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Many patients with positive margins following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) undergo re-excisions that aim to remove residual disease from the breast, which brings a tremendous emotional burden in addition to financial consequences. We sought to determine whether re-excisions could be safely avoided without compromising local control and survival by using whole-breast radiation therapy (WBRT) with a tumor bed boost in patients with early-stage breast cancer with focally positive, tumor-exposed margins after BCS. All patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and/or invasive breast cancer (IBC) who had pathologically tumor-exposed margins following BCS, without re-excision and treated with WBRT with tumor bed boost between March 2005 and December 2011, were included. The radiotherapy consisted of WBRT at a dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions, followed by a tumor bed boost with an additional dose of 16 Gy in eight fractions. A total of 125 patients fulfilled the eligibility criteria; of the 125 patients, 1 had bilateral breast cancer, resulting in 126 cases. Invasive disease was found in 102 (81%) cases and purely ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) disease in 24 (19%) cases. The 10-year ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) -free survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates were 95%, 92.5% and 96%, respectively. Patients with early-stage breast cancer who receive BCS and have focally positive, tumor-exposed margins can avoid re-excision by undergoing WBRT followed by a sufficient dose of tumor bed boost, without negatively impacting local control and survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was designed to compare the long-term oncological outcome of patients with clinical T3 (cT3) prostate cancer (PCA) treated with either radical prostatectomy (RP) or external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and to identify predictors of oncological outcomes. Methods: A total of 231 patients with cT3 PCA underwent either RP ( n = 112) or EBRT ( n = 119). Local progression-free (LPFS), distant metastasis-free (DMFS), cancer-specific (CSS), and overall survival curves were generated with the Kaplan-Meier method, and the differences in survival rates between the two groups were assessed with a log-rank test. Cox proportional stepwise multivariate analysis was used to assess the association of variables to the oncological outcomes. Results: The median follow-up of the RP and EBRT groups was 93 and 85 months, respectively ( p = 0.004).The 10-year LPFS, DMFS, and CSS rates were not statistically different between the two groups (90.2, 73.9, and 93.7 % in the RP group and 82.7, 88.2, and 85.1 % in the EBRT group; p = 0.25, 0.10, and 0.10, respectively). The Cox proportional multivariate analysis revealed that clinical T3b (cT3b) ( p = 0.001) and a biopsy Gleason score of 7-10 ( p = 0.043) were significant predictors of cancer-specific mortality and that cT3b was also a significant predictor of local progression and all-cause mortality. Conclusion: In cT3 PCA, both RP and EBRT provide an excellent long-term oncological outcome. cT3b was the strongest predictor of oncological outcome for the patients with locally advanced PCA who underwent the definitive therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The indication for postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in breast cancer patients with one to three positive lymph nodes has been in discussion. The purpose of this study was to identify patient groups for whom PMRT may be indicated, focusing on varied locoregional recurrence rates depending on lymphatic invasion (ly) status. Methods and Materials: Retrospective analysis of 1,994 node-positive patients who had undergone mastectomy without postoperative radiotherapy between January 1990 and December 2000 at our hospital was performed. Patient groups for whom PMRT should be indicated were assessed using statistical tests based on the relationship between locoregional recurrence rate and ly status. Results: Multivariate analysis showed that the ly status affected the locoregional recurrence rate to as great a degree as the number of positive lymph nodes (p < 0.001). Especially for patients with one to three positive nodes, extensive ly was a more significant factor than stage T3 in the TNM staging system for locoregional recurrence (p < 0.001 vs. p = 0.295). Conclusion: Among postmastectomy patients with one to three positive lymph nodes, patients with extensive ly seem to require local therapy regimens similar to those used for patients with four or more positive nodes and also seem to require consideration of the use of PMRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer is a major cause of death in Japan, where it accounts for the largest number of deaths from malignant neoplasms in women and the third largest number in men. Many new treatment methods have been developed over the last few decades. The Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum (JSCCR) guidelines 2010 for the treatment of colorectal cancer (JSCCR Guidelines 2010) have been prepared to show standard treatment strategies for colorectal cancer, to eliminate disparities among institutions in terms of treatment, to eliminate unnecessary treatment and insufficient treatment, and to deepen mutual understanding between health-care professionals and patients by making these Guidelines available to the general public. These Guidelines have been prepared by consensuses reached by the JSCCR Guideline Committee, based on a careful review of the evidence retrieved by literature searches and in view of the medical health insurance system and actual clinical practice settings in Japan. Therefore, these Guidelines can be used as a tool for treating colorectal cancer in actual clinical practice settings. More specifically, they can be used as a guide to obtaining informed consent from patients and choosing the method of treatment for each patient. As a result of the discussions held by the Guideline Committee, controversial issues were selected as Clinical Questions, and recommendations were made. Each recommendation is accompanied by a classification of the evidence and a classification of recommendation categories based on the consensus reached by the Guideline Committee members. Here we present the English version of the JSCCR Guidelines 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To assess radiotherapy protocol compliance in a multi-institutional phase II study of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for patients with locally advanced cancer of the uterine cervix (JGOG1066). Methods: For study protocol development, various radiotherapy parameters were examined and consensus was reached by Japanese radiation oncologists with cervical cancer treatment expertise. Quality assurance (QA) was also discussed and included in the protocol. A credentialing process was used to select institutions for participation in the study. Individual case reviews referring to 18 QA items were undertaken for each patient. Radiotherapy data were submitted to the Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (JGOG) data center and reviewed by the members of the radiotherapy committee. The QA evaluation was classed as per protocol, deviation, and violation. Results: Individual case reviews were performed on 69 of 72 patients entered in the study. In 24 patients (35%), there were no deviations for any QA items. There were also no deviations seen for 5 of the 18 items in 69 patients evaluated. Deviations of 64 QA items were seen in 45 cases, and violations were seen in 4 cases (4 items). The most common deviation concerned appropriate application for the external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) boost to involved nodes or parametrium (32 cases). The 4 violations were identified in the QA items regarding high-dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy. Conclusions: Radiotherapy protocol compliance was favorable except for the EBRT boost indications. The results of this study validate the quality of radiotherapy in JGOG1066, and indicate that the final analysis will provide meaningful results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Previous studies on reproducibility in gynecologic high-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy (HDRIB) have reported caudal needle displacements as high as 14–27.9 mm. The needle-template units in these studies were, however, sutured to the perineum, which gradually moved away from the target due to edema. To overcome the caudal force from the edema, we have been using fully stretched elastic tapes that exert cranial force on the template. To evaluate the effectiveness of our technique, caudal needle displacements relative to the target were investigated using CT coordinates. Methods and Materials Twenty-nine gynecologic cancer patients were treated using HDRIB. The template was pressed into the perineum using two elastic tapes. All patients underwent pretreatment and posttreatment CTs to obtain craniocaudal coordinates for the needles and the clinical target volume. Results The median displacements for the 533 needles relative to the clinical target volume were −0.8 mm (range, −5.7 to +4.7 mm). Absolute craniocaudal displacement >3 mm was observed in only 14.4% of the needles, with a maximum displacement of only 5.7 mm. Conclusions The use of elastic tapes achieved smaller displacements compared to those in previous reports. This was a simple but effective technique to minimize needle displacement for gynecologic HDRIB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe patient characteristics and the process of radiotherapy (RT) for patients with esophageal cancer treated between 1999 and 2001 in Japan. Methods and Materials: The Japanese Patterns of Care Study (PCS) Working Group conducted a third nationwide survey of 76 institutions. Detailed information was accumulated on 621 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer who received RT. Results: The median age of patients was 68 years. Eighty-eight percent were male, and 12% were female. Ninety-nine percent had squamous cell carcinoma histology. Fifty-five percent had the main lesion in the middle thoracic esophagus. Fourteen percent had clinical Stage 0–I disease, 32% had Stage IIA–IIB, 43% had Stage III, and 10% had Stage IV disease. Chemotherapy was given to 63% of patients; 39% received definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) without surgery and 24% pre- or postoperative CRT. Sixty-two percent of the patients aged ≥75 years were treated with RT only. Median total dose of external RT was 60 Gy for definitive CRT patients, 60 Gy for RT alone, and 40 Gy for preoperative CRT. Conclusions: This PCS describes general aspects of RT for esophageal cancer in Japan. Squamous cell carcinoma accounted for the majority of patients. The standard total external RT dose for esophageal cancer was higher in Japan than in the United States. Chemoradiotherapy had become common for esophageal cancer treatment, but patients aged ≥75 years were more likely to be treated by RT only. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of a definitive radiotherapy protocol using high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR-ICBT) with a low cumulative dose schedule in nonbulky early-stage cervical cancer patients, we conducted a prospective multi-institutional study. Methods and Materials: Eligible patients had squamous cell carcinoma of the intact uterine cervix, Federation of Gynecologic Oncology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages Ib1, IIa, and IIb, tumor size <40 mm in diameter (assessed by T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging), and no pelvic/para-aortic lymphadenopathy. The treatment protocol consisted of whole-pelvis external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) of 20 Gy/10 fractions, pelvic EBRT with midline block of 30 Gy/15 fractions, and HDR-ICBT of 24 Gy/4 fractions (at point A). The cumulative biologically effective dose (BED) was 62 Gy10 (α/β = 10) at point A. The primary endpoint was the 2-year pelvic disease progression-free (PDPF) rate. All patients received a radiotherapy quality assurance review. Results: Between September 2004 and July 2007, 60 eligible patients were enrolled. Thirty-six patients were assessed with FIGO stage Ib1; 12 patients with stage IIa; and 12 patients with stage IIb. Median tumor diameter was 28 mm (range, 6–39 mm). Median overall treatment time was 43 days. Median follow-up was 49 months (range, 7–72 months). Seven patients developed recurrences: 3 patients had pelvic recurrences (2 central, 1 nodal), and 4 patients had distant metastases. The 2-year PDPF was 96% (95% confidence interval [CI], 92%–100%). The 2-year disease-free and overall survival rates were 90% (95% CI, 82%–98%) and 95% (95% CI, 89%–100%), respectively. The 2-year late complication rates (according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer of Grade ≥1) were 18% (95% CI, 8%–28%) for large intestine/rectum, 4% (95% CI, 0%–8%) for small intestine, and 0% for bladder. No Grade ≥3 cases were observed for genitourinary/gastrointestinal late complications. Conclusions: These results suggest that definitive radiotherapy using HDR-ICBT with a low cumulative dose schedule (BED, 62 Gy10 at point A) can provide excellent local control without severe toxicity in nonbulky (<4-cm) early-stage cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]