Morbidity of adjuvant treatment in early cervical cancer: a retrospective cohort study in a Latin American center.

Background: Radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node assessment is the standard of treatment in early cervical cancer. Adjuvant radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy are offered to patients with risk factors for recurrence. The objective of this study was to compare the incidence of severe (> G3) early or late morbidity related to treatment in patients with cervical cancer undergoing radical surgery with/without adjuvant treatment in a Latin American center. Materials and methods: Retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with cervical cancer stage IA1 to IB1. Complications were evaluated according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.0. The cumulative incidence of severe morbidity was estimated. Risk ratios (RR) were calculated to determine the factors associated with morbidity. Results: 239 patients were included. 133 (55.6%) received only radical surgical management and 106 (44.4%) adjuvant treatment. The incidence of early morbidity was 18.8% [95% confidence interval (CI): 12.6% to 26.5%] in the group without adjuvant treatment versus 21.7% (95% CI: 14.3% to 30.8%) in the adjuvant treatment group (p = 0.58). Late morbidity was 3% (95% CI: 1% to 7.5%) and 8.5% (95% CI: 4% to 15.5%), respectively (p = 0.063). No statistically significant differences regarding grade ≥ 3 morbidity between the groups was found (2.3% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.289). Complications during surgery is the only factor associated with postoperative morbidity related to treatment (RR = 4.1) (95% CI: 3% to 5.7%). Conclusion: In our study, the addition of adjuvant treatment for early cervical cancer patients who underwent radical surgery did not increase the incidence of severe early or late morbidity.

Estimation of the Need for Radiation Therapy Services According to the Incidence of Cancer in Colombia to 2035.

PURPOSE: To estimate the supply and demand of current and future radiation therapy services by 2035 for Colombia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The present study was performed by surveying different radiation therapy services identified in Colombia through the Colombian Association of Radiation Oncology. The demand was estimated based on incident cases and published information on the use of radiation therapy by type of cancer. Future demand was estimated under the assumption that incidence rates do not change and therefore the change in the number of cases is due to the change in the age structure of the Colombian population. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on the percentage of radiation therapy use by type of cancer. A Monte Carlo simulation was carried out to estimate the distribution of cases requiring radiation therapy, the amount of equipment, and the number of staff needed for care with the use of this technology. RESULTS: In total, Colombia has 69 linear accelerators, 2 radiosurgery equipment, 30 high-dose-rate brachytherapy pieces of equipment, 124 radiation therapy oncologists (113 working, 9 not working, and 2 not informed), and 275 radiation therapy technologists as of June 2020. It was estimated that to meet the current cancer burden the country would need a total of 162 radiation therapy oncologists, 121 medical physicists, and 323 radiation therapy technologists and to increase the number of radiation therapy technologists, radiation therapy oncologists, and medical physicists to 491, 246, and 184, respectively, to meet the disease burden by 2035 (73,684-88,743 cases per year). CONCLUSIONS: In Colombia it is estimated that there is a deficit of human resources and technology for radiation therapy; therefore, there is need to investment resources from the public and private sectors to provide timely and quality care to cancer patients requiring this treatment.

Supervivencia global y supervivencia libre de recaída bioquímica en pacientes con cáncer de próstata tratados con radioterapia de intensidad modulada (IMRT) en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología / Global survival and biochemical relapse-free survival in patients with prostate cancer treated with intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) at the National Cancer Institute

Resumen Introducción: En 2018 el cáncer de próstata presentó el segundo lugar en incidencia a nivel mundial. Con el avance en la tecnología y la aparición de la radioterapia de intensidad modulada (IMRT), se ha logrado disminuir dosis a tejido sano sin reducir la cobertura del volumen objetivo, permitiendo menor morbilidad asociada por la radioterapia y la posibilidad de escalar la dosis del tratamiento. El objetivo del estudio fue mostrar los resultados en supervivencia global y supervivencia libre de recaída bioquímica en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología de Colombia (INC) en los paciente diagnosticados con cáncer de próstata tratados con radioterapia de intensidad modulada (IMRT). Materiales y métodos: La revisión retrospectiva incluyó 98 pacientes, mayores de 40 años con cáncer de próstata, sin evidencia de enfermedad metastásica, tratados con IMRT entre 2008 - 2015, independiente de la supresión androgénica. La dosis administrada de radioterapia varió según su riesgo basado en la clasificación D´Amico. Hallazgos: La mediana de edad fue de 68,5 años, dentro de los cuales 16 pacientes (16%) se catalogaron de bajo riesgo, 33 (34 %) de riesgo intermedio y 49 (50 %) de riesgo alto. La dosis media de radioterapia recibida fue de 75,8 Gy. La supervivencia libre de recaída bioquímica a 5 años fue del 78,6 % y la supervivencia global fue 98 %. Conclusión: En pacientes con cáncer de próstata de alto riesgo, la IMRT es una alternativa efectiva y segura, con una supervivencia global a 5 años del 98% y con un adecuado perfil dosimétrico a los órganos a riesgo.

Abstract Background: In 2018, prostate cancer ranked second in incidence worldwide. Advances in technology and the appearance of intensity-modulated radiotherapy, have made it possible to reduce doses to healthy tissue without reducing the coverage of the target volume, thus allowing lower morbidity associated with adiotherapy and the possibility of scaling the treatment dose. The aim of the study was to present the results in overall survival and biochemical relapse-free survival at the Colombian National Cancer Institute (INC) in patients diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cáncer treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Material and methods: The retrospective review included 98 patients over 40 years of age with prostate cancer, without evidence of metastatic disease, treated with IMRT between 2008 and 2015 irrespective of androgenic suppression. The administered dose of radiotherapy varied according to their risk based on the D'Amico classification. Results: The median age was 68.5 years, and of the total of 98 patients, 16 (16%) were classified as low risk, 33 (33%) as intermediate risk, and 49 (50%) as high risk. The mean dose of radiation therapy received was 75.8 Gy. Biochemical relapse-free survival at 5 years was 78.6%, and overall survival was 98%. Conclusions: In patients with high-risk prostate cancer, IMRT is an effective and safe alternative, with an overall 5-year survival of 98%, and an adequate dosimetric profile for at-risk organs.

Tumors associated with radiotherapy: a case series.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the cancer with the highest incidence and mortality worldwide. Its treatment is multidisciplinary with surgery, systemic therapy, and radiotherapy. In Colombia, according to Globocan 2018, there is an age-standardized incidence rate of 44 per 100,000 women. Radiotherapy improves local and regional control in patients with breast cancer, and it could even improve relapse-free survival and overall survival in patients with nodal disease. The toxicity of this treatment in most cases is mild and transient, but in a low percentage of patients, radiotherapy-induced tumors may develop. CASE PRESENTATION: Seven Colombian patients treated for breast cancer at our institution developed radiotherapy-induced tumors between 2008 and 2018. The median age was 54.4 (range 35-72) years. Six patients had locally advanced tumors at the time breast cancer was diagnosed, and all of them received neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The radiotherapy-induced tumors were five sarcomas, one of which was a well-differentiated angiosarcomatous vascular lesion with negative c-Myc (benign lesion), and the remaining patient had basal cell carcinoma associated with radiotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcomas are the most common radiotherapy-induced tumors after breast cancer treatment. These are rare, aggressive tumors and represent between 0.5% and 5.5% of all sarcomas. Basal cell carcinoma has also been associated with breast cancer treatment. The management is individualized and multimodal, including surgical resection and chemotherapy. Different studies have shown that radiation therapy is a risk factor for the development of soft tissue tumors.

Low-grade Leiomyosarcoma of the Cavernous Sinus in an HIV Positive Patient: Case Report.

Primary leiomyosarcomas of the central nervous system are extremely rare tumors, with few cases reported in the literature. In this article we report the case of a patient with an intracranial leiomyosarcoma of the cavernous sinus. This is the case of a 23-year-old man with a history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Epstein-Barr virus infection, with clinical picture of headache and left palpebral ptosis, who underwent nuclear magnetic resonance imaging that showed a lesion that occupied the cavernous sinus. Excisional biopsy reported fusocellular mesenchymal neoplasm with smooth muscle differentiation by immunohistochemistry compatible with low-grade leiomyosarcoma. The patient was initially taken to a partial resection, without treatment. Subsequently, the patient presented progression of his disease, so the area of neurosurgery considered that the lesion was unresectable due to its location and the risk of sequelae. It was then decided to treat the patient with intensity-modulated radiation therapy technique external radiotherapy. At six months of treatment, the patient continues asymptomatic with a stable disease.

Primary Conjunctival Rhabdomyosarcoma in a Pediatric Patient.

Rhabdomyosarcomas are neoplasms with a high degree of malignancy and arise from the embryonic mesenchyme. They represent approximately 5% of all pediatric tumors and their main locations are the head and neck (45%), trunk (40%), and extremities (15%). Twenty-five percent to 30% of the head and neck rhabdomyosarcomas appear in the orbit; however, its origin from the conjunctiva is rare, with few case reports published in the literature. We present the case of a five-year-old girl with a diagnosis of primary embryonic rhabdomyosarcoma of the conjunctiva, treated with surgery and chemotherapy. After completing the treatment, it was followed up with controls for oncological ophthalmology, pediatric hematology-oncology, and radiotherapy oncology every six months with magnetic resonance of the orbits. Two years after the end of treatment, the patient is disease-free. Conjunctiva rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare lesion, with few previously reported cases. In the reported case, the histopathological findings and positivity of the different immunohistochemical markers allowed a definitive diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma. The excellent prognosis of this pathology is probably linked to the early diagnosis of the disease and the timely administration of radical treatment. It is essential to be able to identify conjunctival rhabdomyosarcoma from its clinical and histopathological characteristics in order to achieve early diagnosis and provide adequate treatment to patients.

Abscopal Effect After Palliative Radiotherapy in a Patient with a Gastric Adenocarcinoma Disseminated to Retroperitoneal Space: Case Report from a Latin American Reference Center and Review of the Literature.

Radiation therapy is known to have a highly effective local and regional effect for cancer treatment; however, sporadic events of tumor regression in non-irradiated and irradiated fields have been observed over time, which is known as the "abscopal effect." In this report, we describe the case of a patient with a diagnosis of unresectable advanced gastric adenocarcinoma, who developed extensive retroperitoneal lymph node involvement and did not accept management with chemotherapy. Primary radiotherapy at the local level was offered to control hemostasis, reaching an important span of complete remission of the disease.

First-passage characteristics of biased diffusion in a planar wedge.

We obtain compact, exact, analytical expressions for the first-passage-time distribution for a particle undergoing biased diffusion in a planar wedge for wedge angles π/p, where p is a positive integer. We then provide the long-time limit of the first-passage time and found it to be dependent on the drift direction and wedge angle. We finally provide exact expressions for the mean first-passage time for specific cases.

Radioterapia de salvamento para pacientes con cáncer de próstata: experiencia en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología / Salvage radiotherapy for prostate-specific antigen relapse after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer: experience at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología

Objetivo: describir la experiencia con radioterapia de salvamento en pacientes que presentaron recaída bioquímica, posterior a una prostatectomía radical, en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INC). Métodos: estudio observacional retrospectivo tipo serie de casos. Se recolectaron los casos atendidos entre 2003 y 2007. Se describió la información mediante estadística descriptiva, empleando frecuencias relativas, así como medidas de tendencia central y de dispersión. Se describió la supervivencia libre de enfermedad. Resultados: un total de 40 pacientes que recibieron radioterapia de salvamento por recaída bioquímica fueron incluidos. La recaída posprostatectomía se presentó antes de dos años en el 65% de los pacientes. La mediana de PSA prerradioterapia en el presente estudio fue de 0,9 ng/ml. El 87,5% de los pacientes fueron tratados con radioterapia conformacional 3D. El 97,5% de los pacientes recibieron una dosis total de 66 Gy. La supervivencia libre de enfermedad según la clasificación de riesgo de la enfermedad fue de 2,29 años, con una mediana de seguimiento de 28,5 meses. Dos pacientes presentaron recaída bioquímica posterior a la radioterapia de salvamento. Conclusiones: la radioterapia de salvamento se muestra como una intervención apropiada en pacientes con cáncer de próstata que presentaron recaída bioquímica después de prostatectomía radical; el 94% de los pacientes tratados con radioterapia de rescate en el INC entre 2003 y 2007 están libres de recaída.

Objective: To describe a National Cancer Institute (NCI) study on rescue radiotherapy carried out among patients who had biochemical relapse following radical prostatectomy. Methods: A retrospective, observational study was performed on cases treated from 2003 to 2007; descriptive statistics, using relative frequency as well as measures of central tendency and dispersion, were used to analyze information. Disease free survival was described. Results: A total of 40 patients who underwent rescue radiotherapy for biochemical relapse were included in the study. Post-prostatectomy relapse occurred within 2 years in 65% of patients. Median pre-radiotherapy PSA was 0.9ng/ml. 3D conformational radiotherapy was used to treat 87.5% of cases; 97.5% of patients received a total dose of 66 Gy. In accordance with disease risk classification, disease free survival was 2.29 years, with 28.5 months median follow-up. Two patients had biochemical relapse following rescue radiotherapy. Conclusions: Rescue radiotherapy has been shown to be an appropriate intervention for prostate cancer patients with biochemical relapse following radical prostatectomy; 94% of patients treated with rescue radiotherapy at the NCI from 2003 to 2007 are relapse free.