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Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of larynx with subglottic extension is a rare location described to carry a poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to analyze outcomes and feasibility of definitive radiotherapy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma., Patients and Methods: Between 1998 and 2012, 56 patients with squamous cell carcinoma were treated at our institution and included in the analysis. Patients received definitive radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy alone (63%) or after induction chemotherapy (37%) at our institute., Results: The 5-year actuarial overall survival, progression-free survival and specific survival were 64% (CI 95%: 48-90), 45% (CI 95%: 28-61), 88% (CI 95%: 78-98), respectively, with median follow-up of 74 months. The 5-year locoregional control was 69% (CI 95%: 56-83) and the 5-year distant control was 95% (CI 95%: 89-100). There was no difference in overall survival and locoregional control according to front-line treatments or between primary subglottic cancer and glotto-supraglottic cancers with subglottic extension. In the multivariate analysis, performance status of at least 1 and positive N stage were the only predictors for overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] [CI 95%]: 6.5 [1.3-34; P=0.03] and 11 [1.6-75; P=0.02], respectively). No difference of locoregional control was observed according to the first received therapy. The univariate analysis retrieved that T3-T4 patients had a lower locoregional control (HR: 3.1; CI 95%: 1.1-9.2, P=0.04), but no prognostic factor was retrieved in the multivariate analysis. In patients receiving a larynx preservation protocol, 5-year larynx preservation rate was 88% (CI 95%: 78-98), and 58% in T3 patients. The 5-year larynx preservation rate was 91% (CI 95%: 79-100) and 83% (CI 95%: 66-100) for patients who received radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy or induction chemotherapy as a front-line treatment, respectively., Conclusion: This analysis suggests that the results for squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy are comparable to those obtained for other laryngeal tumors. This thus suggests the feasibility of laryngeal preservation protocols for infringement subglottic for selected cases. Further studies are needed to clarify these preliminary data., (Copyright © 2013 Société française de radiothérapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose/objectives: To analyze the clinical features, treatment modalities and outcome of patients treated for a localized esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB)., Materials and Methods: Forty-three consecutive patients with biopsy proven ENB treated at two referral cancer centers between 1998 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed., Results: Overall, 5 patients had stage A disease, 13 stage B, 16 stage C and 9 stage D according to the modified Kadish classification. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy was performed in 23 patients leading to a 74 % response rate. Thirty-one patients were treated by surgery. Thirty-nine patients (90.6%) underwent radiation therapy. Twelve patients received bilateral cervical lymph node irradiation (LNI). After a median follow-up of 77 months, the 5-year overall and progression free survival were 65% and 57%. Twelve patients (28%) had a locoregional relapse leading to 10 ENB-related deaths. The major prognostic factor was the modified Kadish stage with a 3-year survival for stage A-B, C and D of 100%, 48% and 22% respectively (p < 0.0001). Two (9%) isolated cervical lymph node relapses occurred among staged B and C patients treated without elective LNI and none after elective or adjuvant LNI., Conclusion: The high risk of locoregional failure in ENB justifies the use of multimodal therapy. Induction chemotherapy leads to a high response rate. Elective LNI might prevent regional failure in locally advanced disease., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In 1999, the Claudius-Regaud Institute of Toulouse, France, specialized in oncology, set up a workshop in order to assess the quality of its patients medical records. A retrospective evaluation was performed on a 100-chart-sample drawn from all the charts in the institution. Results show that the medical records are subdivised into three parts: medical care, nursing care and imaging. Some of the explored charts show a lack of data, and a certain inconsistency in the charts' organization and in the structure of information was reported. Patient's record is a key to communication between the different care providers in oncology. To improve its quality, efforts will have to be done in restructuring the charts, creating guidelines and training the different caregivers.

The development of non-invasive head fixation systems, allowing 3D determination of the target coordinates, has lead to the increased use of fractionated stereotactic irradiation. These systems have been checked for accuracy and the mean precision of repositioning has been evaluated to +/- 1 mm. With the mean geometrical accuracy set at +/- 1 mm, a 2 mm safety margin is usually added to the clinical target volume in order to define the planning target volume. Quality assurance procedures must conform to the required precision of the technique while remaining realistic in day-to-day use relative to planned conventional treatments. Biologically different from single dose irradiation, the fractionated stereotactic irradiation completes the range of techniques used in the treatment of intra-cerebral lesions.

Purpose: Between November 1988 and May 1992, 14 patients were enrolled in a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and results of hyperfractionated reirradiation for the treatment of head and neck recurrences or of second primary tumors developed in a previously irradiated volume., Materials and Methods: All patients underwent a surgical resection for the treatment of their recurrence or second cancer. Reirradiation was proposed because of positive margins and/or lymph node metastasis with extra-capsular spread. The planned reirradiation dose was 60 Gy over 5 weeks, with two daily fractions of 1.2 Gy delivered 6-8 hours apart., Results: Of the 14 patients, 10 received the reirradiation scheduled dose (ie, 60 Gy). All patients experienced an acute mucositis that never led to disruption of the treatment. Ten patients died 3 to 41 months after reirradiation (mean: 14 months), three were disease-free 48 to 71 months after reirradiation and one was alive with local progressive disease 74 months after reirradiation. The overall local control rate within the reirradiated volume was 43%. The 24- and 36-month overall survival rates were 50 and 35%, respectively. Overall, 13 late complications were noted: four were grade 1, seven were grade 2, and two were grade 3. Three patients still alive in September 1993 and whose initial files were available were enrolled in an additional study to assess from dose-volume histograms the cumulative doses delivered by the two irradiations., Conclusion: Despite poor local control, reirradiation using a hyperfractionation schedule with high dose level is feasible in terms of acute and late toxicity.

At the present time, the current improvement of technical and dosimetric aspects of radiation oncology has to be evaluated in terms of potential benefit for the patient and the society. For this last point of view, specially designed economic analyses must be performed in order to justify the number of resources involved by these technical improvements. If the question is how the current technical procedures could reduce the risk of undesirable side-effects, the response cannot be immediately drawn from the literature. This paper emphasizes the possibility to evaluate the role of side-effects as endpoints of economic analyses when using special models in medical decision making such as Markov's. Only few oncologic situations are reliable to properly analyze the relationship between sophisticated radiation techniques and the incidence of post-radiation complications. These situations should be selected when prospective economic analyses are planned in the field of radiation therapy.

Purpose: Financial costs from "Z" procedures were evaluated and compared with the amount of direct costs that are needed for the annual activity of a radiation oncology department., Materials and Methods: The various components, particularly staff earnings that are estimated for each procedure according to their category and working time, were cumulated for calculation of direct loads., Results: Comparisons between direct expenses and the total amount of Z procedures led to the following results: the global cost is the same; at analysis of therapeutic procedures, however, this apparent similarity masks some very significant gaps; valorization of Z procedures is much lower than that of the corresponding real loads, especially when therapeutic procedures are quite different from techniques that are considered as "standard"; these differences do not apply to all the components of radiation therapy procedures. In particular, medical steps would be uniformly underestimated, while irradiation per se is overestimated., Conclusion: The authors suggest modifications of the general objectives and items of the nomenclature of radiotherapy and brachytherapy procedures.

The authors present a retrospective analysis dealing with the cost of therapeutic procedures achieved in the department of radiotherapy of the Centre Claudius-Regaud. This analysis was performed according to the actual cost of the different components of each treatment including the human costs. For this last purpose, serial countings of time spent by each category of employees were performed and then translated into financial terms. Results show a large discrepancy between the costs of therapeutic procedures. These differences are mainly related to the purpose of therapeutic plan, dealing with the most expensive procedures dealing with the developmental treatments. This study provides a tool that can be used by medical and/or administrative managers of radiation oncology departments when changes or innovations in therapeutic procedures. This cost accounting analysis is compared to the French administrative procedures used to pay the health care services and to determine the level of hospital resources.

To increase geometric treatment accuracy in radiation therapy, we used a novel digitized method and original image processing. The radiographic films that are conventionally used for verifying each beam during the treatment were digitized by a Kodak digital system and then an original image enhancement was applied. For the evaluation of our technique, a clinical trial with two tests was used. The trial involved four readers doing 80 reading. The enhanced films were judged to be of higher quality than the non enhanced films (p = 0.001) and were read more accurately (p < or = 0.001). This automatic enhancement of digitized captured portal images can be easily integrated into the busy routine of a radiotherapy department.

In order to enhance radiation effects in the treatment of unresectable Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma, we initiated a phase I-II study in February 1991 with concomitant radiation and cisplatin in the treatment of resectable Head and Neck squamous cell carcinoma. The first patient was treated in a palliative intend for a cervical recurrence (cutaneous metastatic lymphangitis) of laryngeal cancer. The seven other patients had a Stage IV M0, previously untreated, oropharyngeal carcinoma. Standard external radiation was carried out up to a total dose of 60 Gy/6 weeks (7 MeV electron beam) for the 1st patient and 72 Gy/8 weeks (Co60 beam) for the 7 other patients. Cisplatin was given during the entire radiation treatment, by continuous infusion, 5 days a week, at doses of 4 mg/m2/d for the 1st patient, 5 mg/m2/d for the two following patients and 6 mg/m2/d for the last five patients. One patient with a poor initial performance status (three in the WHO scale) stopped his treatment on the 6th week due to a grade 3 mucositis with deglutition pneumonia. He died 2 months later with progressive carcinoma. For one other patient, treatment was discontinued for 1 week after 48 Gy, due to a grade 3 mucositis. The other patients completed the planned protocol without any interruption. Mucositis (grade 3 in two cases, grade 2 in four cases), dermitis (grade 3 in two cases, grade 2 in four cases) and neutropenia (grade 2 in two cases) were the most frequent acute toxicity. Of the seven patients treated with a curative intend, six are free of disease at 6 to 28 months after completion of treatment. A pharmacokinetic study showed a total platinum accumulation. The mean value at the end of treatment reached 1157 ng/ml. Only one patient experienced an accumulation of the ultrafilterable platinum (137 ng/ml at the end of treatment).