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Purpose: The aim of the research was to evaluate of intraocular complications after proton beam therapy of choroidal melanomas, Material and Methods: A total 105 patients (48 female and 57 male) from Department of Ophthalmology and Ocular Oncology of University Hospital in Cracow, who received proton beam radiation due to choroidal melanoma were enrolled. The mean age was 52.3 years (51.8 y. in females, 52.6 y. in males). Total irradiation dose was 60 cGy and it was applied in 4 fractions per 15 cGy (on 4 consecutive days). We evaluated the incidence of complications classifying patients by age, tumor location, tumor thickness, longitudinal and transversal basal diameter and follow-up period, which ranged between 5 and 57 months., Results: Complications of intraocular irradiation were observed in 33 out of 105 treated patients. Retinopathy occurred in 18 cases, including 4 patients with macular edema. Neuropathy was confirmed in 8 patients, secondary glaucoma in 6 cases; we noted 9 cases of initial or progress existing cataract, 4 cases of dry eye syndrome and 1 patient with central retinal vein occlusion. A statistically significant positive correlation was demonstrated between the length of the follow-up period and the incidence of complications, which were more common and more severe with the longer follow-up period. There was no statistically significant correlation between the incidence of complications and patient’s age, tumor location, tumor thickness as well as longitudinal and transversal basal diameter., Conclusion: All forms of radiation therapy used in intraocular tumors are associated with some risk of complications; proton beam radiotherapy is not free of that risk, either.

Between 1992 and 1999 at the Oncology Centre in Cracow 138 NSCLC patients after complete resection of the tumour with mediastinal/hilar node involvement were included in the prospective clinical trial. The analysis of the results did not show any improvement of survival in the postoperatively irradiated group. Three-year survival rates with no symptoms of disease in postoperative radiotherapy patients compared to surgery alone group were 30% and 29% respectively. In this study adjuvant radiotherapy significantly improved local recurrence rate from 28% in surgery only group to 9% in postoperatively treated patients.

In a retrospective analysis of 150 incompletely resected NSCLC patients treated with adjuvant external beam radiotherapy 32 (21.3%) survived 3 years with no symptoms of disease. Ipsilateral mediastinal/hilar lymph node involvement and macroscopic incomplete surgery were the prognostic factors that unfavourably influenced survival in Cox's proportional hazards model. Postoperative external beam radiotherapy was the efficient adjuvant treatment method in microscopically incompletely resected NSCLC, predominantly with no nodes involvement, but had no benefit in those with macroscopic incomplete surgery.

Four cases of solitary extramedullary plasmocytoma of the larynx (3 men, 1 women) treated with radiotherapy are presented. Laboratory and X-ray examinations showed no evidence of systemic plasmacytoma. One patient was treated with conventional X-ray therapy and 3 patients with telegammatherapy Co-60. All patients survived 10 years with no evidence of disease.

Benign lymphoepithelial lesion (BLL) is observed as a diffuse or nodular enlargement of major salivary gland. In 80% it appears in woman in the sixth and seventh decade. The histopathologic appearance consist of a triad of parenchymatous atrophy, interstitial lymphocytic infiltration and epimyoepithelial islands. This disease co-exists in 50% of cases with connective tissue disorders. In patients with BLL the risk of the development of a malignant lymphoma may be as high as 40:1 in comparison to the control group. From 1960 to 1991 ten women with BLL in salivary glands were treated in Oncology Centre in Kraków. The disease was localized in parotid glands (8 pts), in submandibular glands (1 pt) and in parotid and submandibular gland (1 pt). In this group 3 patients were treated for the rheumatoid arthritis and in 1 women presented symptoms of Sjögren' syndrome. Exclusive surgical treatment was performed in 2 patients, 7 patients were treated with irradiation, and 1 patient received combined therapy: surgery and radiotherapy. The doses of irradiation were from 12 to 36 Gy given in 6 to 18 fractions. Complete remission was observed in 2 patients who received only surgical treatment. In group of 8 patients treated with irradiation and surgery and irradiation we have observed local control in six women after 1 series and in two women after 2 series of irradiation. During the observation malignancies developed in 4 patients between 11 to 39 months after radiotherapy. One patient developed cancer of salivary gland. In remaining 3 patients it was observed malignant lymphomas. Our results of therapy of BLL in salivary gland are similar to presented by the other authors and indicate the efficiency of local (surgical or irradiation) treatment.

Eighty-five patients with stage II glottic laryngeal cancer were treated with radiotherapy in Center of Oncology in Kraków between 1973 and 1989. Fifty-five patients were irradiated with 60Co unit, 30 with mixed photon--electron beam. The 5-year survival rates without evidence of disease after the radiotherapy only were 65.9%, after the radiotherapy and surgery for recurrences--76.5%. The sex, age, local extension of primay tumour and vocal cord mobility were evaluated in a uni- and multivariate analysis of prognostic factors. For the end-point of 5-year survival without evidence of disease no statistically significant relationship was found between results and analysis variables, especially between survival and impaired cord mobility.

We analysed 170 women with carcinoma of the breast who survived 20 years after local or loco-regional therapy, without adjuvant chemo-hormonotherapy. Patients with axillary lymph nodes metastases constitute thirty-six percent of this group.

Six hundred and thirty patients with stage I and II glottic and supraglottic laryngeal cancer were treated with radiotherapy in Center of Oncology in Kraków between 1973 and 1989. The 5-year NED survival rates after the radiotherapy only were 79%, after the radiotherapy and surgery for reccurrences--87.1%. Gender is not a prognostic factor in early stage laryngeal cancer treated with radiotherapy.

Three hundred patients with early stage supraglottic cancer were treated with radiotherapy in Center of Oncology in Kraków between 1973 and 1989. The 5-year NED survival rates after the radiotherapy only were 82.9% in stage I, and 70%in stage II cancer, after the radiotherapy and surgery for recurrences--90% and 75% respectively. The stage and tumor site were an important prognostic factors in the treated group of patients.

Two hundred and forty-five patients with stage I glottic laryngeal cancer were treated with radiotherapy in Center of Oncology in Kraków between 1973 and 1988. One hundred and fifty-five patients were irradiated with Co-60 unit, 90 patients with mixed photon-electron beam. The 5-year NED survival rates after the radiotherapy only were 85.3%, after the radiotherapy and surgery for recurrences--95.1%. The sex, age, local extension of primary tumor (T1a vs. T1b), location of the tumor on true vocal cord and involvement of anterior commissure were evaluated in a uni- and multivariate analysis of prognostic factors. For the end-point of 5-year NED survival no statistically significant relationship was found between results and analysis variables.