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The purpose of this report is to describe the treatment and the outcome of patients affected by soft tissue sarcomas and enrolled in the Italian Cooperative Study RMS 88, whose age was less than 36 months. In particular the role of local treatment is discussed, considering that RT was not recommended by the protocol. The 104 patients, 70 affected by RMS and 34 by NR-STS, were grouped according to the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Staging (IRS) system. The general guidelines of the study for the local treatment included surgery in Gr I, surgery + radiotherapy (40 Gy) in Gr II, surgery (1 or more procedures) + radiotherapy (45-54 Gy) in Gr III, but RT was not recommended for patients < 3 years. RMS: The 5 patients in Gr I did not receive RT: 4/5 are alive NED and 1 is lost at FU. Among the 5 patients in Gr II, 5 did not receive RT and are alive NED; 4 were given RT and 2 of these died of disease. In the 56 patients in Gr III, RT was utilized in 25: 5 died of disease and 6 manifested distant sequelae due to RT. 10/31 patients who were not given RT, did not undergo any other local treatment and died of disease; 4 patients died after surgery only., Nrsts: 7/9 Gr I patients are alive (1 was treated with RT and did not present sequelae); 1/9 died and 1 is lost at FU. 3/6 Gr II patients are alive (1 after RT), 2 died of disease and 1 is lost at FU. 2/19 Gr III patients were given RT and 1 died of disease; 3 of the not irradiated patients died without any local treatment, 4 after surgery only., Conclusion: The local treatment was important for patients' outcome: only 28% of the RMS and 36% of the NRSTS patients who were not treated with surgery a/o RT are in CR. Surgery was not particularly aggressive (6 mutilating procedures). RT was utilized in 33/104 patients and sequelae were 7. The difference in overall survival between patients less than 3 and patients more than 3 is not statistically significant.

Experiences in 13 children treated with radiocolloids (198Au and 32P) applied intrathecally are presented. This treatment may replace the external radiation therapy in prophylaxis or therapy of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in childhood leukemia and non Hodgkin lymphoma. The follow-up median value was 18 months. Ten children were treated for prophylactic aim. Two out of 10 presented meningeal failure 1 month after. Three patients treated for meningosis died for bone marrow relapse without evidence of blasts in CSF sediment.

Personal experience is outlined with a preparative regimen consisting of total nodal irradiation (TNI) and cyclophosphamide in patients with severe aplastic anemia undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Nine patients (median age 23) previously having blood transfusions received BMT at the BMT Center in Pesaro. All patients were prepared for transplantation with cyclophosphamide 50 mg/kg/day (day -6, -5, -4, -3), and 7.5 Gy total nodal irradiation day -1, with a dose rate of 26 cGy/m. Six out of eight evaluable transplanted patients are still surviving 3 to 23 months with a median follow-up of 16.5 months. This preoperative regimen is extremely effective in decreasing rejection following transplantation for severe aplastic anemia. Future investigation must be aimed at the elimination of graft-versus-host-disease and control of fatal infections.