Radiotherapy for solitary plasmacytoma of bone and soft tissue: outcomes and prognostic factors.

We investigated treatment outcomes of radiotherapy for solitary plasmacytoma (SP) and prognostic factors affecting survival. Between 1996 and 2010, a total of 38 patients were treated with radiotherapy for histologically proven plasmacytoma without evidence of multiple myeloma. Among these, 16 and 22 patients had SP originating from extramedullary soft tissue (EMP) and bone, respectively. Thirteen patients received adjuvant chemotherapy, and three patients underwent surgery prior to radiotherapy. At a median follow-up of 50 months (range, 8-142), radiotherapy demonstrated excellent local control (5- and 10-year local control rates, 81%). However, the 10-year multiple myeloma-free survival (MMFS) was 54% and the 10-year overall survival (OS) rates was 35%. Solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP) more frequently progressed to multiple myeloma (MM) than EMP (10-year MMFS, 0% vs. 71%, p = 0.02). Radiotherapy with doses ≥40 Gy demonstrated better local control (10-year LC, 100% vs. 60%, p = 0.04) in SBP. In the multivariate analysis, elevated ß2-microglobulin was a significantly unfavorable prognostic factor affecting OS (p = 0.03). In conclusion, radiotherapy effectively treated SP without significant toxicity. However, progression to MM presents a challenging problem. Novel therapeutics are needed for patients with unfavorable prognostic factors.

CA 19-9 as a predictor for response and survival in advanced pancreatic cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the significance of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) levels for predicting response and survival in pancreatic cancer (PC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively reviewed data from 69 patients with PC between 1999 and 2005. All patients had elevated CA 19-9 levels before treatment. CA 19-9 levels (pre- and posttreatment CA 19-9) and their decline were analyzed for radiologic response and overall survival. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (25%) had a 50% or greater reduction in tumor size within 3 months of chemoradiotherapy (1 complete response, 16 partial responses). CA 19-9 decline was significantly correlated with radiologic response (p = 0.03). The median survival time (MST) was 12 months (range, 4-48 months), and 1-year survival rate was 44%. Pretreatment CA 19-9 > 1,200 U/mL (MST, 13 vs. 8 months; p = 0.002), posttreatment CA 19-9 >100 U/mL (MST, 17 vs. 10 months; p = 0.0003), and CA 19-9 decline 1,200 U/mL, posttreatment CA 19-9 >100 U/mL, and CA 19-9 decline