Factors associated with quality of life in patients receiving palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases: a secondary cross-sectional analysis of data from a prospective multicenter observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors significantly associated with quality of life (QOL) and determine if these associations are strong enough to predict certain aspects of QOL without measuring them. METHODS: We conducted an exploratory secondary analysis of baseline data of 224 patients (enrolled between December 2020 and March 2021) from a previously published prospective observational study on radiotherapy for bone metastases at 26 centres. Using univariable linear regression, we assessed the association between patient/treatment factors and QOL scale scores as measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QOL Questionnaire Core 15-Palliative (QLQ-C15-PAL) and the EORTC QOL Questionnaire Bone Metastases module (QLQ-BM22). RESULTS: Age and sex were not significantly associated with QOL. Worse performance status, higher pain scores, and opioid and single-fraction use were significantly associated with most QOL scales; these four factors were associated with worse global QOL, worse functioning status, and more severe symptoms. The coefficients of determination for most QOL scales were less than 0.2, indicating that most of the variability in QOL scores was not explained by any of the explanatory variables. CONCLUSION: Performance status, pain intensity, and opioid and single-fraction use were significantly associated with most QOL scales. However, the associations were not strong enough to estimate QOL. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: To date, the association between treatment factors and QOL in patients with bone metastases has not been fully studied. We identified the factors that were significantly associated with QOL and found that these associations were not strong enough to predict QOL.

[Retroperitoneal Dedifferentiated Liposarcoma with No Recurrence after 5 Years of Postoperative Radiation Therapy --A Case Report-].

A 49-year-old woman presented to our hospital with right lower back pain and epigastric pressure. A computed tomographic scan showed a 12×7×20 cm retroperitoneal mass comprising fatty components and contrast areas around the right kidney. Based on the results, a right retroperitoneal liposarcoma was suspected. Thus, right retroperitoneal tumor resection combined with right kidney resection was performed. Instances of tumor adhesion were found in the ascending colon, duodenum, and the iliopsoas muscle, which could be dissected ; therefore, combined resection of the intestinal tract was not performed. The resected tumor was found to be mixed with dedifferentiated and well-differentiated components and was diagnosed as dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Due to the presence of positive margins, the patient received 50 Gy in 25 fractions of radiation therapy to the right side of the retroperitoneum as postoperative adjuvant therapy. During the irradiation period, vomiting and anorexia were observed as adverse events. Five years have passed since the surgery, and no local recurrence or late complications due to radiation have been observed. Although dedifferentiated liposarcoma is a highly malignant histological type with a very high local recurrence rate, no adjuvant therapy has been established. Some reports have suggested that postoperative radiation therapy for retroperitoneal sarcoma is effective in terms of survival and local control. However, there are no reports of prospective clinical trials, and the evidence is expected to widen in the near future.

Income and Employment of Patients at the Start of and During Follow-up After Palliative Radiation Therapy for Bone Metastasis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to understand the income and employment status of patients at the start of and during follow-up after palliative radiation therapy for bone metastasis. Methods and Materials: From December 2020 to March 2021, a prospective multi-institutional observational study was conducted to investigate income and employment of patients at the start of administration of radiation therapy for bone metastasis and at 2 and 6 months after treatment. Of 333 patients referred to radiation therapy for bone metastasis, 101 were not registered, mainly because of their poor general condition, and another 8 were excluded from the follow-up analysis owing to ineligibility. Results: In 224 patients analyzed, 108 had retired for reasons unrelated to cancer, 43 had retired for reasons related to cancer, 31 were taking leave, and 2 had lost their jobs at the time of registration. The number of patients who were in the working group was 40 (30 with no change in income and 10 with decreased income) at registration, 35 at 2 months, and 24 at 6 months. Younger patients (P = 0), patients with better performance status (P = 0), patients who were ambulatory (P = .008), and patients with lower scores on a numerical rating scale of pain (P = 0) were significantly more likely to be in the working group at registration. There were 9 patients who experienced improvements in their working status or income at least once in the follow-up after radiation therapy. Conclusions: The majority of patients with bone metastasis were not working at the start of or after radiation therapy, but the number of patients who were working was not negligible. Radiation oncologists should be aware of the working status of patients and provide appropriate support for each patient. The benefit of radiation therapy to support patients continuing their work and returning to work should be investigated further in prospective studies.

Quality Indicators in Palliative Radiation Oncology: Development and Pilot Testing.

PURPOSE: A quality indicator (QI) is a valuable tool to evaluate the quality of health care systems. In palliative radiation oncology, only a few related QIs have been developed to date. In this study, we sought to develop and pilot test QIs that assess the quality of care in palliative radiation therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A modified Delphi method was used to establish consensus with an expert panel. The panel consisted of 8 radiation oncologists who have expertise in palliative radiation oncology and 1 expert on Delphi methodology. Online panel meetings and e-mail surveys were conducted to develop QIs on palliative radiation therapy for bone and brain metastases. Feasibility of measurement was assessed though pilot surveys that were conducted by radiation oncologists at 5 facilities. RESULTS: After 3 online meetings and 2 e-mail surveys, we developed 4 QIs on bone metastases and 3 QIs on brain metastases. Two email surveys and 2 pilot surveys confirmed the validity of QIs and the feasibility of measurement, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We developed valid and feasible QIs on palliative radiation therapy for bone and brain metastases. Our work may contribute to reduce the evidence-practice gaps in palliative radiation oncology.

Palliative brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy for dysphagia from esophageal cancer: a nationwide survey in Japan.

BACKGROUND: International guidelines recommend brachytherapy for patients with dysphagia from esophageal cancer, whereas brachytherapy is infrequently used to palliate dysphagia in some countries. To clarify the availability of palliative treatment for dysphagia from esophageal cancer and explain why brachytherapy is not routinely performed are unknown, this study investigated the use of brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy for dysphagia from esophageal cancer. METHODS: Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group members completed a survey and selected the treatment that they would recommend for hypothetical cases of dysphagia from esophageal cancer. RESULTS: Of the 136 invited facilities, 61 completed the survey (44.9%). Four (6.6%) facilities performed brachytherapy of the esophagus, whereas brachytherapy represented the first-line treatment at three (4.9%) facilities. Conversely, external beam radiotherapy alone and chemoradiotherapy were first-line treatments at 61 and 58 (95.1%) facilities, respectively. In facilities that performed brachytherapy, the main reason why brachytherapy of the esophagus was not performed was high invasiveness (30.2%). Definitive-dose chemoradiotherapy with (≥50 Gy) tended to be used in patients with expected long-term survival. CONCLUSIONS: Few facilities routinely considered brachytherapy for the treatment of dysphagia from esophageal cancer in Japan. Conversely, most facilities routinely considered external beam radiotherapy. In the future, it will be necessary to optimize external beam radiotherapy.

Practice patterns for postoperative radiation therapy in patients with metastases to the long bones: a survey of the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group.

Evidence regarding postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) for metastases to the long bones is lacking. Characterizing the current practice patterns and identifying factors that influence dose-fractionation schedules are essential for future clinical trials. An internet-based survey of the palliative RT subgroup of the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group was performed in 2017 to collect data regarding PORT prescription practices and dose-fractionation schedules. Responders were also asked to recommend dose-fractionation schedules for four hypothetical cases that involved a patient with impending pathological fractures and one of four clinical features (poor prognosis, solitary metastasis, radio-resistant primary tumor or expected long-term survival). Responders were asked to indicate their preferred irradiation fields and the reasons for the dose fractionation schedule they chose. Responses were obtained from 89 radiation oncologists (67 institutions and 151 RT plans) who used 22 dose-fractionation schedules, with the most commonly used and recommended schedule being 30 Gy in 10 fractions. Local control was the most common reason for preferring longer-course RT. High-dose fractionated schedules were preferred for oligometastasis, and low-dose regimens were preferred for patients with a poor prognosis; however, single-fraction RT was not preferred. Most respondents recommended targeting the entire orthopedic prosthesis. These results indicated that PORT using 30 Gy in 10 fractions to the entire orthopedic prosthesis is preferred in current Japanese practice and that single-fraction RT was not preferred. Oligometastasis and poor prognosis influenced the selection of high- or low-dose regimens.

A phase II study of palliative radiotherapy combined with zoledronic acid hydrate for metastatic bone tumour from renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Palliative radiotherapy is the standard of care for bone metastases. However, skeletal-related events, defined as a pathologic fracture, paraplegia, surgery or radiotherapy for local recurrence, or severe pain in previously irradiated bone with radio-resistant histology type still present high incidence. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether zoledronic acid hydrate and palliative radiotherapy could prevent local skeletal-related events. METHODS: Eligible patients with bone metastases from renal cell carcinoma were treated with zoledronic acid hydrate every 3 or 4 weeks and concurrent palliative radiotherapy of 30 Gy in 3 Gy fractions. The criteria for radiotherapy were established by the treating physician, but patients with complicated bone metastases (impending pathological fracture or spinal cord compression) which needed immediate surgery were excluded. The primary endpoint was the local skeletal-related event-free survival rate at 1 year. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were included in the study. The median age was 65 (range, 50-84) years. Radiotherapy dose was 30 Gy for all patients except 1 whose radiotherapy was terminated due to brain metastasis progression at 18 Gy. Zoledronic acid hydrate was administered in a median of 12 (range, 0-34) times. The median follow-up period was 12 months and 19 months in patients who were still alive. Of 27 patients in the efficacy analysis, the 1-year local skeletal-related event-free rate was 77.6% (80% confidence interval, 66.2-89.0). Common grade 3 toxicities were hypocalcemia (1 [4%]), sGPT level increase (1 [4%]) and sGOT level increase (1 [4%]). There was no grade 4 or 5 toxicity. CONCLUSION: Zoledronic acid hydrate administration and palliative radiotherapy were a well-tolerated and promising treatment reducing skeletal-related events for bone metastases from renal cell carcinoma.

[Palliative Radiotherapy for Bone Metastases].

Bone metastasis is associated with many symptoms such as bone pain, pathological fracture, and spinal cord compression. Especially, pain secondary to bone metastases is a serious problem in many patients with metastatic cancer. Radiotherapy can provide remarkable pain relief, reduce the requirement for analgesic drugs, and prevent pathological fracture or spinal cord compression with few complications in most patients. Many randomized controlled trials have shown equivalent extent of pain relief between single-fraction and multiple-fraction regimens. Reirradiation of painful bone metastases is effective for palliation of pain in non-responders or patients with recurrent pain after an initial satisfactory response to a previous radiation therapy. Systemic administration of radioisotopes is an important palliative care option for painful multifocal bone metastases detected on nuclear imaging; however, the application of this option depends on the histologic features of the tumor and distribution of the metastases. Metastatic spinal cord compression is the most frequent oncologic emergency and necessitates timely and appropriate treatment. External beam radiotherapy is commonly used for the treatment of metastatic spinal cord compression. Surgical decompression and stabilization should be considered for metastatic spinal cord compression or pathological fracture in select patients. Postoperative radiotherapy should be administered to patients who have undergone surgical intervention for bone metastases. For patients at a high risk for oncologic emergency, optimal prophylactic management is highly recommended.

Impact of intraluminal brachytherapy on survival outcome for radiation therapy for unresectable biliary tract cancer: a propensity-score matched-pair analysis.

PURPOSE: To determine whether adding intraluminal brachytherapy (ILBT) to definitive radiation therapy (RT) for unresectable biliary tract cancer has a positive impact on survival outcome. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The original cohort comprised 209 patients, including 153 who underwent external beam RT (EBRT) alone and 56 who received both ILBT and EBRT. By matching propensity scores, 56 pairs (112 patients) consisting of 1 patient with and 1 patient without ILBT were selected. They were well balanced in terms of sex, age, performance status, clinical stage, jaundice, and addition of chemotherapy. The impact of ILBT on overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and local control (LC) was investigated. RESULTS: The 2-year OS rates were 31% for the ILBT+ group and 40% for theILBT- group (P=.862). The 2-year DSS rates were 42% for the ILBT+ group and 41% for the ILBT- group (P=.288). The 2-year LC rates were 65% for the ILBT+ group and 35% for the ILBT- group (P=.094). Three of the 4 sensitivity analyses showed a significantly better LC for the ILBT+ group (P=.010, .025, .049), and another showed a marginally better LC (P=.068), and none of the sensitivity analyses showed any statistically significant differences in OS or DSS. CONCLUSIONS: In the treatment for unresectable biliary tract cancer, the addition of ILBT to RT has no impact on OS or DSS but is associated with better LC. Therefore, the role of ILBT should be addressed by other measures than survival benefit, for example, by less toxicity, prolonged biliary tract patency decreasing the need for further palliative interventions, or patient quality of life.

Variability in the point to which single direct field irradiation is prescribed for spinal bone metastases: a survey of practice patterns in Japan.

Direct single fields are commonly used in radiotherapy for spinal bone metastases, and it is crucial to define the point for which the dose is prescribed. According to the guidelines from the International Bone Metastases Consensus Working Party (IBMCWP) updated in 2010, different opinions exist on whether this therapy should be prescribed to the mid-vertebral or anterior vertebral body. To our knowledge, no previous studies have surveyed practice patterns regarding this discrepancy. Therefore, we performed an Internet-based survey of members of the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group (JROSG) to investigate the current practice patterns in Japan. The respondents mentioned the point to which they prescribed radiotherapy for a single direct field. A total of 52 radiation oncologists from 50 institutions (36% of JROSG institutions) responded. Respondent prescription for radiotherapy varied widely. Only 21% and 6% of respondents prescribed irradiation to the mid-vertebral body and anterior vertebral body, respectively. A larger proportion of respondents (27%) prescribed irradiation to the spinal cord (center of the spinal canal). Still another group of respondents (27%) stated that they never use a single direct field. In conclusion, the point to which irradiation dosages are prescribed varies widely for a single direct field in cases of spinal bone metastases. This variation may lead some radiation oncologists to misunderstand the tolerance dosage of the spinal cord, especially in cases of re-irradiation. Thus, careful consideration is required before any prescriptions are made.

Patterns of practice in palliative radiotherapy for painful bone metastases: a survey in Japan.

PURPOSE: To determine the current patterns of practice in Japan and to investigate factors that may make clinicians reluctant to use single-fraction radiotherapy (SF-RT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Members of the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group (JROSG) completed an Internet-based survey and described the radiotherapy dose fractionation they would recommend for four hypothetical cases describing patients with painful bone metastasis (BM). Case 1 described a patient with an uncomplicated painful BM in a non-weight-bearing site from non-small-cell lung cancer. Case 2 investigated whether management for a case of uncomplicated spinal BM would be different from that in Case 1. Case 3 was identical with Case 2 except for the presence of neuropathic pain. Case 4 investigated the prescription for an uncomplicated painful BM secondary to oligometastatic breast cancer. Radiation oncologists who recommended multifraction radiotherapy (MF-RT) for Case 2 were asked to explain why they considered MF-RT superior to SF-RT. RESULTS: A total of 52 radiation oncologists from 50 institutions (36% of JROSG institutions) responded. In all four cases, the most commonly prescribed regimen was 30 Gy in 10 fractions. SF-RT was recommended by 13% of respondents for Case 1, 6% for Case 2, 0% for Case 3, and 2% for Case 4. For Case 4, 29% of respondents prescribed a high-dose MF-RT regimen (e.g., 50 Gy in 25 fractions). The following factors were most often cited as reasons for preferring MF-RT: "time until first increase in pain" (85%), "incidence of spinal cord compression" (50%), and "incidence of pathologic fractures" (29%). CONCLUSIONS: Japanese radiation oncologists prefer a schedule of 30 Gy in 10 fractions and are less likely to recommend SF-RT. Most Japanese radiation oncologists regard MF-RT as superior to SF-RT, based primarily on the time until first increase in pain.

The treatment outcome of patients undergoing breast-conserving therapy: the clinical role of postoperative radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Treatment outcome was evaluated in patients who underwent breast-conserving therapy and tangential irradiation. After verifying background factors including systemic therapy, the clinical efficacy of postoperative irradiation was investigated. METHOD: There were 708 study subjects, all of whom had early breast cancer treated between 1992 and 2002. The median follow-up period was 83 months. After breast-conserving surgery, in patients with negative surgical margins, only tangential irradiation at 48 Gy/24 fr was performed. In contrast, in those with positive surgical margins, 10 Gy of radiation boost to the tumor bed with electrons was administered after tangential irradiation with 50 Gy/25 fr. Treatment outcome was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: The disease-free survival and no-recurrence rates within the ipsilateral breast after 5 years were 93.4 and 97.2%, respectively. Risk factors for recurrence within the ipsilateral breast included younger age of patient, the number of positive lymph nodes, and no endocrine therapy. However, the surgical margin was not a risk factor. Risk factors for relapse outwith the ipsilateral breast included younger age, the number of positive lymph nodes, and recurrence within the ipsilateral breast. CONCLUSIONS: From our analysis of 708 Japanese women who received breast-conserving therapy, which can be regarded as a standard method in Japan, the treatment outcome was compatible with previous reports from other countries.

Brachytherapy for oral tongue cancer: an analysis of treatment results with various biological markers.

OBJECTIVE: Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy is an effective treatment for tongue cancer. However, little is known about the biological mechanism underlying this therapy, characterized by delivery of continuous exposures of LDR irradiation. It is reported that lower microvessel density (MVD), lower Ki-67 index or higher expression of endogenous hypoxic markers such as carbonic CA IX and Glut-1 are related to the poor control of tumors treated with external irradiation. To elucidate the biological characteristics of LDR brachytherapy, we analyzed our results in cases of tongue cancer treated with LDR brachytherapy by using immunohistochemical stainings with antibodies against Ki-67 and MVD, Glut-1 and CA IX. METHODS: The prognostic value of Ki-67 index, MVD and the expression of CA IX and Glut-1 was assessed in 68 tongue cancers treated with LDR brachytherapy. The specimens were taken from tongue cancers before radiation therapy and immunohistochemical staining was performed. RESULTS: The local recurrence-free survival rates were significantly different between T1+T2 and T3 (P = 0.00067), but not between low and high Ki-67 indexes (P = 0.54), between low and high MVD (P = 0.071), low and high CA IX indexes (P = 0.062) or low and high Glut-1 indexes (P = 0.107). T stage, the size of the tumor was the only significant factor for local control in multivariate analyses (P = 0.0377). CONCLUSION: LDR could overcome the radioresistence of non-cycling and hypoxic cells; however, we cannot draw firm conclusions due to the limited number of patients.

A clinical study of hypoxia using endogenous hypoxic markers and polarographic oxygen electrodes.

PURPOSE: To examine various kinds of endogenous hypoxia markers' expression in the tissues of uterine cervix cancer and to elucidate the characteristics and pitfalls when they are used as a hypoxia marker, by comparing these expressions with tumor oxygen partial pressure (pO2) values. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Assessment of pO2 using polarographic oxygen electrodes was performed in 69 patients with cervix carcinomas. Biopsies were taken from the region of electrode measurements. Expression of endogenous hypoxic markers in biopsy specimens such as vascular endothelial growth factor, glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1), involucrin, and osteopontin was detected by immunohistochemistry. A double immunolabeling technique with GLUT-1 and MIB-1 as a marker of proliferation was also performed. RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between expression of endogenous hypoxic markers and pO2. The only significant association seen was between the fraction of necrosis and pO2. A significant but weak correlation was found among expression of endogenous hypoxic markers. The levels of necrosis were related negatively with levels of expression of endogenous hypoxic markers. The double immunolabeling technique with GLUT-1 and MIB-1 indicated that there were about 20% MIB-1-positive tumor cells without GLUT-1 expression in tissues adjacent to areas of necrosis. CONCLUSION: The existence of necrosis affected the expression of endogenous hypoxic markers. Some hypoxic tumor cells without expressions of hypoxia markers can maintain clonogenicity and influence the treatment results. The combined use of hypoxic markers is recommended because their expression is influenced by factors other than hypoxia.

A phase I/II study of nedaplatin and 5-fluorouracil with concurrent radiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine the recommended dose (RD) of cis-diammine-glycolatoplatinum (nedaplatin) when given concurrently with 5-FU and high dose radiation therapy in the treatment of esophageal cancer. The purpose of the phase II trial is to determine efficacy and further define the side effect profile. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with clinical stage I to IVA squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus were enrolled in a non-surgical treatment comprised of a fixed dose of fluorouracil (400 mg/m2 administered as continuous intravenous infusion on days 1-5 and days 8-12) plus escalating doses of nedaplatin (40 mg/m2 in level 1, 50 mg/m2 in level 2, or 60 mg/m2 in level 3 on days 1 and 8), repeated twice every 3 weeks with concurrent radiotherapy (60 Gy). RESULTS: Between July 1998 and February 2004, a total of 26 patients entered this trial, all of whom were considered evaluable for toxicity assessment. In phase I of the study, 12 patients were treated in sequential cohorts of three to six patients per dose level. The maximum tolerated dose was reached at level 3 with two grade 4 neutropenia and one grade 4 thrombocytopenia. Thus, the recommended dosing schedule is level 2. Of the 20 patients treated at the RD level 2, including 6 patients of the RD phase I portion, 8 out of 20 patients (40%) had grade 3-4 neutropenia, 5 patients (25.0%) had grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia, 4 patients (20.0%) had grade 3 anemia and 4 patients (20.0%) had grade 3-4 esophagitis. Other toxicities were relatively mild and usually of grade 2 or less. Objective responses were noted in the 26 patients (overall response rate, 88.5%) including 11 (42.3%) complete remissions. The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 65.1 and 37.2%, respectively, with a median survival time of 21.2 months. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of nedaplatin and 5-FU with radiation is a feasible regimen that shows promising antitumor activity with an acceptable safety profile in patients with esophageal cancer.

Three cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the mandible treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

CASE REPORT: We report three cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the mandible and a review of the literature. All 3 of our patients had stage I AE disease and had complete remission for more than 2 years after 42-46 Gy of irradiation to the primary tumor with regional lymph nodes and 3 courses of chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and predonisolone (CHOP). Literature analysis, although biased toward published data, indicated that the 3-year disease-specific survival rates for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the mandible were 90.5% and 47.6% for stages I and II, respectively. The treatment results for NHL of the mandible may be similar to general primary bone NHL and to other extranodal NHL's. CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy alone is not sufficient for tumor control for stage I+II, disease, and combination chemotherapy may be needed.

Analysis of local control in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma according to the WHO classification.

PURPOSE: To analyze the influence of radiotherapy doses, chemotherapy doses, and clinical parameters on in-field disease control to assess the optimal radiation doses for treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma according to the newly proposed WHO classification. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Subjects consisted of 35 extranodal marginal-zone B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type, 75 diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL), 14 follicular lymphomas, 17 extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphomas, nasal type, eight unclassified peripheral T-cell lymphomas, four anaplastic large-cell lymphomas, T/null cell type, and five others. 59 patients received radiotherapy alone. 98 patients received CHOP, modified CHOP, or more intensive chemotherapy, and six patients were treated with other combination. RESULTS: No patients with MALT lymphoma had in-field local recurrence. There were no recurrences in DLBCL patients who received chemotherapy in which the doses of adriamycin were > 200 mg/m(2), nor in DLBCL patients who were treated with > 45 Gy. Only nine of 15 patients with T-cell lymphoma treated with < or = 50 Gy and three of five patients treated with > 50 Gy had local control. The dose of adriamycin had no influence on local control of T-cell lymphoma. CONCLUSION: T/NK-cell lymphomas were more radioresistant than B-cell lymphomas. The prognosis for peripheral T/NK-cell lymphomas is poor even when treated by irradiation combined with chemotherapy.

Expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 is a prognostic factor in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) represents a heterogeneous group of tumors that vary with regard to their biologic aggressiveness and clinical course. In in vitro studies, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) was reportedly expressed by human NHL cells and elevated levels of MMP9 have been observed in a subset of patients with high-grade NHL. METHODS: The expression of MMP2 and MMP9 was evaluated in 158 patients with NHL and the relation between the expression of these proteins and clinicopathologic factors was analyzed. All but 1 patient had received radiation therapy and 92 patients also were treated with intensive combination chemotherapy. RESULTS: Nearly all the patients with extranodal natural killer NK/T-cell lymphoma nasal type and anaplastic large cell lymphoma, T-cell/null cell type expressed MMP9. In contrast, only a small fraction of the patients with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas and follicular lymphomas expressed MMP9. Approximately 50% of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cases expressed MMP9. The expression of MMP2 was noted in some of the patients with DLBCL and nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma. The overall survival rates of patients who expressed MMP9 were significantly lower than that of those who did not. Such a correlation was not demonstrated in MMP2 expression. When MMP9 expression was analyzed in DLBLC patients, the overall survival rates of patients who expressed MMP9 were significantly lower than those who did not express MMP9. Chemotherapy was associated with better overall survival in DLBCL patients who expressed MMP9. Overall survival rates of T-cell/NK-cell lymphoma patients who expressed MMP9 appeared to be lower than that in those who did not express MMP9. However, chemotherapy was not found to improve overall survival in patients who expressed MMP9. CONCLUSIONS: MMP9 expression was observed in patients with aggressive NHL and was characterized by poor overall survival.

The changes in irradiated salivary gland function of patients with head and neck tumors treated with radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: To investigate and analyze changes in irradiated salivary gland function of patients with head and neck tumors treated with radiotherapy. METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with head and neck tumors, who received 40-70 Gy of irradiation to all major salivary glands, were analyzed. The weights of saliva secreted for 10 minutes at rest, and for 5 minutes with vitamin C stimulation, were measured. The salivary gland function was defined by the weight of saliva. RESULTS: With vitamin C stimulation, the weight of saliva in patients whose doses were < or =50 Gy, was significantly higher than that of patients whose doses were > or = 58 Gy (2.48 +/- 0.33 g vs. 0.73 +/- 0.18 g, P = 0.0003). When doses administered to salivary glands were < or =50 Gy, the stimulated saliva secretion recovered over time, after irradiation. However, when the doses of irradiation were > or = 58 Gy, there was no recovery in saliva secretion even after a few years. Multiple regression analysis showed that age and chemotherapy may not affect salivary gland function even years after radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: When salivary glands were irradiated with doses < or =50 Gy, gradual recovery of salivary gland function was observed over time, whereas there was no significant recovery when the irradiation dose was >58 Gy.

High-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy: results of analyses of late rectal complications.

PURPOSE: To examine the incidence of radiation-induced late rectal complications by analyzing the data of measured rectal doses in patients with cancer of the uterine cervix treated with high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We measured doses to the rectum in 105 patients with cancer of the cervix during high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy with a semiconductor dosimeter that can measure five points in the rectum simultaneously. On the basis of these measurements, equivalent doses, to which the biologically equivalent doses were converted as if given as fractionated irradiation at 2 Gy/fraction, were calculated as components of the cumulative dose at five rectal points in intracavitary brachytherapy combined with the external whole pelvic dose. RESULTS: The calculated values of equivalent doses for late effects at the rectum ranged from 15 to 100 Gy (median 60 Gy for patients who did not develop complications and 76 Gy for patients who subsequently developed Grade II or III complications). When converted to a graph of absolute rectal complication probability, the data could be fitted to a sigmoid curve. The data showed a very definite dose-response relationship, with a threshold for complications at approximately 50 Gy and the curve starting to rise more steeply at approximately 60 Gy. The steepest part of the curve had a slope equivalent to approximately 4% incidence/1 Gy increase in equivalent doses. CONCLUSION: The radiation tolerance dose, 5% and 50% complication probability, was about 64 and 79 Gy, respectively. Our data almost agree with the prescribed dose for the rectum for the radiation tolerance doses on the basis of the recorded human and animal data. The probability of rectal complications increased drastically after the maximal rectal dose was >60 Gy.