Atorvastatin in combination with radiotherapy and temozolomide for glioblastoma: a prospective phase II study.

Glioblastoma is a fast-growing primary brain tumor observed in adults with the worst prognosis. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the encouraging anticancer activity of statins. This study evaluated the efficacy of atorvastatin in combination with standard therapy in patients with glioblastoma. In this prospective, open-label, single-arm, phase II study, patients were treated with atorvastatin in combination with the standard glioblastoma therapy comprising radiotherapy and temozolomide. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months (PFS-6). Among 36 patients enrolled from January 2014 to January 2017, the median age was 52 (20-69) years; 22% of the patients were aged ≥60 years, and 62% were male. Patients received atorvastatin for a median duration of 6.2 (0.3-28) months. At a median follow-up of 19 months, the PFS-6 rate was 66%, with a median PFS of 7.6 (5.7-9.4) months. In terms of Grade ≥ 3 hematological adverse events, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia occurred in 7% and 12% of patients, respectively. In multivariate analyses, high baseline low-density lipoprotein levels were associated with worse survival (P = 0.046). Atorvastatin was not shown to improve PFS-6. However, this study identified that high low-density lipoprotein levels are an independent predictor of poor cancer-related outcomes. Future clinical trials testing statins should aim to enroll patients with slow-growing tumors.Clinical trial information: NCT0202957 (December 12, 2013).

A 55-Year-Old Woman Presenting with a Second Diagnosis of Craniopharyngioma Following Diagnosis and Successful Treatment of Craniopharyngioma as a 5-Year-Old Child.

BACKGROUND Craniopharyngioma is a rare, partly cystic embryonic malformation of the sellar and parasellar region and is usually benign. This report is of a 55-year-old woman presenting with a second diagnosis of craniopharyngioma following diagnosis and successful treatment of craniopharyngioma as a 5-year-old child. CASE REPORT Our patient was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma at age 5 when she presented with headaches accompanied by nausea and vomiting, decreased visual acuity, polyurea, and polydipsia for 6 months. She was found to have diplopia and grade II papilledema. A skull X-ray showed separation of the sutures and a calcified mass in the suprasellar region. A pneumoencephalogram showed extension of the tumor into the third ventricle. Surgery was performed via transcallosal approach followed by radiotherapy at 5000 rays. She was followed up clinically and radiologically and had been disease-free until age 55, when she presented with headache and facial numbness. On examination, she had right-eye Horner syndrome, decreased sensation in the right side of the face, diplopia, and grade 2 facial palsy. An MRI revealed interval significant recurrence of the craniopharyngioma at the sellar/suprasellar mass with extension to the right Meckel's cave and the right posterior fossa. On April 6, 2023, she underwent surgical resection through a right-sided craniotomy and Kawase approach. This was followed by CyberKnife radiation therapy. CONCLUSIONS This report has presented a rare recurrence of craniopharyngioma with a 50-year interval and has highlighted the challenges in the diagnosis and the multidisciplinary approach to patient diagnosis and management.

Incidence of trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity and impact of body mass index in patients with breast cancer: Results from a Saudi tertiary cancer center.

The effect of BMI as a risk factor in trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity in Saudi patients with HER2-neu positive breast cancer treated with trastuzumab and anthracyclines is not fully understood. The present study retrospectively evaluated the overall incidence of cardiotoxicity and the effect of BMI as a risk factor for cardiotoxicity. A retrospective study performed between 2011 and 2015 of patients with Her2-neu positive early breast cancer who were treated with either a combination of trastuzumab and anthracycline or a combination of trastuzumab with non-anthracycline or hormonal treatment in the adjuvant settings was carried out. The incidence of cardiotoxicity and the effect of BMI, hypertension and diabetes mellitus as risk factors for cardiotoxicity were assessed. Cardiotoxicity was measured using a drop in the ejection fraction of >10 percentage points to a left ventricular ejection fraction of <50%. The present cohort included 105 patients diagnosed with stage I and II breast cancer. The mean age of the present cohort was 47.5±1.0 years (range, 25-76 years), the mean height was 153.9±14.1 cm (range, 126-170 cm), the mean body weight was 75.7±15.6 kg (range, 40-143 kg) and the mean BMI was 31.3±5.8 (range, 18-49). Cardiotoxicity was detected in 21.9% of the cohort. The BMI was calculated for 81 patients who were treated with a combination of trastuzumab and anthracycline. Cardiotoxicity was detected in 3 out of 9 patients with a BMI <25, in 9 out of 23 patients with a BMI between 25 and 29, and in 6 patients with a BMI >30. There was a significant association between cardiotoxicity and BMI (P=0.03). No significant association between age, hypertension and diabetes and cardiotoxicity was identified. In conclusion, compared with global cohorts, the present results revealed a higher incidence of cardiotoxicity among Saudi patients with HER2-neu positive early breast cancer treated with trastuzumab combinations in adjuvant settings. Increased BMI was significantly associated with cardiotoxicity.

A Multicenter Study of the Impact of Body Mass Index (BMI) on the incidence of Pathologic Complete Response (pCR) Among Saudi Patients with locally advanced Breast cancer (LABC) post Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (NAC).

PURPOSE: Obesity was reported to be a poor prognostic factor for breast cancer. There is a growing evidence of increasing prevalence of obesity among Saudi women across all age groups (44%). Since the prognostic significance of obesity was not studied in Saudi patients with breast cancer, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of BMI on pCR in LABC patients post NAC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study between May 2005 to July 2010; 246 consecutive female patients who were diagnosed of LABC (Stage II & III) and underwent surgery in three tertiary care centers, representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (King Saud Medical City, Riyadh; King Abdullah Hospital, Mecca and King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Dammam) were included in this study. All included patients have received NAC (Anthracycline/Taxane based combination chemotherapy and ± Herceptin). Patients who were diagnosed to have stage IV breast cancer due to presence of distant metastasis were excluded. Patients were categorized as normal (BMI <25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI of 25 to <30 kg/m2) and obese (BMI >30 kg/m2). pCR was defined as no invasive cancer in the breast or axillary tissue. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to evaluate the statistical associations between pCR and BMI with respect to the other previously established prognostic factors, namely age, tumor grade, stage, ER/ PR /Her-2neu status, molecular subtypes, and lympho-vascular invasion (LVI). RESULTS: The median age was 50 years (range 24-68). Molecular subtypes were as follows: luminal A; 23.2%, luminal B; 45.1%, triple negative; 16.7% and Her-2 neu positive; 15%. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma represents the majority of our cohort (92.7%). Eighty-six (35%) were stage II and 160 (65%) were stage III. Intermediate and high-grade malignancies were found in 52% and 44.3% of the patients respectively. Positive lymph vascular invasion was detected in 41.5%. Obese patients constitute 55.7% of our cohort. Pathologic complete response was achieved in 62 patients (25.2%). In Univariate analysis LVI and overweight /obesity were negatively correlated with pCR (P= 0.037 and 0.000 respectively) while tumor grade was positively correlated with pCR (P= 0.008). In multivariate analysis, Overweight/ obesity was the only significant independent factor correlating with pCR (P=0.000). No impact of BMI has been demonstrated on both disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) (P=0.93, 0.18 respectively). CONCLUSION: In this study, Overweight/Obesity (which represent more than half of the patients =81.3 %) had a negative impact on pCR in Saudi patients with LABC treated with NAC. This poorer outcome in patients with abnormal weight (Overweight/Obesity) necessitates further prospective studies of this risk factor in order to optimize the care of this group of patients.

Bleeding in Locally Invasive Pelvic Malignancies: Is Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy a Safe and Effective Non-Invasive Option for Securing Hemostasis? A Single Institution Perspective.

INTRODUCTION:  Control of bleeding due to locally invasive disease is of paramount importance in the management of cancer patients. This study was undertaken to explore the outcomes of palliative intent hypofractionated radiation therapy (HRT) in advanced stage pelvic malignancies that presented with bleeding. METHODS:  This study enrolled patients treated with palliative intent hypofractionated radiation therapy from July 2015 to November 2017. In the inclusion criteria, all these patients had the common presenting complaint of bleeding from the tumor. These patients were not treated with radiation therapy before for the same indication. Patients with known bleeding disorders and those undergoing parallel interventions for bleeding control were excluded from the study. Bleeding was categorized based on the World Health Organization (WHO) scale for the classification of bleeding. Response assessment was classified into a complete response, partial response and no response. A comparison was made for the bleeding scale before and after HRT using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The comparison of mean hemoglobin levels before and after the HRT was calculated by paired t-test. RESULTS:  Forty-two patients with advanced pelvic malignancies qualified for inclusion in the study after applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Among those analyzed, the median age was 67 years (range 37 - 95 years). The male and female proportion was 38% and 62% respectively. Different cancers included uterine cancer 31%, cervical cancer 24%, bladder cancer 21%, rectal cancer 17% and vulvar cancer in 7%. The baseline bleeding scale in these cases was found to be grade 1 in 12%, grade 2 in 55% and grade 3 in 33% cases. The median dose in our cohort was 20 Gy in five fractions over one week (range was 8 Gy to 40 Gy). Following HRT, the WHO bleeding score at one month was recorded as grade 0 in 57%, grade 1 in 31%, grade 2 in 7%, grade 3 in 5% and grade 4 in none. Toxicity profile did not show any grade 3 or above acute toxicity in the study. Response rates were 57% complete response, 36% partial response and 7% no response. The mean hemoglobin level post-treatment versus pre-treatment was found to be 9.6 g/dL versus 7.3 g/dL. CONCLUSIONS:  Hypofractionated radiotherapy was found to be a safe and effective non-invasive palliative treatment modality for securing hemostasis in advanced pelvic malignancies that presented with bleeding.

Diet, Physical Activity, Marital Status and Risk of Cancer: A Case Control Study of Adults from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare the dietary habits, engagement in various sports, smoking habits, marital status and other demographic characteristics, between cancer patients and healthy adults (control) at our institute, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 500 participants (237 cancer patients and 263 healthy adults). A well-structured questionnaire was given to these participants regarding the life style, dietary habits, and marital status through interviews. RESULTS: Mean age of whole cohort was 39.3 years (range: 14-85). Among the cancer patients, breast cancer was predominant (45.6%). Compared to controls, higher percentage of married (72.6% vs. 55.5%) and divorced (10.2% vs.4.2%) was noticed in cancer patients (P = 0.002). In cancer patients, majority were unemployed (housewives = 49.3%; retired = 16.0%) as compared to controls (housewives = 14.1%; retired = 2.0%) P = 0.0001. Use of computer laptops/tablets and internet surfing was significantly higher in controls as compared to cancer patients (80.3% vs. 42.2%) P = 0.0001. Similarly, cancer patients started smoking at early age and were relatively heavy smokers with P = 0.03 and P = 0.001 respectively. Cancer patients consumed < 3 cups of coffee/day as compared to control (42.4% vs. 21.5%) P = 0.02. More cancer patients got married at early age between 11-20 years (58.7% vs. 37.7%) P = 0.01. CONCLUSION: Unemployment, marital status, lack of nutritional knowledge through internet, heavy smoking, heavy coffee consumption and early age at marriage were associated with the risk of various cancers in both genders.

Changes in pulmonary function tests in breast carcinoma patients treated with locoregional post-mastectomy radiotherapy: results of a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of present pilot study was to evaluate the changes in pulmonary function tests (PFTs) after locoregional post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients with histopathologically confirmed breast carcinoma stages T1-T4, N1-N2, who were treated with modified radical mastectomy with neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy underwent PFTs, including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced expiratory flow at 50%, and peak expiratory flow rate, maximum mid expiratory flow (MMEF25-75), maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) before, at 30 days, and at 90 days after locoregional PMRT. A two-tailed paired Student's t-test was used to compare mean values among the variables between the groups. RESULTS: A significant drop in FVC, FEV1, and DLCO was noticed at day 90 after the completion of locoregional PMRT with P-values 0.033, 0.042, and 0.031, respectively, while MMEF25-75 and VO2max were not significantly affected (P-values 0.075 and 0.062, respectively) favoring a restrictive lung injury pattern. However, no patient was found to be symptomatic. CONCLUSION: A significant drop in reduction in PFTs occurred at day 90 after the completion of locoregional PMRT. PFTs shall be performed in all breast cancer patients receiving locoregional PMRT for early detection of radiation-induced lung toxicity as all patients in our cohort were found asymptomatic.

Management and treatment recommendations for World Health Organization Grade III and IV gliomas.

The treatment recommendations provided in this manuscript are intended to serve as a knowledge base for clinicians and health personals involved in treating patients with high-grade malignant glioma. In newly diagnosed patients, complete resection or biopsy is required for histological characterization of the tumor, which in turn is essential to decide the treatment strategy. In patients with good or borderline performance score, radiotherapy (RT), and chemotherapy are the preferred management. In patients with poor performance score, RT with best possible supportive care is the mainstay of the management. All patients have to undergo brain magnetic resonance imaging procedure quarterly or half-yearly for 5 years and then on an annual basis. In patients with recurrent malignant glioma, wherever possible re-resection or re-irradiation or chemotherapy can be considered along with supportive and palliative care. High-grade malignant glioma should be managed in a multidisciplinary center with the best of the possible care that is available based on the evidence as discussed in this manuscript.

Outcome of patients with glioblastoma in Saudi Arabia: Single center experience.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary brain tumor in adults, is associated with one of the worst 5 year survival rates among all human cancer types. To date, no published data are available for the outcome of this disease in Saudi Arabia. The present study performed a single-center, retrospective cohort study to evaluate the outcome of patients with GBM in Saudi Arabia. The Comprehensive Cancer Center at King Fahad Medical city (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) was used in the present study. All adult patients (≥18 years) diagnosed with histologically proven GBM between January 2008 and December 2013 were included in the present study. A total of 90 patients were treated during the specified period. Of this, 73 (81%) patients underwent resection and 17 (19%) had biopsy only. The majority of patients (n=88; 98%) received radiotherapy (XRT): 67 (76%) with standard and 21 (24%) with hypo-fractionated dosage. Of the total patients, 65 (72%) received combined modality therapy [standard XRT concurrently with Temozolmide (TMZ)]. The 6 month progression-free survival rate was 43% for all patients and 55% for the combined modality subgroup. The median overall survival (OS) for all patients was 13.7 months. However, the median OS for patients treated with combined modality was 19.7 months. In this single-center retrospective study, the outcomes of patients with GBM were similar to those in previously reported studies. An improved outcome was associated with an improved performance status, absence of residual disease and use of adjuvant TMZ.

Duodenal metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma: A rare cause of melena.

INTRODUCTION: We report a rare case of duodenal metastasis from primary lung adenocarcinoma presented with history of melena and weight loss. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 52-year-old smoker man presented with six months history of epigastric pain, melena and weight loss. Esophago-gastroduodenoscopy revealed a 10mm ulcerative lesion in the fourth part of duodenum. Histopathology of resected lesion showed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Tumor cells showed immunopositivity for cytokeratin-7 (CK7), thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1), and immunonegativity for CK20, Villin, CDX2 and thyroglobulin, supporting the diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung origin. Computed tomography (CT) of chest revealed left hilar mass encasing the main pulmonary artery associated with ipsilateral hilar and contralateral mediastinal lymphadenopathy. Bronchoscopy assisted biopsy of lung mass confirmed the diagnosis of primary adenocarcinoma. Patient was staged as T4N3M1. After the resection of duodenal metastasis followed by three cycles of cisplatinum based chemotherapy with Bevacizumab, melena resolved completely. DISCUSSION: Duodenal metastases from lung adenocarcinoma are extremely uncommon, and rarely produce symptoms. Most of cases require duodenectomy or pancreatico-duodenectomy for symptomatic relief. For smaller duodenal metastatic lesions (≤1cm) endoscopic resection is a feasible therapeutic option. CONCLUSION: Although rare, duodenal metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma should also be included in the differential diagnosis of melena. Smaller lesions (≤1cm) can safely be managed with endoscopic resection.

Five-year outcomes of preoperative chemoradiation for rectal carcinoma in Saudi population: single-institutional experience.

OBJECTIVES: Preoperative chemoradiation (CRT) followed by surgery is the standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The outcomes of preoperative CRT in Saudi patients with LARC have not been widely studied. The study reports long-term outcomes after preoperative CRT followed by curative surgery in Saudi patients with LARC. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: A retrospective, single-institutional study performed in the tertiary care oncology center in Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 154 out of 204 patients with LARC were treated with preoperative CRT and followed by surgery at the oncology center between September 2005 and November 2012. Data regarding the response rates, toxicity profile, locoregional control (LRC), distant metastasis control (DMC), overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were analyzed. RESULTS: The median age of the study population was 56.6 years (range: 26-89). Predominant clinical stages were IIA (70 patients; 45.4%) and IIIB (49 patients; 31.8%). Majority of patients (79.8%) underwent a complete total mesorectal excision (TME). Complete pathological response (ypT0N0) was seen in 26 patients (16.8%). At 5 years, locoregional recurrence (LR) was reported in 12 patients (7.8%), and distant metastases were noted in 33 patients (21.4%). The 5-year cumulative LRC, DMC, OS, and DFS rates were 91%, 71.3%, 78%, and 64.8%, respectively. Stage, nodal status, circumferential margins, ypT0N0, and adjuvant chemotherapy were found to be important prognostic factors for DFS. CONCLUSION: The results of preoperative CRT followed by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in Saudi population are comparable with international data.

Elevated preoperative serum cancer antigen 15.3 levels are associated with reduced disease-free survival: a single-institution experience.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the preoperative tumor-marker cancer antigen (CA) 15.3 in Saudi patients with breast cancer and to find out whether any correlation exists between preoperative CA 15.3 and tumor size and nodal status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Preoperative blood samples for serum CA 15.3 levels were taken in 112 breast cancer patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery or modified radical mastectomy between February 1988 and August 2008. Serum levels of CA 15.3 below 35 U/mL were considered normal. The correlation between pre- and postoperative CA 15.3 levels with tumor size and nodal status was calculated using Pearson correlative coefficients. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to determine disease-free survival (DFS) according to CA 15.3 groups (<35, 36-100 and above >100 U/mL). RESULTS: The mean age of the cohort was 47.0 years (range 23-76, standard deviation 10.3). According to menopausal status, 93 patients (83.0%) were premenopausal, and 19 patients (17.0%) were postmenopausal. Mean preoperative CA 15.3 levels were 43.69 U/mL (1.0-209.87). Ten-year DFS rates were 100%, 84%, and 57.7% for CA 15.3 <35 U/mL, 36-100 U/mL, and >100 U/mL, respectively (P = 0.003). Preoperative CA 15.3 levels showed positive correlation with primary tumor size (R = 0.43, R (2) = 0.83, P = 0.03) and nodal status (R = 0.59, R (2) = 0.28, P < 0.0001), respectively. CONCLUSION: Elevated preoperative CA 15.3 above 35 U/mL in Saudi women breast cancer patients showed correlation with primary tumor size and nodal status, and preoperative CA 15.3 level is an independent prognostic factor for DFS. Preoperative serum CA 15.3 levels may be helpful for risk stratification along with other factors.

Distal humerus as delayed site of metastasis from small cell carcinoma of gallbladder.

Background. Small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the gallbladder is a rare entity and is often seen in elderly women. SCC of gallbladder is typically a nonsecretory carcinoid tumor without overt clinical symptoms and is often discovered at advanced stages. SCC of gallbladder carries a dismal prognosis as compared to SCC of lung and adenocarcinoma of gallbladder. To date, only 73 case reports have been published in the world literature. Case Presentation. Herein, we report a case of a 73-year-old Saudi woman who presented with one week history of right upper quadrant abdominal pain and obstructive jaundice and was found to be a case of locally advanced, metastatic SCC of gallbladder cT4N1M1 (liver, para-aortic lymph nodes, and bone). The patient was treated with neoadjuvant etoposide and cisplatin (EP) chemotherapy three cycles after biliary stenting followed by radical cholecystectomy, lymphadenectomy, and adjuvant EP chemotherapy and then one year later developed distal humerus osseous metastasis. Conclusion. SCC of the gallbladder is very rare entity and is often seen at advanced stages. Osseous metastases of peripheral skeleton from SCC gallbladder are rarely reported. Surgery is curative option but only for early stage tumors. Incorporation of chemotherapy along with radical resection increases the survival.

Frequency, clinical pattern and outcome of thrombosis in cancer patients in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: Thrombotic risk is increased in patients with cancer and there are important implications for those who suffer a venous thromboembolism (VTE). We undertook this study to determine the frequency, clinical patterns, and outcome of VTE in Saudi patients with cancer. METHODS: Cancer (solid tumors and lymphoma) patients who developed VTE from January 2004 to January 2009 were studied retrospectively. Demographics and clinical characteristics related to thrombosis and cancer were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 701 patients with cancer were seen during the study period. VTE was diagnosed in 47 (6.7%) patients (median age 52, range 18-80 years). Lower limb DVT was the most common type, seen in 47% patients, followed by PE in 19%, and 19% patients had both DVT and PE. Thrombosis was symptomatic in 72% patients while it was an incidental finding on routine workup in 28% . Cancer and VTE were diagnosed at the same time in 38% of patients, and 47% patients developed VTE during the course of disease after the cancer diagnosis. The majority of VTE post cancer diagnoses occurred during the first year (median 4 months, range 1-14). Additional risk factors for VTE were present in 22 (47%) patients and 14 (30%) of these patients were receiving chemotherapy at the time of thrombosis. Only 5 (10.6%) patients were receiving thrombo-prophylaxis at the time of VTE diagnosis. Most common types of tumors associated with thrombosis were breast cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lung cancer. The majority of the affected patients (79%) had advanced stage of cancer. After a median follow-up of 13 (range 0.5-60) months, 38 (81%) patients had died. There was no difference in the mortality of patients with symptomatic or asymptomatic thrombosis (82% vs 78.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Thrombotic complications can develop in a significant number of patients with cancer, and almost half of the patients have additional risk factors for VTE. Thrombosis is usually associated with advanced disease and can be asymptomatic in more than a quarter of cases. Thromboprophylaxis in cancer patients is under-utilized. Community based studies are needed to accurately define the extent of this problem and to develop effective prophylactic strategies.

Comparison of favorable early-stage hodgkin's lymphoma treatments: a single-institution review.

PURPOSE: To compare outcomes of patients receiving combined-modality chemotherapy and radiation (CMT) vs. other approaches for early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). METHODS AND MATERIALS: A review of patients with nonbulky, early-stage (IA/IIA) HL treated between 1984 and 2002 was performed to determine the treatment approaches used and the outcomes obtained. RESULTS: There were 173 adult patients with newly diagnosed early-stage HL (49% men, 51% women, median age 33 [range 17-82] years). Treatment was as follows: extended-field radiotherapy alone (EFRT) 49%; chemotherapy alone (CTA) 13%; and CMT 38%. Among CMT patients, 36% received abbreviated doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine chemotherapy (three to four cycles) followed by involved-field radiotherapy. With a median follow-up of 8.3 years, the estimated 10-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates for the entire cohort were 78% and 85%, respectively. The 10-year RFS and OS rates for the various groups were as follows: 69% and 81% for EFRT; 78% and 84% for CTA; and 87% and 89% for CMT. The 10-year RFS rate was significantly higher (p < 0.01) among CMT patients. The use of EFRT has diminished from approximately 90% in the 1980s to virtually no use at present, whereas the use of CTA and CMT has increased significantly (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Early-stage HL treatment has changed dramatically over the past 2 decades, and our results support the superiority and continued use of CMT, specifically abbreviated-course chemotherapy and involved-field radiotherapy, as an appropriate treatment approach.

Avoidance of radiotherapy-related, gastrointestinal complications in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report and review of literature.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with major gastrointestinal complications due to radiotherapy. A patient with active SLE and grade 4 nephropathy presented with inoperable advanced cancer of the cervix which proved to be contraindicated for chemotherapy. The patient was treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy technique (IMRT). The patient, however, did not experience severe radiotherapy-related complications as expected with conventional techniques of radiotherapy. The tolerance of SLE patients to radiotherapy can thus be achieved by proper delivery of radiation and the sparing of normal tissues by IMRT although further confirmatory studies are required.