Haemoglobin and creatinine values as prognostic factors for outcome of concurrent radiochemotherapy in locally advanced head and neck cancers : Secondary results of two European randomized phase III trials (ARO 95-06, SAKK 10/94).

BACKGROUND: To determine the influence of baseline laboratory values on treatment outcome in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer (HNSCC). METHODS: Data of the randomized trials ARO 95 -06 (n = 384) and SAKK 10 /94 (n = 224) were pooled for a total sample size of 608 patients. Haemoglobin (Hb) and creatinine (Cr) were available at baseline and their association with locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) was analyzed using univariable and multivariable Cox regression models. RESULTS: A total of 580 and 564 patients were available with baseline Hb and Cr values in the pooled analysis. Univariable analyses revealed that lower baseline Hb values were significantly associated with decreased LRRFS, DMFS, CSS and OS. This effect remained significant for OS when the treatment arms (radiotherapy [RT] alone vs. chemoradiation [CRT]) were analyzed separately. Higher baseline Cr was associated with improved OS in the pooled analysis. Interestingly, the prognostic value of baseline Cr appeared to be limited to the subgroup of 284 patients who were treated with CRT. In the multivariable Cox regression model lower baseline Hb remained associated with decreased OS both in the patients who received CRT (HR 0.79, 95 % CI 0.66-0.94, p = 0.009) and in those patients who underwent RT alone (HR 0.67, 95 % CI 0.58-0.78, p < 0.001). Increased baseline Cr remained significantly associated with improved OS in patients who underwent CRT (HR 0.79, 95 % CI 0.69-0.92, p = 0.002) but not in those patients who underwent RT alone. CONCLUSIONS: An association between lower baseline Hb and inferior treatment outcome was confirmed. Baseline Cr was introduced as a prognosticator of outcome after CRT for locally advanced HNSCC.

Tailored total lymphoid irradiation in heart transplant patients: 10-years experience of one center.

BACKGROUND: To assess safety and efficacy of tailored total lymphoid irradiation (tTLI) in cardiac transplant patients. METHODS: A total of seven patients, of which five had recalcitrant cellular cardiac allograft rejection (RCCAR), confirmed by endomyocardial biopsies, and two had side effects of immunosuppressive drug therapy, were all treated with tTLI. tTLI was defined by the adjustment of both the fraction interval and the final irradiation dosage both being dependent on the patients general condition, irradiation-dependent response, and the white blood and platelet counts. A mean dose of 6.4 Gy (range, 1.6 - 8.8 Gy) was given. Median follow-up was 7 years (range, 1.8 - 12.2 years). RESULTS: tTLI was well tolerated. Two patients experienced a severe infection during tTLI (pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, urosepsis and generalized herpes zoster) and one patient developed a lymphoproliferative disorder after tTLI. The rate of rejection episodes before tTLI was 0.43 episodes/patient/month and decreased to 0.02 episodes/patient/month after tTLI (P < .001). At the end of the observation time, all patients except one were alive. CONCLUSIONS: tTLI is a useful treatment strategy for the management of RCCAR and in patients with significant side effects of immunosuppressive drug therapy. In this series tTLI demonstrated significantly decreased rejection rates without causing relevant treatment-related toxicity.