Wound healing following combined radiation and cetuximab therapy in head and neck cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study set out to determine if cetuximab treatment increases the risk of wound healing complications when combined with radiation therapy. METHOD: We performed a retrospective chart review of head and neck cancer patients who received salvage neck dissections between 1999 and 2007, at two academic tertiary care centres. Complications from wound healing were compared between radiation and combined therapy groups. RESULTS: A total of 35 patients received radiation (n=20) or combined radiation and cetuximab therapy (n=15) prior to neck dissection. The treatment groups were similar in regard to demographic and primary tumour-related characteristics. The time between treatment and salvage neck dissection did not differ between the radiation (3.9 months) and combination treatment (3.0 months) groups (p=0.15). Wound healing complications occurred in 13% (2/15) of the patients treated with radiation and cetuximab and there were no complications in patients who received radiation alone (p=0.20). CONCLUSION: Cetuximab did not significantly increase the risk of post-surgical wound complications, although a higher absolute number of wound complications was observed in the group treated with cetuximab and radiation therapy, compared with the group treated with radiation alone. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Health (2T32 CA091078-06). One of the authors, JAB, is an occasional consultant and honoraria for ImClone and Bristol-Meyers Squibb.

Outcomes following surgery and adjuvant radiation in stage II endometrial adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate locoregional control, disease free survival, and overall survival in patients treated with surgery and adjuvant radiation for stage II adenocarcinoma of the endometrium. Secondary goals include identification of prognostic factors and the comparison of toxicity profiles after vaginal cuff brachytherapy (VB) alone or combined with pelvic external beam radiation therapy (EXT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients receiving adjuvant radiation at the University of Wisconsin following surgery for FIGO stage II adenocarcinoma of the endometrium between January 1991 and December 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Between January 1991 and December 2006, 71 patients with FIGO stage II adenocarcinoma of the endometrium (23 stage IIA, 48 stage IIB) received adjuvant radiation at the University of Wisconsin. Fifty patients were treated with EXT and VB, twenty with VB alone, and one with EXT alone. At a mean follow-up of 5.1 years (range, 0.5-16.8 years), 5-year overall and disease-free survival were both 82%. Factors associated with an increased risk for recurrence include depth of myometrial invasion (p=0.005) and lymphovascular invasion (p=0.02). Receiving EXT was significantly associated with increased depth of myometrial invasion (p=0.007), higher grade (p=0.003), and less extensive surgery (p=0.01). Of the nine recurrences, three were initially local and six were distant recurrences alone. Grade 2 or greater acute and late side effects were significantly greater with EXT therapy compared to VB alone (p<0.0001 and p=0.02, respectively), although severe toxicities (grade 3 or greater) were limited with either modality. DISCUSSION: Local recurrence rates remain low after surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy for stage II endometrial cancer using a combination of VB and EXT tailored to the surgical and pathologic features. VB alone resulted in fewer toxicities without an increased recurrence risk compared to the combination of EXT and VB, suggesting that VB without EXT is sufficient for patients with low-risk histopathologic features and comprehensive surgical staging with complete lymphadenectomy.