SpaceOAR hydrogel distribution and early complications in patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Hydrogel spacers aim to separate the rectum from the prostate during radiation therapy for patients with prostate cancer to decrease the radiation dose and thus toxicity to the rectum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of the hydrogel spacer between the rectum and the prostate, to assess for hydrogel rectal wall infiltration and to assess for immediate complications. METHODS: Retrospective study of 160 patients who had undergone hydrogel spacer placement. Distribution of the hydrogel was assessed on MRI. MRI images were reviewed for rectal wall injection or other malplacement of gel. Early post-procedure complications were recorded. RESULTS: 117 (73.1%) patients had a symmetrical distribution of the hydrogel spacer. The mean anteroposterior rectoprostatic separation was 10.2 ± 3.7 mm (range 0-27 mm). Seven (4.3%) patient had minimal rectal wall infiltration and one (0.6%) patient had moderate infiltration. One (0.6%) patient had an intraprostatic injection of hydrogel. Two (1.3%) patients required treatment in the emergency department: one for urinary retention and one for pain. CONCLUSIONS: Transperineal hydrogel placement separates the prostate from the rectum with a symmetrical distribution in the majority of cases prior to radiation therapy with a low rate of rectal wall injection and immediate complications. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: SpaceOAR hydrogel can be safely injected into radiation naive patients with low- or intermediate-risk organ-confined prostate cancer. The spacer separates the prostate from the rectum with a symmetrical distribution in the majority of cases prior to radiation therapy.

A review of clinical and oncological outcomes following the introduction of the first robotic colorectal surgery programme to a university teaching hospital in Ireland using a dual console training platform.

Robotic-assisted surgery is evolving, with improving clinical and cancer outcomes. The aim of this study was to present the clinical and cancer outcomes of patients undergoing robotic-assisted colorectal surgery (RAS-CR) at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) since its introduction to the 100th case, using the daVinci Xi dual-console surgical system. The RAS-CR programme at UHL commenced in June 2016 and the 100th case was performed in July 2019. All patient-related data were recorded prospectively during the perioperative period by the RAS-CR team. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, version 22. One hundred patients were operated on, comprising of 47 males and 53 females. The median age was 65 years (IQR 13.0; range 25-84) with 69% of cases performed for cancer [N = 39 rectal cancer, N = 30 colon cancer], 20% for benign disease and 11% for dysplasia. Median length of stay for cancer operations was 6.5 days for colon cancer cases (5.0 days when cases with complications were excluded) and 7.0 days for rectal cancer cases. Median operative time was 255 mins (IQR 130 min; all cases), median docking time was 33 mins (IQR 20 mins) and median intra-operative blood loss was 80 ml (IQR 70 ml). Thirty-one patients developed a post-operative complication (5% anastomotic leak; 13% SSI). In cancer cases, median nodal harvest was 14 nodes (IQR10) and an R0 resection was achieved in 98.6% (n = 68) of cancer cases. Three patients (4.3%) developed metastatic disease at a median interval of 16.5 months. Clinical and operative outcomes remained stable over time from case 1 to 100. Structured introduction of a RAS-CR programme with appropriate governance and continuous audit results in favourable clinical and cancer outcomes and provides an excellent training opportunity for surgical residents.

Cancer arising from the remnant mucosa of the ileoanal anastomosis leading to pouchectomy.

Ileal pouch-related adenocarcinoma remains a rarity; thus, guidelines on treatment are currently lacking. We present this case of a 54-year-old man who underwent restorative proctocolectomy with stapled ileal pouch-anal anastomosis formation for familial adenomatous polyposis during the 1980s. Despite undergoing annual surveillance endoscopy, the patient was noted to be anaemic and passing fresh blood per anus Endoscopy and radiological investigation revealed the presence of a pouch-related adenocarcinoma. This was subsequently treated with short-course radiotherapy and pouch excision. The patient remains well until now and will follow six-monthly surveillance protocols with a transition to annual surveillance after 2 years.

Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis from colonic carcinoma presenting as Brown-Séquard syndrome: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis is very rare. The majority are discovered incidentally during autopsy. Most symptomatic patients present with rapidly progressive neurological deficits and require immediate examination. Few patients demonstrate features of Brown-Séquard syndrome. Radiotherapy is the gold-standard of therapy for Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis. The overall prognosis is poor and the mortality rate is very high. We present what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis of colorectal carcinoma presenting as Brown-Séquard syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 71-year-old Caucasian man with colonic adenocarcinoma who developed Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis and showed features of Brown-Séquard syndrome, which is an uncommon presentation of Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis. CONCLUSION: This patient had an Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis, a rare form of metastatic disease, secondary to colonic carcinoma. The metastasis manifested clinically as Brown-Séquard syndrome, itself a very uncommon condition. This syndrome is rarely caused by intramedullary tumors. This unique case has particular interest in medicine, especially for the specialties of medical, surgical and radiation oncology. We hope that it will add more information to the literature about these entities.

Phase II trial of neoadjuvant cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil and interferon-alpha in operable squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

BACKGROUND: The combination of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), cisplatin and interferon (IFN)-alpha was found to result in a high response rate in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). METHODS: Resectable cases of esophageal SCC were treated with 3 cycles of chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin 70 mg/m(2) i.v. on day 1, 5-FU 500 mg/m(2)/day i.v. as a continuous infusion on days 1-5 and IFN-alpha 4 million units/m(2)/day s.c. on days 1-5. Cycles were repeated every 21 days. Esophagectomy was performed 3-5 weeks after the 3rd cycle of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Thirty patients were enrolled in the trial. Toxic death was observed in 1 patient because of esophageal perforation. Pathologically, complete response was observed in 4 of 23 patients who had esophagectomy. At a median follow-up period of 21.4 months, median progression-free survival was 11.5 months and median overall survival was 26.3 months. CONCLUSION: This regimen has substantial activity in localized SCC of the esophagus with encouraging survival duration.

A modern regimen of pre-operative concurrent chemo-radiation therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of preoperative concurrent capecitabine and radiotherapy in the treatment of resectable locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a phase II trial to assess pathological complete response, tumor downstaging, toxicity and survival of capecitabine (825 mg/m(2) orally, twice daily) with radiotherapy (50.4 Gy/28 fractions) in 31 patients with LARC (cT3/T4 or N+) staged by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). RESULTS: Median age was 53 years; with M:F ratio of 1:1.58; 77.4% had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 1. EUS showed that 67.7% of tumors were T3, 19.4% were T4, and 58% were node positive. Of 30 patients who had surgery, 6.5% achieved pathological complete remission (pCR). Tumor and nodal downstaging were achieved in 53.9% and 50% of patients, respectively. Grade 3/4 toxicities were mainly diarrhea (35.5%) and proctitis (32.3%). Sphincter preservation was achieved in 4/21 (15%) of patients initially planned for abdominoperineal resection. The median follow-up was 46 months (Range: 1.47-63.9), and the 3-year disease-free and overall survival were 59.8% and 76.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Capecitabine given concurrently with radiation therapy is generally well tolerated, and proved to be an effective radiosensitizer in the neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer, yielding results comparable to those reported with 5-FU.

[18FDG] PET-CT-based intensity-modulated radiotherapy treatment planning of head and neck cancer.

PURPOSE: To define the best threshold for tumor volume delineation of the (18) fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography ((18)FDG-PET) signal for radiotherapy treatment planning of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in head and neck cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In 25 patients with head-and-neck cancer, CT-based gross tumor volume (GTV(CT)) was delineated. After PET-CT image fusion, window level (L) was adapted to best fit the GTV(CT), and GTV(PET) was delineated. Tumor maximum (S) and background uptake (B) were measured, and the threshold of the background-subtracted tumor maximum uptake (THR) was used for PET signal segmentation. Gross tumor volumes were expanded to planning target volumes (PTVs) and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean value of S was 40 kBq/mL, S/B ratio was 16, and THR was 26%. The THR correlated with S (r = -0.752), but no correlation between THR and the S/B ratio was seen (r = -0.382). In 77% of cases, S was >30 kBq/mL, and in 23% it was 30% +/- 1.6% kBq/mL and 40% in tumors with S

Target motion variability and on-line positioning accuracy during external-beam radiation therapy of prostate cancer with an endorectal balloon device.

PURPOSE: To prospectively define the setup error and the interfraction prostate localization accuracy of the planning target volume (PTV) in the presence of an endorectal balloon (ERB) device. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Weekly portal images (PIs) of 15 patients undergoing external-beam radiotherapy were analyzed. Displacements of the isocenter and the center of the ERB were measured. The setup and target motion variability were assessed with regard to the position variability of the ERB. RESULTS: The setup error was random and target motion variability was largest in the craniocaudal direction. The mean displacement of the isocenter was 2.1 mm (+/-1.2 mm SD [standard deviation]), 2.4 mm (+/-2.2 mm SD), and 3.8 mm (+/-4.0 mm SD) in the left-right, craniocaudal, and anteroposterior directions, respectively (p=0.1). The mean displacement of the ERB was 2.0 mm (+/-1.4 mm SD), 4.1 mm (+/-2.0 mm SD), and 3.8 mm (+/-3.3 mm SD; p=0.03). Setup margin and internal margin contributed equally to the PTV margin. Cumulative placement insecurity of the field and the ERB together was 4.0 mm (+/-2.1 mm SD) laterally, 6.4 mm (+/-2.5 mm SD) craniocaudally, and 7.7 mm (+/-7.0 mm SD) anteroposteriorly. The 95% CIs (confidence intervals) were 2.9-5.2 mm, 5.1-7.8 mm, and 3.8-11.5 mm. In 35% of cases, the estimation of the dorsal margin exceeded 1 cm. CONCLUSION: Margin estimate dorsally may exceed 1 cm and on-line position verification with an ERB cannot be recommended for dose escalation>70 Gy.