Squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum in an HIV-1 patient on antiretroviral therapy.

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum is a very rare malignancy in clinical practice. There are only a few case-studies related to SCC rectum in HIV-1 infected persons in the literature. We report here a case in which the patient, in spite of receiving combination antiretroviral therapy and optimum virological control, suffered from SC C rectum. He was treated with chemoradiation but he relapsed soon and now receiving palliative treatment with Cisplatin and Fluorouracil. There are no case-reports on this issue from India and probably this is the first case-report on SCC rectum in HIV-1 infection adequately treated with cART. Since this is very aggressive disease, outcome is poor.

Indian Brachytherapy Society Guidelines for radiotherapeutic management of cervical cancer with special emphasis on high-dose-rate brachytherapy.

Brachytherapy (BT) for locally advanced cervical cancer is vital for optimal outcomes. There is heterogeneity in brachytherapy treatment practice for cervical cancer across India. In an attempt to standardize various processes involved in cervical cancer brachytherapy, the expert members of the Indian Brachytherapy Society (IBS) developed a document related to radiation therapy treatment of cervical cancer with special emphasis on brachytherapy. The guidelines are based on high quality clinical evidence, expert opinion and consensus wherever evidence was lacking. The document provides a guide for external beam radiation and details of all the processes involved in high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy including patient selection, preparation, principles and technique of BT applications, target and normal tissue definition, dose prescriptions, BT planning, reporting parameters, common complications of BT and their management, scope for research, etc. In summary, we present here practical tips and tricks, recording and reporting of cervical cancer brachytherapy, which can be implemented in various clinical environments and forms the basis of this report.

Buccal cancer in a female patient with human immunodeficiency virus-2 infection.

This is the first-case report of isolated human immunodeficiency virus-2 (HIV-2) infection that developed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the buccal mucosa. She was treated with radiotherapy 66 Gy in 30 fractions. HIV-2 infection was diagnosed with Tridot test, and quantitative estimation was done with polymerase chain reaction. Viral load is usually low in HIV-2 patients; similarly tempo of disease progression is also slow. Treatment of SCC of buccal mucosa with or without HIV infection is not different. Protease inhibitor-based anti-retroviral therapy is an appropriate treatment for HIV-2 infection.

To analyze the impact of intracavitary brachytherapy as boost radiation after external beam radiotherapy in carcinoma of the external auditory canal and middle ear: a retrospective analysis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of intra-cavitary brachytherapy (ICBT) as boost radiation after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in carcinoma of the external auditory canal and middle ear (EACMA): A retrospective analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of 18 patients with carcinoma of the EACMA who were treated with a curative intent from the year 1998 to 2010 was carried out. The age of the patients ranged from 25 years to 67 years. There were 11 male patients (61.1%) and 7 female patients (38.9%). A total of 15 (88.2%) patients were treated with curative radiation alone after a biopsy and two patients received post-operative radiation therapy. The patients were initially treated with EBRT with cobalt 60 machine up to 60-64 Gy. In our department, all the patients who were technically suitable for ICBT received an ICBT boost. RESULTS: The overall survival (OS) in these patients ranged from 7 months to 151 months (9 out of 17 patients, no evidence of disease 53%). The OS in patients treated with a combination of EBRT with ICBT was (8 out of 11) 72.7%, P value statistically significant (P value: 0.0024). The multivariate analysis shows statistically significant difference only for patients who got an ICBT boost (P Value: 0.020). CONCLUSION: ICBT as a boost after EBRT has got a positive impact on the OS. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that radical radiation therapy (EBRT and ICBT) is the treatment of choice for stage T2, carcinoma of EACMA.

AIDS-associated cancers: an emerging challenge.

OBJECTIVES: To study the incidence and effects of anti-retroviral therapy along with cancer chemotherapy on outcome of AIDS associated Cancers in Indian patients. METHOD: 3832 cancers patients were investigated over a period of 5 years. 46 AIDS-associated cancers were identified. HIV status was evaluated by ELISA, Western Blot, viral load and CD4/CD8 counts. Patients were treated with different modalities of cancer management and anti-retroviral therapy was discussed with the patient and relatives. Patients were followed up 6 monthly. RESULTS: Incidence of AIDS-associated cancers was 1.2 percent. AIDS-Defining Cancers (ADC) were seen in 26 (54.35%) while non-AIDS-Defining Cancers (NADC) were observed in 21 (45.65%). Non Hodgkin Lymphoma was the commonest form of AIDS-defining cancers in 21 (84%) patients, cervical cancers in 4 (16%) women while there was not a single case of Kaposi's Sarcoma. AIDS associated cancers were common in males. Mean age was 38.5 years. Only 33.5% patients received treatment for HIV and cancers. Development of immune reconstitution syndrome was observed in 9.09% patients. Hepatitis B infection was seen in only one patient (2.17%). CONCLUSIONS: AIDS-associated cancers are seen in advanced stage of HIV infection. Concurrent chemotherapy and anti-retroviral therapy for ARL is significantly effective. Cervical cancers and non-AIDS-defining cancers do not show predictable response to anti-retroviral therapy. Mortality in non-AIDS related cancers was significantly higher than AIDS related cancers.

Reirradiation with high-dose-rate remote afterloading brachytherapy implant in patients with locally recurrent or residual cervical carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To assess the outcome for patients with postradiation locally recurrent or residual cervical malignancies treated with high-dose-rate (HDR) remote afterloading brachytherapy implant. This is a prospective study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two patients with postradiation recurrent cervical carcinomas were treated with HDR interstitial brachytherapy. All of these 22 patients had received some form of radiotherapy prior to implant placement and had biopsy-proven recurrence. Implant dose for these patients was in the range of 12-45 Gy, with a median dose of 25.80 Gy. RESULTS: Overall survival was better for patients in the 'no bad prognostic factor' (NBPF) group than for patients in the 'bad prognostic factor' (BPF) group and this difference was statistically significant. Overall survival was better for patients who had stage II disease before implant placement than for those who had stage III disease and also for patients who had relatively less parametrial disease. Grade 4 complications were seen only in four patients and were within acceptable limits. Multivariate analysis showed that only the BPF variable had a statistically significant effect on survival. CONCLUSION: We conclude that reirradiation with HDR brachytherapy implant in recurrent or residual carcinoma cervix can give a good chance of survival, with acceptable morbidity, if proper selection of patients is done. This treatment should not be done for palliative purposes.

The efficacy of postoperative radiation therapy in patients with carcinoma of the buccal mucosa and lower alveolus with positive surgical margins.

PURPOSE: A retrospective analysis to determine the efficacy of postoperative radiation therapy, in patients of carcinoma of the buccal mucosa and lower alveolus with pathologically verified positive surgical margins (PSM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-four patients were analysed, who underwent surgery plus postoperative radiation therapy. Twenty-nine patients (31%) had PSM. Other pathological factors like nodal stage, number of nodes, bone involvement etc. were also analysed. RESULTS: Disease free survival (DFS) of patients with a PSM was significantly worse when compared with those with negative surgical margins (NSM). Poor DFS was also observed for variables like nodal stage, number of nodes and extranodal extension and radiation dose. In multivariate analysis only two variables showed significant impact on DFS, those were surgical margins and number of nodes. CONCLUSION: To conclude in our study median dose of 60 Gy in PSM patients was not able to improve DFS and showed poor results as compared with NSM patients. There is also evidence from other studies, to suggest that post-operative radiation doses upto 60 Gy may not be sufficient to overcome this poor prognostic factor. To overcome this poor prognostic group patients, we in our institution are now employing radiation dose intensification and altered fractionation in an effort to improve our results. In physically fit patients we are trying to administer concomitant chemotherapy along with radiation treatment.