days 1 to 14), ACNU (80 mg/m2 intravenously, day 1) and vincristine (0.5 mg/m2 intravenously, days 1 and 8) and was administered during and after radiotherapy, up to a maximum of four courses. RESULTS: From September 1997 to August 1999, a total of ten patients (five with glioblastoma and five with grade 3 gliomas) were enrolled. All ten patients were able to complete a total dose of 72 Gy hyperfractionated radiotherapy with one course of concurrent chemotherapy. Of eight assessable patients, three (38%) had an objective response, comprising two CR and one PR. The median time to progression was 10.7 months and the median survival time of all patients was 15.0 months. Although grade 4 leukopenia and grade 4 thrombocytopenia occurred in 10% and 10% of all patients, respectively, these were transient and no patients developed neutropenic fever or intracranial hemorrhage. No serious non-hematological or late toxicities occurred. CONCLUSION: Hyperfractionated radiotherapy and multi-agent chemotherapy using procarbazine, ACNU and vincristine is safe and well tolerated for high-grade gliomas.

Clinical significance of HIF-1alpha expression in patients with esophageal cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

AIM: We investigated whether hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1 α) expression in pretreatment biopsies of esophageal cancer is predictive of clinical outcome in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 25 patients were reviewed. Radiotherapy was administered to total doses of 40-66.6 Gy (median: 66.6 Gy) with a single fraction of 1.8-2 Gy. Cisplatin (80 mg/m2 on day 1) and 5-fluorouracil (800 mg/m2 on days 2-6) were administered concurrently with radiotherapy, every 3-4 weeks to a total of 1-2 courses. Tissue samples from esophageal cancer were obtained from all 25 patients by biopsy before concurrent CRT, and semiquantitative analyses of HIF-1α expression were performed using immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: High HIF-1α expression was observed in 11 out of 25 patients (42.7%), and HIF-1α expression was significantly correlated with initial response to CRT (p=0.0027). Patients with high HIF-1α expression had significantly poorer local control (LC) (5-year LC: 42.7%) than those with low expression (5-year LC: 72.5%; p=0.0322). Patients with high HIF-1α expression also had significantly lower recurrence-free survival (RFS) (5-year RFS: 18.2%) compared to those with low HIF-1α expression (5-year RFS: 39.8%; p=0.0009), and on multivariate analysis, HIF-1α (p=0.001) and number of chemotherapy courses (p=0.010) were independent prognostic factors for RFS. CONCLUSION: HIF-1α expression is significantly correlated with initial response to concurrent CRT, and is predictive of RFS for patients with esophageal cancer receiving concurrent CRT.

Concurrent chemoradiation for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina: case series and literature review.

BACKGROUND: We reviewed our experience with patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina who received concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed six patients (median age, 60 years) with squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina who underwent CCRT between 2002 and 2005 at the University of the Ryukyus Hospital. Two patients were in International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FIGO) stage II, one in stage III, and three in stage IVA. All patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 2 or less. Tumor size ranged from 3.2 to 7.7 cm. All patients were treated with true pelvic external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) at 50 Gy. Then two of the six patients underwent intracavitary vaginal brachy-therapy. The remaining four patients received boost EBRT with shrinking fields. Total radiation dose to the vaginal tumor ranged from 60 to 66 Gy. All patients received two or three concomitant cycles of cisplatin during EBRT. RESULTS: All six patients completed their scheduled CCRT, and achieved a clinical complete response. One stage II patient died of disease 24 months after treatment, and the stage III patient had local failure at 12 months. The remaining four patients were free of their disease at 18, 23, 33, and 55 months, respectively. One patient with stage IVA developed a vesicovaginal fistula during CCRT. Nevertheless, CCRT was well tolerated by all six patients, and no grade 3 or 4 late toxicity was observed, as evaluated by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) scoring system. CONCLUSION: CCRT is effective for primary squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina and should be considered for treatment in patients with high-risk disease having good performance status.

Treatment and prognosis of brain metastases from breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: To analyze retrospectively the results of treatments for patients with brain metastases from breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 65 breast cancer patients with brain metastases who were treated between 1985 and 2005 were reviewed. For brain metastases, 11 patients (17%) were treated with surgical resection followed by radiotherapy, and the remaining 54 patients were treated with radiotherapy alone. Systemic chemotherapy was also administered to 11 patients after brain radiotherapy. RESULTS: The overall median survival for all patients was 6.1 months (range, 0.4-82.2 months). In univariate analysis, treatment modality, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), administration of systemic chemotherapy, extracranial disease status and total radiation dose each had significant impact on overall survival, and in multivariate analysis, treatment modality, KPS and administration of systemic chemotherapy were significant prognostic factors. Eight patients survived for more than 2 years after the diagnosis of brain metastases, and all these patients were treated with surgical resection and/or systemic chemotherapy in addition to radiotherapy. For the 45 patients treated with palliative radiotherapy (without systemic chemotherapy), the improvements in neurological symptoms were observed in 35 patients (78%), with the median duration of improvement of 3.1 months (range, 1.5-4.4 months). CONCLUSIONS: The prognoses for patients with brain metastases from breast cancer were generally poor, although selected patients may survive longer with intensive brain tumor treatment, such as surgical resection and/or systemic chemotherapy in addition to brain radiotherapy. For patients with unfavorable prognoses, palliative radiotherapy was effective in improving the quality of the remaining lifetime.

Spinal recurrence from intracranial germinoma: risk factors and treatment outcome for spinal recurrence.

PURPOSE: To analyze retrospectively the risk factors of spinal recurrence in patients with intracranial germinoma and clinical outcomes of patients who developed spinal recurrence. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1980 and 2007, 165 patients with no evidence of spinal metastases at diagnosis were treated with cranial radiotherapy without spinal irradiation. The median follow-up in all 165 patients was 61.2 months (range, 1.2-260.1 months). RESULTS: After the initial treatment, 15 patients (9.1%) developed spinal recurrences. Multivariate analysis revealed that large intracranial disease (>/=4 cm) and multifocal intracranial disease were independent risk factors for spinal recurrence. Radiation field, total radiation dose, and the use of chemotherapy did not affect the occurrence of spinal recurrences. Of the 15 patients who experienced spinal recurrence, the 3-year actuarial overall survival and disease-free survival (DFS) rates from the beginning of salvage treatments were 65% and 57%, respectively. In the analysis, presence of intracranial recurrence and salvage treatment modality (radiotherapy with chemotherapy vs. radiotherapy alone) had a statistically significant impact on DFS. The 3-year DFS rate in patients with no intracranial recurrence and treated with both spinal radiotherapy and chemotherapy was 100%, whereas only 17% in patients with intracranial recurrence or treated with radiotherapy alone (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Large intracranial disease and multifocal intracranial disease were risk factors for spinal recurrence in patients with intracranial germinoma with no evidence of spinal metastases at diagnosis. For patients who developed spinal recurrence alone, salvage treatment combined with spinal radiotherapy and chemotherapy was effective in controlling the recurrent disease.