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Aims and background Metastatic prostate carcinoma commonly involves bones and extrapelvic lymph nodes, with occasional visceral deposits. Central nervous system involvement is unusual and particularly the occurrence of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is extremely rare, with few cases described in the medical literature. The clinical presentation is characterized by multifocal neurological deficit and the prognosis is generally dismal, with survival ranging between 3 and 6 months. We report on a patient affected by LM due to prostate cancer who was treated with a combined-modality approach consisting of sequential chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Methods A 70-year-old man was referred to our group for cognitive mental disorder, left-sided frontal headache and nausea; the patient had a previous history of metastatic prostate cancer. LM was diagnosed neuroradiologically with brain MRI and evidence of a detectable level of PSA in the cerebrospinal fluid. He was treated with docetaxel and prednisone for 3 cycles followed by external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to the whole brain to a total dose of 30 Gy in 10 fractions with a simultaneous integrated boost to the macroscopic disease (total dose of 35 Gy in 10 fractions). No acute toxicity was observed. Results A substantial clinical response was obtained after EBRT with neurological improvement and radiologically stable disease at post-treatment imaging until 10 weeks after radiation. The patient died of sudden general condition deterioration 3 months after EBRT. Conclusion Since LM derived from prostate cancer is likely to become a more common clinical event, such patients would need to be included in clinical trials evaluating new therapeutic approaches, considering that the current treatment strategies have been shown to be rather ineffective.

Aims and background The TomoTherapy Hi-Art II system is able to deliver dynamic intensity-modulated radiation therapy within a helical geometry providing robust conformality and modulation, abrupt dose falloff, and reliable accuracy. A new upgrade named TomoDirect was introduced recently, allowing delivery of radiation at discrete angles with a fixed gantry. We present our preliminary clinical experience with TomoDirect. Methods Three specific clinical contexts were chosen for the implementation of TomoDirect, namely palliation of bone metastasis pain (BP), whole brain radiation therapy for intracranial secondary lesions (WBRT), and adjuvant whole breast radiation therapy after conservative surgery for early stage breast cancer (AWBRT). After appropriate positioning, planning CT, contouring, and plan generation, all patients were treated with the TomoDirect upgrade of the TomoTherapy Hi-Art II system with different doses and fractionation according to clinical decision-making. Results Between May and December 2010, 41 patients were treated with TomoDirect. Eighteen patients were treated for BP (mainly vertebral metastases) with a predominant posterior field arrangement. Seven patients were treated for WBRT (multiple brain lesions) with a parallel-opposed latero-lateral approach and 16 patients were treated for conventionally fractionated AWBRT mainly with a 2-field tangential approach. Radiation treatments were generally well tolerated and the acute toxicity was mild. Conclusions While helical tomotherapy allows the delivery of very sophisticated treatment plans, in certain anatomical sites and clinical contexts where the number of beam directions is constrained and supposed not to affect plan quality, TomoDirect might be an efficient means to deliver radiation at static angles with consistent dosimetric and clinical results.

The current standard therapeutic option for early stage breast cancer (EBC) employs a multimodality treatment approach including conservative surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. The most common adjuvant radiotherapeutic strategy consists of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) delivered to the whole breast using 1.8-2 Gy fractions given five times a week, up to a total dose of 45-50 Gy over a period of 5 weeks. In recent years, altered schedules employing larger dose per fraction delivered in fewer treatment sessions over a shorter overall treatment time began to be explored. We herein present clinical data on accelerated hypofractionated adjuvant whole-breast radiotherapy delivered on a daily basis for a total treatment time of 20 fractions. Between February 2005 and June 2009, a total of 463 patients underwent hypofractionated accelerated adjuvant radiation after conservative surgery for early breast cancer (pathological stage pTis, pT1 or pT2, pN0-N1). The basic course of radiotherapy consisted of 45 Gy, to the whole breast in 20 fractions with 2.25 Gy/fraction; an additional daily boost dose of 0.25 Gy was concomitantly delivered, to the lumpectomy cavity, for an additional total dose of 5 Gy. The cumulative nominal dose was 50 Gy. At follow-up, patients were examined at 3 and 6 months after the end of radiotherapy and twice a year afterward. Toxicity was scored according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group /European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer toxicity scale. Cosmetic results were assessed in agreement with the Harvard criteria. All the 463 patients treated with the accelerated hypofractionated adjuvant whole-breast radiotherapy schedule achieved at least 6 months' follow-up and subsequently were considered for the present analysis. With a median follow-up of 27 months, 5-year DFS is 93.1%. Only three patients experienced disease recurrence: two of them with an axillary nodal relapse; one patient with systemic spread. No local relapse occurred. No major toxicities (grade 3 or more) were detected during follow-up. Only 2% of the patients experienced grade 3 skin toxicity at the very end of the radiotherapy course. Cosmetic result was assessed and scored at 6 months, 1 year, 2 years: 100% of patients showed excellent or good cosmetic result. The explored accelerated hypofractionated adjuvant radiotherapeutic approach for early breast cancer with concomitant photon boost seems to be feasible providing consistent clinical results with excellent short-to-medium-term toxicity profile.

The authors report the results of a census among the Piedmont region radiation therapy departments during the period 1980-1991 concerning non antineoplastic radiotherapy. Eight out of eleven centers respond to the questionnaire. During the period considered 36,480 patients were treated, with an annual mean of 4056; the number of treated patients varies from 1.2% to over 71.3% in the different centers when compared to the number of neoplastic patients. Arthrosis, osseous angioma, cheloides and verruca were the most treated diseases. Plesioroentgentherapy and roentgentherapy were normally employed; telecesium and telecobalt therapy were also used; only two centers used electron beams or brachytherapy. The doses of radiotherapy were not uniform; also patients' information and follow-up criteria were quite different in the various centers. The authors conclude with a guidelines for future radiotherapy in benign diseases.

Aims and background Adult sarcomas of the head and neck region (HNSs) are considered a rare clinicopathological entity. They account for only 2–15% of all adult sarcomas and for less than 1% of all head and neck malignancies. The preferred initial treatment option is wide surgical excision. Whenever surgery is considered infeasible, a frontline combined-modality approach including radiotherapy and chemotherapy might be proposed. We here report on a case of localized sarcoma of the maxillary sinus treated with induction chemotherapy and subsequent intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), achieving a persistent complete remission status. Methods A 66-year-old man was referred to our institution hospital for left-sided facial pain with swollen left cheek and ipsilateral facial palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass within the left maxillary sinus extending to the orbital floor and adjacent alveolar bones. Histological examination of the biopsy specimen demonstrated a myxofibrosarcoma. The patient underwent induction chemotherapy with gemcitabine 900 mg/m2 (days 1–8) and taxotere 80 mg/m2 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles and sequential simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) IMRT up to a total dose of 70 Gy/35 fractions to the macroscopic disease with 59.5 Gy/35 fractions to the level IB-II lymph nodes in the left neck. Results Treatment was well tolerated with mild acute toxicity. Complete remission was achieved at restaging MRI 6 months after the end of the combined modality approach. The patient remains in complete, unmaintained clinical and instrumental complete remission 18 months after treatment, with no late side effects. Conclusion Combination therapy with induction chemotherapy and sequential SIB-IMRT could therefore be a promising modality for head and neck sarcomas, allowing for simultaneous tumor control and normal tissue sparing.

Metastatic involvement of the penis is rare. About 80% of secondary lesions originate from pelvic primary tumors, mainly bladder and prostate. We present a case of prostatic mucinous adenocarcinoma with penile metastasis symptomatic for pain, which was treated with external-beam radiation (35 Gy/14 fractions; 2.5 Gy daily) combined with androgen deprivation, resulting in complete pain relief and objective response after treatment.