[Benign diseases in radiotherapy: a practice survey in Belgium. Peer review of radiotherapy in Belgium]. / Affections bénignes et radiothérapie: une enquête de la pratique en Belgique. Peer review de radiothérapie de Belgique.

In 1996 and 2000, a survey of radiation practice in Belgium was performed by sending a questionnaire to the different centers asking their opinion and number of patients treated. There was a great similarity between the two surveys both for indications and total number of patients irradiated. For the most common indications (prevention of cheloids, heterotopic bone formation, hyperthyroidy ophthalmopathy), there was a trend to use similar radiation technique following recent publications. In contrast, if the number of cases of macular degeneration is declining, the prevention of vessels restenosis is becoming more and more an indication.

Sequential treatment with vindesine-ifosfamide-platinum (VIP) chemotherapy followed by platinum sensitized radiotherapy in stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II trial.

PURPOSE: Daily administration of cisplatin concomitant with radiotherapy improved the overall survival in inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in one EORTC study. In this study, we prospectively investigated the efficacy and toxicity of a sequential treatment with three cycles of vindesine-ifosfamide-platinum (VIP) induction chemotherapy, followed by daily cisplatin-sensitized radiotherapy. METHODS: Between June 1993 and June 1995, 23 previously untreated patients with stage IIIB NSCLC with World Health Organization performance status 0 or 1 were included. Chemotherapy consisted of platinum 30 mg/m2 and ifosfamide 1200 mg/m2 i.v. on days 1, 2 and 3, and vindesine 3 mg/m2 i.v. on days 1 and 8, every 4 weeks. After three cycles and at least stable disease, radiotherapy was started (30 Gy in 10 fractions, followed by a boost of 22 Gy in 10 fractions). Each fraction was preceded by Platinum 6 mg/m2 i.v. RESULTS: Nineteen patients completed the sequential therapy. One patient died from neutropenic sepsis during the first cycle of chemotherapy, and three patients had progressive disease after chemotherapy. The overall response rate after sequential therapy was 47% (95% confidence interval 24-80), median survival was 10.6 months, 1- and 2-year survival rates were 47 and 16%, respectively. Major toxicity consisted of neurotoxicity grade III-IV in 18% and of leukopenia grade III-IV in 22% of the patients. Acute radiation pneumonitis grade III occurred in 11% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Three-drug VIP induction chemotherapy followed by cisplatin-sensitized radiotherapy is feasible, with acceptable, albeit substantial, toxicity. In spite of the theoretically promising sequence of therapies, survival results remain disappointingly low.

The treatment of osseous metastases of hormone-refractory prostate cancer with external beam radiotherapy and Strontium-89.

Metastatic bone disease from hormone-refractory prostate cancer can lead to significant morbidity such as pain, nerve compression and fractures which diminishes the quality of life of these patients substantially. Pain from osteoblastic metastases can significantly be improved by both external radiotherapy and Strontium-89 (89Sr), whereas lytic metastases are only responsive to external irradiation. Pain relief is obtained in approximately 80% of patients. Toxicity is mild and retreatment is usually possible. External beam radiotherapy is indicated when spinal cord or nerve root compression is demonstrated, or when osteolytic metastases with danger of fracture are visualized. External radiotherapy and Strontium-89 are important treatments to palliate patients suffering from metastatic prostate cancer. Because of their mild toxicity and highly effective analgesic effect, implementation of irradiation and 89Sr should be start of early in the disease process of these patients in order to keep them ambulatory and pain-free as long as possible.

Prostate cancer occurring in identical twins: a case report.

Prostatic cancer, which is an age-associated and androgen-dependent cancer, is the most common malignancy in males in the United States. Although the etiologic factors in prostate cancer are not clear, increased male sexual activity on a hormonal basis, a viral-venereal connection, and air pollution have been hypothesized. Genetic factors are suggested by racial variation and by familial incidence of prostate cancer; however, with family studies alone, it is not possible to decide if it is genetically determined or if it is due to a greater than average similarity in environment. For cancer in general, the study of concordance rates among populations of twins has failed to establish a precise role for inheritance, but more detailed study of individual types of tumors in twins may reveal a genetic connection. The following report describes the second recorded monozygotic twin set concordant for prostate cancer.