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Background High dose chemoradiotherapy offers a curative chance for patients with rectal cancer that are unfit or unwilling to undergo surgical resection, yet its long-term survival and functional outcomes have been rarely investigated. Methods Patients with non-metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma who received pelvic radiation for curative intent from April 2006 to July 2017 were retrospectively investigated. Survival rates were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. Quality of life and functional outcomes were evaluated using the EORTC quality of life questionnaire. Results A total of 57 patients were included, with a median age of 59.0 (range, 29–84) years. The numbers of patients who were diagnosed as stage I, II and III were 5 (8.8%), 16 (28.1%) and 36 (63.2%), respectively. 53 (93.0%) patients had tumor located within 5 cm from the anal verge. All patients received fluorouracil-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy with a median radiation dose of 80 (range, 60–86) Gy. All kinds of grade 3–4 adverse events occurred in 18 (31.6%) patients. 42 (73.7%) patients achieved a clinical complete response after chemoradiotherapy. After a median follow-up of 43.5 (range 14.9–163.2) months, 12 (21.1%) patients had local progression and 11 (19.3%) developed distant metastasis. The 3-year local recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival were 77.3% (95% CI, 65.7–88.8%) and 79.2% (95% CI, 68.2–90.2%), while the 3-year progression-free survival, cancer-specific survival, overall survival were 61.9% (95% CI, 48.8–75.0%), 93.1% (95% CI, 85.8–100.0%) and 91.4% (95% CI, 83.6–99.2%), respectively. For patients who had tumor located within 3 cm from the anal verge, the sphincter preservation rate was 85.3% at last follow-up. Long-term adverse events mainly were anal blood loss. 21 patients completed the quality-of-life questionnaire and had a score of the global health status of 78.57 ± 17.59. Of them, 95.2% reported no urinary incontinence and 85.7% reported no fecal incontinence. Conclusions High dose chemoradiation demonstrated promising survival outcomes with acceptable short-term and long-term side effects, and satisfying long-term functional outcomes and quality of life. It could be considered as a non-invasive alternative for rectal cancer patients who refuse surgery.

Background The optimal treatment of stage IV rectal cancer remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to assess the treatment outcomes and toxicity of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed by local treatment of all tumor sites and subsequent adjuvant chemotherapy in stage IV rectal cancer patients with potentially resectable metastases. Methods Adult patients diagnosed with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma with potentially resectable metastases, who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy from July 2013 and September 2019 at Sun Yat-sen University cancer center, were included. Completion of the whole treatment schedule, pathological response, treatment-related toxicity and survival were evaluated. Results A total of 228 patients were analyzed with a median follow-up of 33 (range 3.3 to 93.4) months. Eventually, 112 (49.1%) patients finished the whole treatment schedule, of which complete response of all tumor sites and pathological downstaging of the rectal tumor were observed in three (2.7%) and 90 (80.4%) patients. The three-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of all patients were 56.6% (50.2 to 63.9%) and 38.6% (95% CI 32.5 to 45.8%), respectively. For patients who finished the treatment schedule, 3-year OS (74.4% vs 39.2%, P P = 0.004) were significantly improved compared those who did not finish the treatment. Grade 3–4 chem-radiotherapy treatment toxicities were observed in 51 (22.4%) of all patients and surgical complications occurred in 22 (9.6%) of 142 patients who underwent surgery, respectively. Conclusions Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy followed by resection/ablation and subsequent adjuvant chemotherapy offered chances of long-term survival with tolerable toxicities for selected patients with potentially resectable stage IV rectal cancer, and could be considered as an option in clinical practice.

Background The ratio of serum apolipoprotein B (apoB) to apolipoprotein A-I (apoAI) had been reported as a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer. This retrospective study aimed to assess the implication of apoB-to-apoAI ratio in predicting liver metastasis from rectal cancer (RC). Methods The clinical data of 599 locally advanced RC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery were reviewed. Serum apoAI, apoB and apoB-to-apoAI ratio were analyzed for their correlation with the liver-metastasis-free, other-metastasis-free and overall survivals, together with the pretreatment and postsurgical pathoclinical features of the patients. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were realized through the Kaplan-Meier approach and Cox model, respectively. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for independent predictors. Results Carbohydrate antigen 19 − 9 ≥ 26.3 U/ml, apoB-to-apoAI ratio ≥ 0.63, tumor regression grade 5 − 3, pT4 and pN + stage emerged as independent predictors of poorer liver-metastasis-free survival. The hazard ratios were 1.656 (95% CI, 1.094–2.506), 1.919 (95% CI, 1.174–3.145), 1.686 (95% CI, 1.053–2.703), 1.890 (95% CI, 1.110–3.226) and 2.012 (95% CI, 1.314–2.077), respectively. Except apoB-to-apoAI ratio, the other 4 factors were also independent predictors of poorer other-metastasis-free and overall survivals. And the independent predictors of poorer overall survival also included age ≥ 67 years old, distance to anal verge Conclusions Serum apoB-to-apoAI ratio could be used as a biomarker for prediction of liver metastasis risk in locally advanced RC.

Background Patients with locally advanced sigmoid colon cancer (LASCC) have limited treatment options and a dismal prognosis with poor quality of life. This retrospective study aimed to further evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) followed by surgery as treatment for select patients with unresectable LASCC. Methods We studied patients with unresectable LASCC who received NACRT between November 2010 and April 2019. The NACRT regimen consisted of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of 50 Gy to the gross tumor and positive lymphoma node and 45 Gy to the clinical target volume. Capecitabine‑based chemotherapy was administered every 2 (mFOLFOX6) or 3 weeks (CAPEOX). Surgery was scheduled 6–8 weeks after radiotherapy. Results Seventy‑two patients were enrolled in this study. Patients had a regular follow-up (median, 41.1 months; range, 8.3–116.5 months). Seventy‑one patients completed NACRT, and sixty-five completed surgery. Resection with microscopically negative margins (R0 resection) was achieved in 64 patients (88.9%). Pathologic complete response was observed in 15 patients (23.1%), and multivisceral resection was necessary in 38 patients (58.3%). The cumulative probability of 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 75.8 and 70.7%, respectively. Conclusions For patients with unresectable LASCC, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is feasible, surgery can be performed safely and may result in increased survival and organ preservation rates.

// Lu-Ning Zhang 1,* , Wei-Wei Xiao 1,* , Shao-Yan Xi 4,* , Pu-Yun OuYang 1,* , Kai-Yun You 5 , Zhi-Fan Zeng 1 , Pei-Rong Ding 2 , Hui-Zhong Zhang 4 , Zhi-Zhong Pan 2 , Rui-Hua Xu 3,** and Yuan-Hong Gao 1,** 1 Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China 2 Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China 3 Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China 4 Department of Pathological Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China 5 Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China * Co-first authors ** Co-senior authors Correspondence to: Yuan-Hong Gao, email: // Rui-Hua Xu, email: // Keywords : adjuvant chemotherapy; locally advanced rectal cancer; neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy; prognosis; tumor deposits Received : July 20, 2015 Accepted : November 25, 2015 Published : December 18, 2015 Abstract Background: Tumor deposits (TDs) were reported to be poor prognoses in colorectal carcinoma, but the significance in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) (T3-4/N+) following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neo-CRT) and surgery is unclear. Since adjuvant chemotherapy showed no benefit for LARC following neo-CRT, it is of great value to investigate whether TDs can identify the subgroup of patients who may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: Between 2004 and 2012, 310 LARC patients following neo-CRT and surgery were retrospectively reviewed. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) and local recurrence free survival (LRFS) were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test and Cox models. Results: TDs-positive patients showed adverse OS, DFS and DMFS (all P ≤0.001), but not LRFS ( P = 0.273). In multivariate analysis, TDs continued to be associated with poor OS (HR = 2.44, 95% CI 1.32-4.4, P = 0.004) and DFS (HR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.21-3.27, P = 0.007), but not DMFS (HR = 1.77, 95% CI 0.97-3.20, P = 0.061) or LRFS (HR = 1.85, 95% CI 0.58-5.85, P = 0.298). Among TDs-positive patients, adjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved OS ( P = 0.045) and DMFS ( P = 0.026), but not DFS ( P = 0.127) or LRFS ( P = 0.862). Conclusions: TDs are predictive of poor survival in LARC after neo-CRT. Fortunately, TDs-positive patients appear to benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

It remains controversial whether adjuvant therapy should be delivered to pathological T3N0M0 rectal cancer without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Thus identification of patients at high risk is of particular importance. Herein, we aimed to evaluate whether the absolute peripheral blood monocyte count can stratify the pathological T3N0M0M0 rectal cancer patients in survival. A total of 270 pathological T3N0M0 rectal cancer patients with total mesorectal excision-principle radical resection were included. The optimal cut-off value of preoperative monocyte count was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Overall survival and disease-free survival between low- and high-monocyte were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression model. The optimal cut-off value for monocyte count was 595 mm(3). In univariate analysis, patients with monocyte counts higher than 595/mm(3) had significantly inferior 5-year overall survival (79.2 vs 94.2 %, P = 0.006) and disease-free survival (67.8 vs 86.0 %, P 0.001). With adjustment for the known covariates, monocyte count remained to be associated with poor overall survival (HR = 2.55, 95 % CI 1.27-5.10; P = 0.008) and disease-free survival (HR = 2.63, 95 % CI 1.48-4.69; P = 0.001). Additionally, the significant association of monocyte count with disease-free survival was hardly influenced in the subgroup analysis, whereas this correlation was restricted to the males and patients with normal carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level (5 μg/L), tumor grade II, and with adjuvant therapy. High preoperative monocyte count is independently predictive of worse survival of pathological T3N0M0 rectal cancer patients without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Postoperative adjuvant therapy might be considered for patients with high-monocyte count.

Conventional neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is suboptimal for systemic control in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). To improve systemic control, we developed an alternative approach in which an intensified oxaliplatin and capecitabine (XELOX) chemotherapy regimen was administered concomitantly with radiation and extended to the resting period (consolidation chemotherapy) for high-risk LARC. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the short-term efficacy and toxicity of this strategy.Patients with high-risk LARC were treated with CRT. Two cycles of XELOX were administered concomitantly with radiation. Thereafter, an additional cycle of the same regimen was administered during the resting period after completion of CRT. Tumor response, toxicities and surgical complications were recorded.This study includes 36 patients treated with the above strategy. All patients completed the planned concurrent CRT. Because of grade 3 toxicities, 2 patients were unable to complete the additional chemotherapy. Grade 3 toxicities were leucopenia (2.8 %), diarrhea (2.8 %) and radiodermatitis (2.8 %). All patients underwent optimal surgery with total mesorectal excision (TME) and a sphincter-saving procedure was performed in 27 patients (75 %). There was no perioperative mortality. Postoperative complications developed in 7 patients (19.4 %). Pathologic complete regression (pCR),"nearly pCR" (major regression), and moderate or minimal regression were achieved in 13 (36.1 %), 16 (44.4 %), and 7 patients (19.5 %), respectively.The preliminary results suggest that a XELOX regimen initially administered concomitantly with radiotherapy and then extended to the resting period in high-risk LARC patients is well tolerated. The strategy is highly effective in terms of pCR and nearly pCR rates, and thus warrants further investigation.

To investigate the association between 18fluorine-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) parameters, serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and tumor response in patients with rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). Sixty-four patients with T3-4 and/or node-positive rectal cancer receiving nCRT followed by surgery were prospectively studied. PET/CT was performed before, and in 28 patients, both before and after nCRT. The pre-/post-nCRT maximum standardized uptake (SUVmax) values, differences between pre-/post-nCRT SUVmax (∆SUVmax), response index of SUVmax (RI-SUVmax), mean standardized uptake value (SUVmean), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), and CEA were measured. The ability of PET/CT parameters and CEA to predict Mandard’s tumor regression grade (TRG) and pathological complete remission (pCR) were evaluated. 31 patients were identified as responders (TRG 1–2), and 19 exhibited pCR. For responders, significant differences were found for ΔSUVmax (24.88 vs. 15.39 g/ml, p = 0.037), RI-SUVmax (0.76 vs. 0.63, p = 0.025), ΔSUVmean (14.43 vs. 8.65 g/ml, p = 0.029), RI-SUVmean (0.77 vs. 0.63, p = 0.011), CEA-pre (6.30 vs. 27.86 μg/L, p

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, We used American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual system to assess the prognostic significance of tumor regression grading (TRG) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) (T3/4 or N+) patients who were treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT). The 4 AJCC-TRG classifications were evaluated on surgical specimens from 295 LARC patients receiving CRT. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were estimated using Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression model. Classifications of TRG 0, 1, 2, and 3 were found in 27.5%, 19.3%, 45.7%, and 7.5% of the resected specimens, respectively. Three-year OS was 95.5% for TRG0, 91.5% for TRG1, 84.8% for TRG2, and 85.7% for TRG3 (P = 0.035). Three-year DFS was 89.0% for TRG0, 74.4% for TRG1, 70.9% for TRG2, and 62% for TRG3 (P = 0.018). By multivariate analysis, AJCC-TRG (P = 0.033), residual lymph node metastasis (ypN+) (P

Background Complete resection of locally advanced sigmoid colon cancer (LASCC) is sometimes difficult. Patients with LASCC have a dismal prognosis and poor quality of life, which has encouraged the evaluation of alternative multimodality treatments. This prospective study aimed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neoCRT) followed by surgery as treatment of selected patients with unresectable LASCC. Methods We studied the patients with unresectable LASCC who received neoCRT followed by surgery between October 2010 and December 2012. The neoadjuvant regimen consisted of external-beam radiotherapy to 50 Gy and capecitabine-based chemotherapy every 3 weeks. Surgery was scheduled 6–8 weeks after radiotherapy. Results Twenty-one patients were included in this study. The median follow-up was 42 months (range, 17–57 months). All patients completed neoCRT and surgery. Resection with microscopically negative margins (R0 resection) was achieved in 20 patients (95.2%). Pathologic complete response was observed in 8 patients (38.1%). Multivisceral resection was necessary in only 7 patients (33.3%). Two patients (9.5%) experienced grade 2 postoperative complications. No patients died within 30 days after surgery. For 18 patients with pathologic M0 (ypM0) disease, the cumulative probability of 3-year local recurrence-free survival, disease-free survival and overall survival was 100.0%, 88.9% and 100.0%, respectively. For all 21 patients, the cumulative probability of 3-year overall survival was 95.2% and bladder function was well preserved. Conclusion For patients with unresectable LASCC, preoperative chemoradiotherapy and surgery can be performed safely and may result in an increased survival rate.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Neoadjuvant therapy (radiotherapy, RT or chemoradiotherapy, CRT) could change status of the invasion and lymph node metastasis of rectal cancer. The risk factors of lymph node metastasis in rectal cancers without neoadjuvant therapy have been well known, but those in rectal cancers treated with preoperative RT or CRT remain unclear. This study was to investigate the risk factors of lymph node metastasis in patients who underwent preoperative RT or CRT for rectal cancers. METHODS Clinical data of 93 patients underwent preoperative RT or CRT followed by total mesorectal exesion (TME) for locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma from August, 2003 to February, 2008 were reviewed. Twelve clinicopathologic factors and treatment-related factors were studied with univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS Univariate analysis showed that post-RT or post-CRT serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, radiation dose, time interval from RT or CRT to TME, concurrent chemotherapy with oxaliplatin-containing regimens, and infiltration extent to bowel wall after RT or CRT (ypT stage) were significantly associated with lymph node status after RT or CRT (ypN stage). Multivariate analysis showed that concurrent chemotherapy with oxaliplatin-containing regimens (r=-0.481, P

Local recurrence remains one of the major causes of failure in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Stereotactic radiosurgery and fractionated stereotactic radiation therapy (FSRT) have recently evolved as a salvage option of NPC. This study was conducted to review the treatment outcome after FSRT for NPC.Between September 1999 and December 2005, 90 patients with persistent (Group 1: n = 34, relapse within 6 months of RT) or recurrent (Group 2: n = 56, relapse beyond 6 months) NPC received FSRT using multiple noncoplanar arcs of 8-MV photon to the target. Median FSRT dose was 18 Gy in three fractions (Group 1) or 48 Gy in six fractions (Group 2). Median follow-up was 20.3 months.Complete response rate after FSRT was 66% for Group 1 and 63% for Group 2. One-, 2-, and 3-year disease-specific survival (DSS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates for all patients were 82.6%, 74.8%, 57.5%, and 72.9%, 60.4%, 54.5%, respectively. Three-year local failure-free survival, DSS, and PFS rates were 89.4%, 80.7%, and 72.3% for Group 1, and 75.1%, 45.9%, and 42.9% for Group 2, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that recurrent disease and large tumor volume were independent factors that predicted poorer DSS and PFS. Seventeen patients developed late complications, including 2 with fatal hemorrhage.Our results indicate that FSRT is effective for patients with persistent and recurrent NPC. Compared with reported results of radiosurgery, FSRT provides satisfactory tumor control and survival with a lower risk of complications and it may be a better treatment for local failures of NPC.

It remains controversial regarding the prognostic significance of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) (T3–4/N+) patients with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neo-CRT). And it is unknown whether CA19-9 can identify patients who may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Overall, 303 LARC patients with neo-CRT between 2004 and 2010 were recruited. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and local recurrence-free survival across pretreatment CA19-9 were estimated by Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression model. In univariate analysis, elevated CA19-9 (>35 U/mL) was significantly correlated with poor OS (P = 0.003), DFS (P = 0.001), and DMFS (P = 0.039). Adjusting for the known covariates, CA19-9 was significantly associated with OS (HR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.03–3.34, P = 0.039) and DFS (HR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.08–2.80, P = 0.024). In the elevated CA19-9 subgroup, patients with adjuvant chemotherapy got much better OS (P 5 ng/mL) got the worst OS (P = 0.021) and DFS (P = 0.006), and significantly benefited from adjuvant chemotherapy in OS (P

Introduction Multimodality therapy, including preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and total mesorectal excision (TME), has effectively reduced local recurrence rates of rectal cancer over the past decade. However, the benefits and risks of the addition of neoadjuvant CRT to surgery need to be evaluated. This study was to compare the efficacy of TME with versus without preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) involving XELOX regimen (oxaliplatin plus capecitabine) in Chinese patients with stages II and III mid/low rectal adenocarcinoma. Methods We randomly assigned patients to the TME group (TME without preoperative CCRT) or CCRT + TME group (TME with preoperative CCRT). The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS); the secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), local and distant recurrence, tumor response to CRT, toxicity, sphincter preservation, and surgical complications. An interim analysis of the potential inferiority of DFS in the CCRT + TME group was planned when the first 180 patients had been followed up for at least 6 months. Results A total of 94 patients in the TME group and 90 patients in the CCRT + TME group were able to be evaluated. The 3-year DFS and OS rates were 86.3 % and 91.5 % in the whole cohort, respectively. The 3-year DFS rates of the TME and CCRT + TME groups were 85.7% and 87.9 % (P = 0.766), respectively, and the 3-year OS rates were 90.7 % and 92.3 % (P = 0.855), respectively. The functional sphincter preservation rates of the TME and CCRT + TME groups were 71.3 % and 70.0 % (P = 0.849), respectively. In the TME group, 16 (17.0 %) patients were proven to have pTNM stage I disease after surgery. In the CCRT + TME group, 32 (35.6 %) patients achieved a pathologic complete response (pCR). Conclusions Preliminary results indicated no significant differences in the DFS, OS, or functional sphincter preservation rates between the TME and CCRT + TME groups. However, preoperative CCRT with XELOX yielded a high pCR rate. Newer techniques are needed to improve the staging accuracy, and further investigation is warranted. Clinical trial registration number Chi CTR-TRC-08000122

The optimal interval between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and surgery has yet to be established. Additionally, it is unknown whether patients with different pathologic stages or chemoradiation responses should undergo different intervals between CRT and surgery. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether this interval has a differential effect on the oncologic outcome of patients with different chemoradiation responses or pathologic stages. We performed a retrospective study of 291 rectal cancer patients who were treated with preoperative chemoradiation and surgery between March 2004 and November 2012. All patients were separated into two groups according to a 7-week treatment interval. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared between patients undergoing intervals that were shorter and longer than 7 weeks in the entire group and in subgroups of ypT0-2N0, ypT3-4N0 and ypT0-4N+. The recurrence patterns were also analysed in all of the subgroups. Multivariate analysis was performed to explore the clinical factors that were significantly associated with DFS, local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival among patients exhibiting ypT3-4N0 and ypT0-4N+. For the ypT0-2N0 patients, the 5-year OS and DFS and the rates of local and distant recurrence were similar between the short and long interval groups. For the patients exhibiting ypT3-4N0, although no significant difference was found in OS or DFS between the short and long interval groups, the rate of local recurrence was higher in the long interval group, which was further confirmed by multivariate analysis. In the patients exhibiting ypT0-4N+, both OS and DFS were lower in the long interval group than in the short interval group. Furthermore, multivariate analysis indicated that the interval was significantly associated with DFS, especially LRFS. The interval between CRT and surgery may exert a differential effect on the prognosis of patients exhibiting different pathologic stages or chemoradiation responses. Therefore, we strongly suggest tailoring the interval between CRT and surgery in locally advanced rectal cancer.

Background The administration of adjuvant chemotherapy for rectal cancer patients with ypN0 is controversial. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in ypN0 patients and to optimize its use for these patients. Methods We performed a retrospective study of 160 rectal cancer patients who had the final pathology of ypN0 between March 2003 and November 2010. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were compared between patients who did and did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis was performed to explore clinical factors significantly associated with DFS, LRFS, and DMFS. Results For ypT0–2N0 patients, the 5-year OS, DFS, LRFS, and DMFS were similar between patients who did and did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy (P > 0.05). For patients with ypT3–4N0, those who were given adjuvant chemotherapy exhibited a higher 5-year OS than those who were not (P = 0.026), with also an extended 5-year DFS (P = 0.050). Further analysis indicated that adjuvant chemotherapy could decrease the rates of distant metastases for ypT3–4N0 patients with no impact on local control. In multivariable analysis, both the final pathological stage and adjuvant chemotherapy were independent predictors of DMFS for the whole group. When stratified by pathological stage, adjuvant chemotherapy was still significantly associated with DMFS in the ypT3–4 stratum. Conclusions Adjuvant chemotherapy may not improve survival for ypT0–2N0 patients. However, it may be clinically meaningful for ypT3–4N0 patients by decreasing rates of distant metastases. Further randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to address this problem.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the value of postoperative chemotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer patients who reached pathological ypT1-4N0 after neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy.We performed a retrospective study of 104 patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by radical resection, who achieved pathological ypT1-4N0, between Mar 2003 and Dec 2010. There were 73 patients who received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, and the other 31 patients did not. The distribution of final pathologic stages for these patients was ypT1-2N0 in 39 cases and ypT3-4N0 in 65 cases.The median follow-up was 41 months. The 3-year overall survival rate (OS) and recurrence-free survival rate (RFS) for the whole group (ypT1-4N0) were 93.4% and 85.3%, respectively. The 3-year OS and RFS in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and non-adjuvant chemotherapy group were 95.5%, 88.6% and 88.6%, 77.2%, respectively. There were no significant differences in 3-year RFS (P = 0.108) and OS (P = 0.106) between the two groups. The 3-year local recurrence and distant metastasis rates in the adjuvant chemotherapy group were 4.1% (3/73) and 5.5% (4/73), while for the non-adjuvant chemotherapy group, the 3-year local recurrence rate and distant metastasis rate were 3.2% (1/31) and 16.1% (5/31), respectively. Significant difference was found in distant metastasis rates (P = 0.030) between the two groups, but not in local recurrence rates (P = 0.676).Further subgroup analysis indicated that for the ypT1-2N0 patients, there were no significant differences in 3-year OS (P = 0.296) and RFS (P = 0.939) between the adjuvant and non-adjuvant chemotherapy groups, while negative results displayed in 3-year local recurrence rates (P = 0.676) and distant metastasis rates (P = 0.414). However, for patients with ypT3-4N0, significant differences were showed in both the 3-year OS (P = 0.034) and RFS (P = 0.025), and further analysis revealed that the 3-year distant metastasis rate was significantly higher in the non-adjuvant chemotherapy group than in the adjuvant chemotherapy group (P = 0.010) , but with non-significant difference in the 3-year local recurrence (P = 0.548).Adjuvant chemotherapy may not improve survival for ypT1-2N0 patients. However, it may be clinically meaningful for ypT3-4N0 patients by decreasing distant metastasis rate. Further randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm our results.

This study investigated the efficacy and tolerability of pre-operative radiotherapy with concurrent capecitabine and oxaliplatin in patients with rectal cancer. Forty-seven patients with rectal adenocarcinoma (stages T3 – T4; node-positive) were enrolled and received radiotherapy (46 Gy in 23 fractions) in combination with capecitabine (1000 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1–14 and 22–35) and oxaliplatin (130 mg/m2 on days 1 and 22) (XELOX regimen). The main endpoints were safety and efficacy, as assessed by pathological complete response (pCR). All patients received pre-operative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) as planned. The most common severe toxicity was diarrhoea (12.8%); post-operative complications were rare (9.8%). The pCR rate was 20.9% in all patients and 34.8% in patients with normal pre-CRT serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA < 5 ng/ml) level, compared with 5.0% in the patients with elevated CEA (> 5 ng/ml). In conclusion, pre-operative radiotherapy with concurrent XELOX regimen in rectal cancer patients is feasible and effective. Serum CEA may be a suitable predictor of pCR.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE X-ray stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is one of the effective treatments for brain metastases (BM). This study was to evaluate the efficacy of SRT on BM, and investigate prognostic factors. METHODS Between July 1999 and December 2004, a total of 122 intracranial lesions in 78 patients with BM were treated using SRT in our Center. Forty-nine patients had a solitary lesion and 29 had multiple (2-6) lesions. The median SRT dose was 15 Gy (11-24 Gy) in single fraction for 38 lesions, and 24 Gy (11-40 Gy) in 2-6 fractions for 84 lesions. SRT was combined with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) of 30-40 Gy for 39 patients. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by the log-rank test and Cox model, respectively. RESULTS The median survival time was 12.9 months (1.7-77.4 months). The 1-year intracranial PFS rate was 87.4%. The 1-and 2-year OS rates were 53.9% and 25.8%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the 1-year OS rates were higher in the patients with pretreatment KPS of >/= 70, extracranial lesions controlled, or SRT combined with WBRT than in those with KPS of < 70 (60.7% vs. 29.4%, P = 0.002), extracranial lesions uncontrolled (69% vs. 44.9%, P = 0.005), or SRT alone (64.1% vs. 43.4%, P = 0.03). The benefit of treating with WBRT in combination was mainly achieved in the patients with extracranial lesions controlled or with more than one intracranial lesion. Multivariate analysis showed that KPS score and status of extracranial lesions were independent prognostic factors for OS. CONCLUSIONS SRT is an effective and safe modality for BM. SRT combined with WBRT may prolong the survival time of the patients with extracranial lesions controlled or multiple intracranial lesions. Independent prognostic factors for OS are KPS score and status of extracranial lesions.

To evaluate the potential reconsideration of curative operative treatment for patients with unresectable stage IIIA (N2) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).From Jan. 1999 to Dec. 2002, 76 patients with unresectable stage IIIA (N2) NSCLC were entered in this study. They had all been proved by chest CT, chest film and fiberobronchoscopy. Twenty-one (27.6%) patients were examined by mediastinoscopy. All the patients received two cycles of chemotherapy with NVB (25 mg/m(2), D1, D5) and carboplatin (300 mg/m(2), D1). All the patients were staged again three weeks after induction chemotherapy. Sixty-four patients who achieved partial response (PR) or complete response (CR) were allowed to undergo surgery. Twelve patients who did not responde to chemotherapy received radiotherapy instead. Of the 64 surgically treated patients, 56 (84.7%) had a complete resection and then received 2 cycles of chemotherapy using the same regime, 8 patients had an incomplete resection and then received radiotherapy for the residual tumor.The median survival for these 76 patients with unresectable stage IIIA (N2) NSCLC treated by either surgery or radiation after induction chemotherapy was 18.6 months with 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rate of 64.2%, 39.4% and 25.6%, respectively. The median survival for the 56 patients with a complete resection was 28.2 months with 1-, 2-, 3-year survival rate of 70.4%, 52.5% and 38.6%, respectively.Preoperative induction chemotherapy with NVB plus carboplatin should be seriously considered for the patients with unresectable stage IIIA (N2) NSCLC, It is suggested that, whenever possible, surgery should be taken as the first choice for the patients who show down-staged benefits that complete resection can be attempted.

Accurate target localization is the essential requirement in the quality control in fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT). This paper is to analyze the magnitude of errors in FSRT for head and neck carcinoma including the errors of CT localization, mechanical isocenter, setup of patients, and CT image.The stereotactic radiotherapy treatment planning system (SRT-TPS), target simulator and head frame were used to check the errors of target localization during each radiation procedure. Five reference points were set randomly; the CT localization error was measured using the target simulator. Seven different mechanical angles of Gantry/Table were selected; the magnitude of isocentric errors of Philips SL-18 linear accelerator were acquired with films. Setup errors were collected by portal films. The image error possibly from CT image artifact was analyzed after scanning a self-made phantom by CT.The CT localization error was(1.5+/-0.4)mm. The maximal error of the mechanical isocenter was (1.0+/-0.6)mm according to the different mechanical gantry/table angles. The distance error of patient setup was (1.0+/-0.3)mm. The maximal total errors estimate was (2.1+/-0.8)mm.The effect of target localization of every procedure should be taken in account in FSRT, the results of the error analysis can be used to determinate the planning target volume in the treatment.

To evaluate the feasibility, toxicity and tumor control of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Fourty-nine patients (Karnofsky performance status (KPS)or= 80) with local-regional recurrence in the nasopharynx were treated with full course IMRT. Three patients with cervical lymph node metastasis (N1 2 and N3 1) were further supplemented with 5 to 6 courses of chemotherapy (Cisplatin + 5-Fu) after IMRT.The results of treatment plan showed that the mean dose of covering gross tumor volume (GTV) (D(95)) in the nasopharynx was 68.09 Gy and the mean volume of GTV (V(95)) receiving the 95% dose was 98.46%. The mean dose of GTV, clinical target volume CTV1 and CTV2 in the targets were 71.40 Gy, 63.63 Gy and 59.81 Gy. The median follow-up time was 9 months (range 3 to 16 months). The local-regional progression-free survival was 100% with local-regional residual disease in 3 (6.1%) cases but was complicated with nasopharyngeal mucosa necrosis in 14 (28.6%) cases after IMRT.Intensity modulated radiation therapy, as a re-treatment option for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, is able to improve the tumor target coverage and spare the adjacent critical structures. As high dose IMRT can result in radio-necrosis of nasopharyngeal mucosa, the prescription dose of GTV should be suitably decreased to 60 - 65 Gy.

Purpose To report our initial experience on the feasibility, toxicity, and tumor control using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for retreatment of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods and materials A total of 49 patients with locoregional recurrent carcinoma in the nasopharynx were treated with IMRT between January 2001 and February 2002 at the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China. The average time to the nasopharyngeal recurrence was 30.2 months after initial conventional RT. The median isocenter dose to the nasopharynx was 70 Gy (range 60.9–78.0) for the initial conventional RT. All patients were restaged at the time of recurrence according to the 1992 Fuzhou, China staging system on NPC. The number of patients with Stage I, II, III and IV disease was 4, 9, 10, and 26, respectively. T1, T2, T3, and T4 disease was found in 4, 9, 11, and 25 patients, respectively. N0, N1, N2, and N3 disease was found in 46, 2, 0, and 1 patient, respectively. Invasion of the nasal cavity, maxillary sinus, ethmoid sinus, sphenoid sinus, and cavernous sinus and erosion of the base of the skull was found in 8, 1, 3, 8, 15, and 20 patients, respectively. The gross tumor volume (GTV) was contoured according to the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) Report 62 guidelines. The critical structures were contoured, and the doses to critical structures were constrained according to ICRU 50 guidelines. The GTV in the nasopharynx and positive lymph nodes in the neck received a prescription dose of 68–70 Gy and 60 Gy, respectively. All patients received full-course IMRT. Three patients who had positive lymph nodes were treated with five to six courses of chemotherapy (cisplatin + 5-fluorouracil) after IMRT. Results The treatment plans showed that the percentage of GTV receiving 95% of the prescribed dose (V 95-GTV ) was 98.5%, and the dose encompassing 95% of GTV (D 95-GTV ) was 68.1 Gy in the nasopharynx. The mean dose to the GTV was 71.4 Gy. The average doses of the surrounding critical structures were much lower than the tolerable thresholds. At a median follow-up of 9 months (range 3–13), the locoregional control rate was 100%. Three cases (6.1%) of locoregional residual disease were seen at the completion of IMRT, but had achieved a complete response at follow-up. Three patients developed metastases at a distant site: two in the bone and one in the liver and lung at 13 months follow-up. Acute toxicity (skin, mucosa, and xerostomia) was acceptable according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group criteria. Tumor necrosis was seen toward the end of IMRT in 14 patients (28.6%). Conclusion The improvement in tumor target coverage and significant sparing of adjacent critical structures allow the feasibility of IMRT as a retreatment option for recurrent NPC after initial conventional RT. This is the first large series using IMRT to reirradiate local recurrent NPC after initial RT failed. The treatment-related toxicity profile was acceptable. The initial tumor response/local control was also very encouraging. In contrast to primary NPC, recurrent NPC reirradiated with high-dose IMRT led to the shedding of tumor necrotic tissue toward the end of RT. More patients and longer term follow-up are warranted to evaluate late toxicity and treatment outcome.