[Functional iron deficiency, inflammation and fatigue after radiotherapy]. / Carence martiale fonctionnelle, inflammation et fatigue après radiothérapie.

Radiation therapy is associated with a fatigue in the majority of patients with a relative variability according to the type of the tumour, comorbidities, associated treatments and the extent of the irradiation. Its origin is multifactorial. One explanation described is that fatigue could be related to the inflammation caused by irradiation exposure. One of the suspected mechanisms is a functional iron deficiency following pro-inflammatory cytokines synthesis, particularly the interleukins 1 and 6. This phenomenon is accompanied by a reduced availability of iron, while iron reserves are normal or increased. Thus, iron inaccessibility induces lower coefficient of transferrin saturation, which can lead to a non-regenerative normocytic or microcytic anaemia. The availability of iron is controlled by hepcidin that is synthesized in the liver as a response to radiation-induced inflammatory. The presence of hepcidin blocks iron absorption in the intestine and decreases its recycling from senescent red blood cells. A direct relationship between elevated levels of hepcidin, inflammation markers and radiation-induced side effects have been reported. The aim of the article is to review the literature related to fatigue in radiotherapy and understand the mechanisms involved or worsening its occurrence to consider better care and improve patients' quality.

HER2 status for prognosis and prediction of treatment efficacy in adenocarcinomas: a review.

The past few years have seen flourish new biologic parameters for cancer prognosis that are revolutionizing therapeutic strategies. HER-2 is in this perspective a striking example, as it is now a key element for the care of 15-20% of breast cancer. HER-2 overexpression has first been reported as a prognostic factor before its consideration as a main parameter to predict treatment efficacy. However, although HER-2 status is now also used as a prognostic factor for many cancers, its ability to predict the action of trastuzumab in these new contexts is much lower than in breast cancer. In this literature review, we aimed to discuss HER-2 overexpression as a prognostic factor and as a predictive parameter of treatment response in selected solid tumors with a focus on adenocarcinomas.

[Postoperative vaginal brachytherapy in endometrial cancer]. / Curiethérapie vaginale postopératoire dans les cancers de l'endomètre.

Several randomized studies published in recent years have greatly changed the management of postoperative endometrial cancer, especially for lesions of intermediate prognosis. Vaginal brachytherapy is now standard treatment for these lesions at the expense of external beam radiation, which, despite an improvement in locoregional control, has no impact on overall survival. This review aims to take stock of new indications for vaginal brachytherapy detailing the trials that led to change standards or care.

Breast radiotherapy as part of loco-regional treatments in stage IV breast cancer patients with oligometastatic disease.

BACKGROUND: Local treatments seem to improve metastasis progression-free survival (MPFS) and overall survival (OS) when added to systemic therapies in stage IV breast cancer. METHODS: From 1990 to 2003, we reviewed 9138 cases treated and registered in the Institut Gustave-Roussy breast cancer database. Among them, 308 had presented with stage IV disease. Eighty percent of patients (n=239) had received a loco-regional treatment and they were categorized into two groups: loco-regional radiotherapy (LRRT) alone (Group 1; n=147) or breast and axillary surgery+/-LRRT (Group 2; n=92). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 6.5 years. LRRT obtained a long-standing loco-regional clinical response in 85% of patients. The 3-year MPFS rates were 20% in Group 1 and 39% in Group 2; the 3-year OS rates were 39% and 57%, respectively. However, no significant differences in MPFS or OS were observed between the two groups when adjusted on prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Radiation therapy alone provides long-standing local control and yields MPFS and OS rates equivalent to those obtained when radiation therapy is combined with surgery, whatever the prognostic factors. Loco-regional therapies, especially radiation therapy alone, may have an important role to play in the treatment of selected patients with stage IV breast cancer.