The results of radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinomas of the skin.

Skin cancer patients with nonmelanoma skin cancer who have the highest risk of disease-specific death are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The aim of this study is to determine the characteristics (age, sex), indications, and doses of lesions and radiotherapy (RT), locoregional control (LRC), relapse-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS) rates in SCCs of the skin patients treated and followed at our clinic. For this purpose, 153 patients treated with RT and followed between 1996, January and 2018, December were included in the study. Of the patients, 95 (62%) were men and 58 (38%) woman. The mean age was 56.4 ± 13.9 (44-93) years. The primary tumor sites were 132 (86%) head and neck, 12 (8%) extremity and 9 (6%) trunk. The 3-year LRC, RFS, and OS rates were 88% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 82-98), 87% (95% CI: 80-96), and 92% (95% CI: 88-98), respectively. Men gender received significantly worse prognosis than female sex (p = .02). The recurrence-free rate of tumors 2 cm or smaller was significantly lower than tumors larger than 2 cm (p < .001). Cosmetic results were good in 29% of the patients, fair in 50%, and poor in 21%. RT plays an integral role in the treatment of primary and postoperative SCCs.

Radiotherapy result of a case of Kaposi's sarcoma located on the vocal cord.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is an angiogenic tumor. KS lesions frequently develop in the skin and oral cavity mucosa in the head and neck regions, and pure laryngeal localization is extremely rare. We reported a 64-year-old male patient without HIV, HBV, and HCV positivity presented with a hemangiomatous lesion detected incidentally in the right vocal cord. Biopsy was taken for histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation. Examination revealed that spindle cells were of vascular origin and expressed HHV-8, a specific marker associated with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) demonstrated an increased fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the vocal cord. The patient was treated with a 30 Gy volumetric arc plan. Disease-free follow-up continues in the first year after low-dose definitive RT. This is the first case report of KS in the vocal cord in which the most detailed data about RT were shared.

Hippocampal sparing for brain tumor radiotherapy: A retrospective study comparing intensity-modulated radiotherapy and volumetric-modulated arc therapy.

CONTEXT: Radiotherapy may have side effects on the brain, such as radiation necrosis, cognitive impairment, and a high chance of tumor recurrence, which has been considered the most common cause of treatment failure. AIMS: Using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) techniques, we aimed to test the potential outcome of sparing the contralateral hippocampus (CLH) in radiotherapy for brain tumors by comparing dosimetric parameters. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective clinical comparative study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Using IMRT and VMAT, sparing CLH in radiotherapy of brain tumors was tested in ten patients, and various dosimetric parameters were compared. The treatment plans were accepted only if they met the set of planning objectives defined in the protocol. RESULTS: The dose delivered to 95% of the CLH volume (CLH D95), and the mean (CLH Dmean) and max (CLH Dmax) doses were found to be significantly highest in the standard IMRT (P = 0.002, <0.001, and < 0.001, respectively). The lowest CLH D95, CLH Dmean and CLH Dmax for the hippocampus were detected in sparing VMAT planning than in the other plans (P < 0.05). None of the post hoc comparisons for CLH D95 was different among any of the plans, whereas the mean dose to CLH was statistically different among all paired comparisons (P < 0.008). The maximum dose to CLH was also statistically different among all paired plans (P < 0.008), except the dose difference between standard VMAT and IMRT plans. CONCLUSIONS: Although VMAT planning is troublesome and time-consuming, the advantage of sparing the hippocampus is beneficial, preserving the hippocampus and cognitive functions during radiotherapy.

Prognostic factors and clinical course of extremity soft-tissue sarcomas.

PURPOSE: Although soft tissue constitutes half of the body weight, soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) are less common than any other types of tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, the prognostic factors and clinical courses of 64 patients with extremity STSs treated at our clinic between 1996 and 2012 were investigated. RESULTS: Of the 64 patients included in this study, 35 (55%) were male and 29 (45%) were female. By the end of follow-up, 29 (45%) of the patients remained alive while 35 (55%) deceased. The overall survival (OS) time of the patients was 89.1 months, and their 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 82.8%, 69.3%, 51.6%, and 39.4%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed the following variables as prognostic factors: tumor stage (P < 0.001), surgical method applied (P = 0.009), radiotherapy (RT) application (P = 0.018), RT dose (P < 0.001), and development of metastasis during follow-up (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed only type of surgery to be a prognostic factor (P = 0.016). CONCLUSION: Besides surgery, RT plays a crucial role in the multimodal treatment of STSs and increases local control rates and OS. In our study, stage, surgery, and adjuvant RT were found to be effective factors indicating OS. However, more prospective work in this area is necessary.

Prognostic Factors and Clinical Outcome in Parotid Gland Tumors: a Single Institution Experience from the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey.

PURPOSE: To review clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with parotid gland tumors treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 69 patients with parotid gland tumors, with a median follow-up of 52 months (range, 2-228 months). and a median radiotherapy dose of 60Gy (range, 30-69 Gy). RESULTS: There were 24 (35%) females and 45 (65%) males, at a ratio of 1/1.9. Median age at presentation was 58.9±17.2 (range 13-88) years. The most common histology was adenoid cystic carcinoma (33%) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (28%). The mean overall survival (OS) was 65.3±8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 49.6-81.1) months and the median overall survival was 40.0 ± 7 (95% CI, 26.2-53.7) months. The -1, -3, -5 and -10 year OS rates were 78%, 52.4%, 35.3% and 19.6% respectively. The mean disease free survival (DFS) was 79.2±10 (95% CI, 59.3-97.1) months and the median disease free survival was 38±13 (95% CI, 7.05-88.7) months. The -1,-3,-5 and -10 year DFS rates were 71.9%, 50.1%, 43.7% and 30.1% respectively. On univariate analysis, the OS was significantly better with female sex (p<0.005), < 50 age (p<0.021), T stage (p<0.0001), absence of lymph node involvement (p<0.0001), lower tumor grade (p<0.0001), absence of lymphovascular invasion (p<0.002), absence of perineural invasion (p<0.0001), absence of extracapsuler extension (p<0.0001), surgical margin negativity (p<0.006), ≤60 Gy radiotherapy dose (p<0.0001) and absence of distant metastasis (p<0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Employing existing standards of postoperative radiotherapy is a possible treatment that was found to be mainly effective in patients with parotid gland carcinomas.

Prognostic factors and clinical course of extremity soft-tissue sarcomas

Purpose: Although soft tissue constitutes half of the body weight, soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) are less common than any other types of tumors. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, the prognostic factors and clinical courses of 64 patients with extremity STSs treated at our clinic between 1996 and 2012 were investigated. Results: Of the 64 patients included in this study, 35 (55%) were male and 29 (45%) were female. By the end of follow-up, 29 (45%) of the patients remained alive while 35 (55%) deceased. The overall survival (OS) time of the patients was 89.1 months, and their 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 82.8%, 69.3%, 51.6%, and 39.4%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed the following variables as prognostic factors: tumor stage (P < 0.001), surgical method applied (P = 0.009), radiotherapy (RT) application (P = 0.018), RT dose (P < 0.001), and development of metastasis during follow-up (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed only type of surgery to be a prognostic factor (P = 0.016). Conclusion: Besides surgery, RT plays a crucial role in the multimodal treatment of STSs and increases local control rates and OS. In our study, stage, surgery, and adjuvant RT were found to be effective factors indicating OS. However, more prospective work in this area is necessary

Adjuvant radiotherapy in stage 1 seminoma: Evaluation of prognostic factors and results of survival.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic factors affecting overall survival (OS), cause-specific survival (CSS), progression-free survival (PFS), and survival among patients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for stage-1 seminoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between August 1997 and May 2013, 68 patients diagnosed with stage-1 seminoma were retrospectively evaluated. The median age was 39 (24-74) years. All patients received adjuvant RT after inguinal orchiectomy. Fifty-eight (85.3%) patients received paraaortic RT; 10 (14.7%) received dog-leg field RT. The median RT dose was 23.4 (23.4-30.6) Gy. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 77.5 (6.7-198.5) months. During the follow-up period, two patients developed distant metastasis, and none developed local recurrence. Two patients died from seminoma, and three died for other reasons. The 5, 10, and 15-year OS rates were 94.7%, 89.6%, and 89.6%, respectively. The 5, 10, and 15-year CSS rates were 98.5%, 96%, and 96%, respectively. The 5, 10, and 15-year PFS rate was 96.1%. The univariate analysis showed that only histological subtype was significant for OS. The 10-year survival rate was 100% among patients with seminoma histology, 90.8% among patients with a classic seminoma histology, and 50% among patients with an anaplastic seminoma histology (P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis showed that the anaplastic seminoma was a negative prognostic indicator for OS (P = 0.042). CONCLUSION: Adjuvant RT resulted in excellent long-term survival and local control in patients with stage-1 seminoma after orchiectomy. During a short follow-up, secondary malignancy (SM) and late cardiovascular morbidity were not observed. Despite those results, concern of SM and late cardiovascular morbidity remains.

Evaluation of prognostic factors and survival results in pancreatic carcinomas in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this retrospective study was to evaluate patient characteristics, treatment modalities and prognostic factors in Turkish patients with pancreatic cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1997 and December 2012, 64 patients who presented to the Department of Radiation Oncology, Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Medicine with a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were evaluated. The E/K ratio of the cases was 2.4/1 and the median age was 59.6 (32-80) years, respectively. Some 11 cases (18%) were stage 1, 21 (34.4%) were stage 2, 10 (16.4%) were stage 3, and 19 (31.1%) were metastatic. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 15.7 months (0.7-117.5) and loco-regional recurrence was noted in 11 (40.7%) who underwent surgery while metastases were observed in 41 patients (66.1%). The median overall survival (OS) was 11.2 months and the 1, 3 and 5-year OS rates were 41.7%, 9.9% and 7.9% respectively. The median disease-free survival (DFS) was 5.2 month and the1, 2 and 5 year DFS were 22.6%, 7.6% and 3.8% respectively. On univariate analysis, prognostic factors affecting OS included status of the operation (p<0.001), tumor stage (p=0.008), ECOG performance status (p=0.005) and CEA level (p=0.017).On multivariate analysis, prognostic factors affecting survival included status of the operation (p=0.033) and age (p= 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, age and operation status were independent prognostic factors for overall survival with pancreatic patients. Thus, the patients early diagnosis and treatment ars essential. However, prospective studies with more patients are needed for confirmation.

Evaluation of prognostic factors and survival results in gastric carcinoma: single center experience from Northeast Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic factors affecting overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and survival among patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced gastric carcinoma. METHODS: Between January 2001 and May 2014, 257 patients who presented to our clinic with a diagnosis of stage I-IIIC gastric cancer were evaluated. The male/female ratio of the cases was 2.02:1 and the median age was 55.16±11.8 (20-80) years. Four of the cases (1.6%) were stage IA, 13 (5.1%) were stage 1B, 41 (16%) were stage IIA, 40 (15.6%) were stage IIB, 50 (19.5%) were stage IIIA, 51 (19.8%) were stage IIIB, and 58 (22.6%) were stage IIIC. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 22.5 months (3.3-155.0); loco-regional recurrence was noted in 34 (13.2%) patients who underwent postoperative chemoradiotherapy, and metastases were observed in 108 (42%) patients. The median OS duration was 26.7 months (95% confidence interval, 20-33.5) and the 2-, 5-, and 10-year OS was 52.8% (standard error [S.E.] 0.032), 36.1% (S.E. 0.032), and 26.9% (S.E. 0.034) respectively. The median DFS was 53.7 months and the 2-, 5-, and 10-year DFS were 58.9% (S.E. 0.034), 47.4% (S.E. 0.037), and 40.7% (S.E. 0.042), respectively. In multivariate analysis of prognostic factors, advanced T stage (p<0.0001), advanced nodal stage (p=0.001), and surgical margin status (p<0.0001) were related to decreased OS and DFS. CONCLUSION: R1 resection, advanced T stage, and advanced nodal stage were adverse prognostic factors in gastric cancer patients who had undergone CRT after the operation.