Preliminary results of a phase II study of high-dose radiation therapy and neoadjuvant plus concomitant 5-fluorouracil with CDDP chemotherapy for patients with anal canal cancer: a French cooperative study

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil-mitomycin C) concomitant with radiotherapy (RT) increases local control and colostomy-free survival in advanced anal canal carcinomas (ACC). The purpose of this prospective trial was to analyse the toxicity of and response to an induction chemotherapy combining 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and CDDP administered concomitantly with irradiation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Thirty patients (24 F/6 M, mean age 60, range 38-74) with an advanced ACC > 40 mm and/or with node involvement were prospectively treated (1 T1, 16 T2, 8 T3, 5 T4, 10 N1, 1 N2, 8 N3) from November 1994 to January 1996. Two induction and two concomitant cycles of 5-FU (800 mg/ m2 D1-4 infusion) and CDDP (80 mg/i.v./m2 at D1) were delivered. RT consisted of 45 Gy (1.8 Gy/fr, 5 fr/w) on pelvis +/- inguinal nodes or 30 Gy (3 Gy/fr, 4 fr/w) by direct perineal field. A boost (15-20 Gy) was delivered six weeks later.

RESULTS

TOXICITY

one patient died of a pulmonary embolism on D4. The remaining 29 received the entire treatment, with reduced 5-FU doses in 11 patients because of acute toxicity. The RT boost was delayed for one patient (aplasia). In 109 cycles, 3 grade 4 and 17 grade 3 toxicities were observed; there were no toxic deaths. Tumor response: the complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) rates were, respectively, 11% and 61% after induction chemotherapy, 59% and 31% after concomitant radiochemotherapy and 96% and 0% two months after completion of the treatment. No tumor progression was observed.

CONCLUSION

the treatment was well tolerated and there was good compliance. After induction chemotherapy, most of the patients were in PR, with some even in CR. After completion of the treatment all but one were in CR. The tumor response and the long term results of 50 patients will be analysed before initiation of a randomised trial is considered.

Status of accelerated fractionation radiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Considerable interest has been shown in recent years about hyperfractionated and accelerated radiation therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The first randomized trial showing an advantage for hyperfractionation in terms of tumor control was the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 22791 trial. More recently, accelerated radiotherapy has been tested in many studies showing that high total doses of radiation could be delivered in overall treatment time shorter than conventional radiation therapy. The benefit of accelerated radiation therapy has been reported in some recently completed randomized trials, which suggests that rapid repopulation of surviving tumor cells during radiation therapy is a major determinant to obtain cure in this type of cancer.

Abdominoperineal resection combined with pre- and postoperative radiation therapy in the treatment of low-lying rectal carcinoma

PURPOSE

A series of patients with rectal carcinoma irradiated by a sandwich technique combined with surgery is retrospectively analyzed.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

From 1978 to 1991, 155 patients with low or mid rectal carcinoma received abdominoperineal resection combined with a preoperative irradiation regimen of 35 Gy delivered in 14 fractions of 2.5 Gy each over a period of 3.5 weeks. The dose was increased to 45 Gy in the case of tumor fixation. According to histopathological findings, this irradiation was complemented in 87 cases by a postoperative dose of 25 Gy delivered in 10 fractions, for a total dose of 60 Gy delivered in the posterior pelvis.

RESULTS

Five-year survival was 66.8% for the entire population. The 5-year actuarial local control rate was 77.6%. Carcinologic results and toxicity were analyzed according to the pathological findings and the modalities of radiation therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The postoperative boost after a preoperative moderate dose of irradiation seems to have no utility. Thus, this sandwich technique is not recommended.

Results of a phase II trial of epirubicin and cisplatin (EP) before and after irradiation and 5-fluorouracil in locally advanced pancreatic cancer: an EORTC GITCCG study

The objective of the present study was to define the role of chemotherapy, in the form of the EP regimen, consisting of epirubicin (E) and cisplatin (P) in addition to irradiation in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for treatment of pancreatic cancer. 53 eligible patients with histologically or cytologically proven locally advanced pancreatic cancer were treated with three cycles of E 60 mg/m2 (if this dose was well tolerated then the dose of E was increased by 10 mg/m2 in the next cycle; 80 mg/m2 was the maximum dose for the following cycles) and P 100 mg/m2 once every 3 weeks, followed after 4 weeks by a split course of irradiation of 40 Gy with 5-FU 500 mg/m2 on each of the first 3 days of each 20 Gy treatment segment. This was followed by another three cycles of EP in patients who achieved stable disease (SD) or a better response after the first three cycles. The treatment given with standard anti-emetics was moderately tolerated. The chemotherapy related toxicity consisted mainly of myelosuppression and the chemoradiotherapy related toxicity of gastrointestinal side-effects. However, due to the long duration of treatment which made the whole treatment difficult to endure, only 18/53 (34%) actually completed the full treatment regimen. Responses were evaluated after the first three cycles and 4 weeks after the completion of the treatment by serial CT-scans using standard criteria. The results in 53 evaluable patients after the first three cycles of EP were as follows: 1 patient achieved a clinical complete response (CR), 7 a partial response (PR) (CR + PR: 15%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 11-33%), 36 patients (68%) had stable disease (SD) and 6 patients progressive disease (PD). There was 1 early PD, 1 toxic death and 1 patient could not be evaluated. The response at the end of the treatment was 3 CR, 11 PR (CR + PR: 14/53 (26%); 95% CI: 15-40%), 30 SD and 6 PD. The median time to progression was 8.9 months and the median duration of response 13.1 months. The median survival of all treated patients was 10.8 months (range 7 days to 41.5 months), of responders 15.1 months and, of the patients with SD 10.3 months. These results are comparable to other combined modality regimens reported in the literature for locally advanced disease. The addition of the systemic treatment with E and P offers no additional advantage to combined modality treatment alone.

[Value of endorectal ultrasonography in the treatment of rectal tumors]

OBJECTIVES

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of endosonography and to appreciate its influence on the therapeutic strategy.

METHODS

Sixty-two patients referred to the gastroenterology unit between April 1990 and February 1995 for a rectal tumor. Thirty-two patients did not receive any preoperative treatment (group A) and 30 were treated by radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy before surgery (group B). Transrectal ultrasonography was performed with a Bruel and Kjaer device.

RESULTS

Diagnostic accuracy for parietal infiltration was 84% for the entire series, 94% for group A and 73% for group B. Diagnostic accuracy of lymph node invasion was 71% for the entire series, 81% and 60% for groups A and B, respectively. It is highly probable that a histopathologic down-staging due to preoperative treatment explained the results in the group B. Using a pragmatic approach which combined the results for parietal infiltration and for lymph node invasion, transrectal ultrasonography would have correctly selected 20 among the 25 patients who could have been treated by local excision. The use of this same pragmatic approach in patients with high risk of local recurrence enabled correct selection of 26 among the 32 exposed patients.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that transrectal ultrasonography: 1. is a reliable technique for the pretherapeutic staging of rectal cancer, especially for the assessment of parietal infiltration. Progress is needed for the diagnosis of lymph node invasion; 2. selects well the patients who can be treated by local excision; 3. is a reliable technique for the selection of patients who need preoperative treatment.

[Accelerated radiotherapy: initial results in a series of locally very advanced carcinomas of the upper respiratory and digestive tracts]

From 1992 to 1993, 46 patients with very locally advanced (74% T4) head and neck carcinomas and extensive cervical involvement (82% N2-3) were treated at the Institute Gustave Roussy with a very accelerated radiotherapy regimen: 62 Gy in three weeks with two daily 1.75 Gy fractions. Early mucosal reactions were severe but manageable in this population of patients with frequent alteration of initial performance status. Nearly every patient experienced a grade 3 or 4 (WHO) mucositis and 80% required tube feeding. Follow-up is not sufficient to draw firm conclusion about late reactions but they do not seem different from those induced by conventional radiotherapy. The overall 2-year survival rate of 49.4% and loco-regional control rate of 67% seem superior to the results of conventional radiotherapy for such advanced tumors. These results have led to a multi-center randomized controlled trial comparing this regimen of accelerated radiotherapy with conventional fractionated radiotherapy.

Very accelerated radiation therapy: preliminary results in locally unresectable head and neck carcinomas

PURPOSE

To report preliminary results of a very accelerated radiation therapy Phase I/II trial in locally advanced head and squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Between 01/92 and 06/93, 35 patients with an unresectable HNSCC were entered in this study. Thirty-two (91%) had Stage IV, and 3 had Stage III disease. The mean nodal diameter, in patients with clinically involved nodes (83%), was 6.3 cm. The median Karnovsky performance status was 70. The treatment consisted of a twice daily schedule (BID) giving 62 Gy in 20 days.

RESULTS

In all cases, confluent mucositis was observed, which started about day 15 and resolved within 6 to 10 weeks. Eighty percent of patients had enteral nutritional support. The nasogastric tube or gastrostomy was maintained in these patients for a mean duration of 51.8 days. Eighteen patients (53%) were hospitalized during the course of treatment due to a poor medical status or because they lived far from the center (mean 25 days). Nineteen patients (56%) (some of whom were initially in-patients) were hospitalized posttreatment for toxicity (mean 13 days). Five patients (15%) were never hospitalized. During the follow-up period, 12 local and/or regional failures were observed. The actuarial 18-month loco-regional control rate was 59% (95% confidence interval, 45-73%).

CONCLUSIONS

The dramatic shortening of radiation therapy compared to conventional schedules in our series of very advanced HNSCC resulted in: (a) severe acute mucosal toxicity, which was manageable but required intensive nutritional support in all cases; and (b) high loco-regional response rates, strongly suggesting that the time factor is likely to be critical for tumor control in this type of cancer.

Lymph node prognostic factors in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

BACKGROUND

This retrospective study included 914 patients who underwent a lymph node dissection at our institute between 1980 and 1985. The primary tumor sites were oral cavity, 287; hypopharynx, 249; larynx, 247; and oropharynx, 131.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

On the basis of anatomic considerations, the sentinel nodes for well-lateralized oral cavity tumors were defined as homolateral levels I, II, and III; for oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, and laryngeal tumors, the sentinel nodes were defined as levels II and III. We took into account the ipsilateral side of the neck for well-lateralized tumors, and both sides for medium or large tumors. For clinically positive nodes of more than 3 cm, a radical neck dissection was performed. Other patients underwent a selective neck dissection on sentinel nodes, with immediate pathologic evaluation. Modified radical neck dissections with contralateral selective dissection were performed when frozen sections were positive. Patients with positive nodes were given postoperative radiotherapy.

RESULTS

The prognostic factors studied, using the Cox survival model adjusted on the primary tumor site, surprisingly showed a nonsignificant value for extracapsular spread (P = 0.09), and a significant value for the number of positive nodes (P < 0.001) and for the positive node in or out of the sentinel node sites (P < 0.001). Although the node location factor can be used instead of positive node in or out of the sentinel node site, it has a less significant prognostic value.

CONCLUSIONS

The most significant prognostic factors are the site of the positive node in or out of the sentinel node and the number of positive nodes; and a more accurate approach can be obtained by combining both factors. Node location in the upper or lower neck remains a substitute prognostic factor for the site of the positive node in or out of the sentinel node.

Sarcomas of nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses: chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma and fibrosarcoma

Forty-two patients were treated for sarcoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses at the Institut Gustave Roussy, Paris, between 1960 and 1993. Twelve patients had chondrosarcoma (CS), 14 had osteosarcoma (OS) and 16 had fibrosarcoma (FS). Ten patients had grade I, six grade II and 26 grade III tumours. All but 10 patients had surgery for the primary tumour. A significantly increased risk of local failure was associated with the male sex (p < 0.01), grade III tumours (p < 0.02) and patients excluded from surgery (p < 0.04). The overall incidence of local and distant failure was 76 and 12 per cent respectively. Overall survival was 28 per cent at three years and 23 per cent at five years. Eight patients (20 per cent) were alive more than 10 years later. The factors significantly influencing survival were sex (p < 0.01), grade (p < 0.05) and local failure (p < 0.01).

Accelerated radiation therapy in the treatment of very advanced and inoperable head and neck cancers

PURPOSE

A Phase II trial testing a continuous and accelerated regimen of radiotherapy in very advanced head and neck cancers.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

From 1988 to 1990, 47 patients with very advanced and inoperable tumors (38/47 T4) of the oral cavity and the oropharynx were submitted to a continuous and accelerated regimen of hyperfractionated radiation therapy: three daily fractions of 0.9 Gy were delivered 5 days-a-week, up to the 70 Gy total dose, reducing the overall treatment time to 5.5 weeks.

RESULTS

Immediate tolerance was good: only 56% of the patients experienced a Grade 3 mucositis, and the mean weight loss was 2 kg. The 2-year survival rate was 24.6%. The 2-year local control rate was 42.6%, which compares favorably with the 20% local control rate obtained in a historical control group of patients treated with another hyperfractionated regimen between 1978 and 1986. Mid- and long-term tolerance were excellent, no late complication or sequellae were observed which was also quite different from our previous experience.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest an improvement of the local control and the therapeutic ratio with acceleration of radiotherapy in head and neck cancers.

Tumor oxygenation after 1) carbogen and/or perflubron emulsion administration in tumor xenografts 2) carbogen administration in patients

This study examines the changes in tumor pO2 distribution assessed by polarography (KIMOC 6650, Eppendorf) in 1) two human tumor xenografts after carbogen inhalation with or without a perflubron (perfluorooctylbromide) emulsion (Oxygent, Alliance Pharmaceutical corp.) and in 2) human head and neck carcinomas after carbogen inhalation. Mice bearing HRT18 or NA11+ tumors were restrained and their body temperature was kept constant. Perflubron emulsion (4 ml/kg) was injected i.v. in the mice. In patients, oxygenation of the head and neck metastatic lymph nodes was assessed before and/or during carbogen exposure. The distribution of pO2 values shifted upwards during carbogen exposure in both animals and patients while the proportion of low pO2 values decreased. The maximal effect was obtained with patients after 1 to 6 minutes of carbogen exposure, but 4 patients still maintained very low pO2s. Carbogen plus 4 ml/kg perflubron emulsion was more efficient than carbogen alone for increasing hypoxic tumor pO2 in animals. If the animals data could be extrapolated to humans, then the effect of carbogen on tumor oxygenation should be increased by perflubron emulsion administration.

Changes in the oxygenation of head and neck tumors during carbogen breathing

The oxygenation of head and neck tumors and changes during carbogen breathing were assessed in 20 patients. The median oxygen tension (pO2) for each patient was lower in tumors before breathing carbogen than in normal tissues. The median pooled pO2 of all the tumors was 20 mmHg; for normal tissue it was 60 mmHg. Low values (below 10 mmHg) were found in 4 patients for the normal tissue and in 18 patients for tumors. During carbogen breathing, the median (61 mmHg) pO2 readings for all tumors was higher than that recorded before carbogen breathing. The frequency of low (< 10 mmHg) pO2 values decreased with carbogen breathing in 11 patients; only 4 patients still exhibited very low values (< 2 mmHg). Maximal effect was obtained within 1-6 min of gas exposure. The pO2 stayed high under carbogen breathing in 15 out of 16 patients. Return to pre-carbogen levels of oxygenation occurred in 1 min after the end of gas exposure. These data suggest that carbogen breathing increases tumor oxygenation as assessed by polarography. The breathing time appears to be important for therapeutical use and should to be taken into consideration.

Oxygenation of head and neck tumors

BACKGROUND

Tumor hypoxia could play a role in the response to radiation therapy. Few data are available on oxygen tension (pO2) measurements in head and neck tumors.

METHODS

The KIMOC-6650 Histograph (Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany) was used to measure the oxygenation status of normal tissues and head and neck tumors in 20 patients.

RESULTS

The median pO2 for normal tissues was 43 mmHg with very low pO2 values (2.0 mmHg or less) recorded in two patients. Low median pO2 levels (10 mmHg or less) were recorded in 2 of 5 primary tumors and in 11 of 15 metastatic lymphadenopathies, with very low values in 11 nodes. The median pO2 in tumors was lower than that of normal tissues in 12 of 15 patients with comparative measurements. Oxygen tension was recorded in three nodes after an evaluation of tissue density (by computed tomographic scanner); in two nodes, the mean and median pO2 values were lower in the hypodense areas than in isodense areas. The data for N2 and N3 nodes showed significantly more values below 2.0 mmHg as nodal size increased (P < 10(-4), by chi-square test). No systematic decrease in pO2 was recorded from the periphery to the center of the tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

Very low pO2 values, corresponding to radiobiologic hypoxia, were found in most of these tumors. The prognostic value of these pO2 measurements in regard to treatment response remains to be demonstrated.

Salvage surgery by composite resection for epidermoid carcinoma of the tonsillar region

Radiation therapy has usually been used as the primary treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior aspect of the oral cavity and the lateral aspect of the oropharyngeal walls. However, local failure occurs in a certain number of cases, depending on the initial tumor stage. One hundred thirty-four composite resections (transmaxillary buccopharyngectomies) have been performed as a salvage treatment at the Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif, France, from January 1, 1976, through December 31, 1985, for local failure of epidermoid carcinomas treated initially by radiotherapy. Average time between primary irradiation and salvage surgery was 18 months. Most of the patients underwent some kind of supraomohyoid neck dissection. A myocutaneous flap was used in 18% of cases, which significantly reduced the rate of local complications. The nasogastric tube and the tracheostomy cannula were removed after a median delay of 23 days and 24 days, respectively. Early postoperative local complications occurred in 45% of cases; most of them were minor. A new locoregional recurrence occurred in approximately half of the patients and was usually fatal. Overall survival after salvage surgery was 34% at 3 years and 23% at 5 years. The only statistically significant prognostic factor was the adequacy of surgical margins.

[Choroid metastasis in a case of urothelial carcinoma metastatic from the bladder]

A 40 year old male, presented with a left choroidal metastases, 2 month after a radical cystectomy for an infiltrating transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. This localisation was associated with disseminated metastasis which failed to respond to chemotherapy. The patient died within one month. The review of the literature confirms the poor prognosis of choroidal metastases in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

Radiation therapy for head and neck cancers in the elderly

Three hundred and thirty-one patients, aged more than 70 years, were treated for an upper aerodigestive tract carcinoma from 1978 to 1983. Larynx accounted for 28% of the primary sites, oropharynx for 27%, and the oral cavity for 16%. One-third of these patients had a contraindication to anesthesia. The treatment was consistent with our protocols in only half of the cases. Fifty-nine patients underwent a radiosurgical combination; 249 underwent an exclusive irradiation with a curative intent. Fifty-four patients underwent a palliative irradiation, which lead up to a "curative dose" in half of the cases. The immediate and long-term tolerance of the irradiation was good. The local control was 71% for patients treated with a curative intent and 19% for the palliatively irradiated patients. Five-year survival of the population was 33%. No significant relationship between age, general status, and the carcinologic outcome could be observed.

Osteoradionecrosis of the mandible: study of 104 cases treated by hemimandibulectomy

One hundred and four cases of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of the mandible following irradiation of head and neck cancer are reported. Conservative management for ORN failed in all cases. Indications of hemimandibulectomy included intractable pain, severe trismus, pathological fracture, oro-cutaneous fistula and persistent exposure of bone. Surgical approach was intra-oral in 100 cases and extra-oral in four. Immediate soft tissue reconstructions were carried out in 20 per cent cases. Post-operative complications included minor sepsis (8.6 per cent), major sepsis (2.9 per cent), haemorrhage (2.9 per cent) and fistula (3.8 per cent). Major complications occurred only in patients treated exclusively by external irradiation at doses equal to or higher than 65 Gy. Relief from pain and trismus was obtained and normal swallowing was established following radical surgery.

External irradiation plus curietherapy boost in 108 base of tongue carcinomas

From 1960 to 1983, 108 patients underwent an association cobaltherapy plus curietherapy boost for a base of tongue carcinoma. This group included 18 T1 tumors, 39 T2, and 51 T3. Cobaltherapy was delivered to a dose of 45 Gy/4.5 weeks to the primary site and the neck. It was completed by an electron boost or a nodal surgery in case of initial nodal disease. Two techniques of Curietherapy were used: plastic tubes and guide-gutters. As most of these implants have been done before 1975, all the doses have been recalculated on the 85% isodose according to the Paris system. They varied from 22 to 88 Gy. The tolerance of the implantation was excellent. Five-year survival of the whole group is 26%. The local control rate is 85% for T1 tumors, 50% for T2, and 69% for T3. Despite the importance of cumulated doses, a few necrosis were observed. Considering the poor outlook of this cancer, its treatment by exclusive radiotherapy requires very high doses which can only be delivered without major sequellae or complication by a combination of cobaltherapy and curietherapy boost.

Radiation therapy in the treatment of early glottic carcinoma: the experience of Villejuif

A retrospective analysis of 197 early glottic carcinoma treated with small field irradiation to a dose of 65 Gy is presented. The 5-year survival rate was 77.3%. Thirty-eight local failures have been observed, and the 5-year local control rate was 85.7%. Suspicion of extra glottic extension was the main prognostic factor. Final local control rate, taking into account the salvage treatment, was 90% at 5 years. Excellent functional results were observed.

Exclusive radiation therapy: the treatment of early tonsillar tumors

One hundred and ninety-three T1 or T2 tumors of the tonsillar region have been treated by exclusive external irradiation between 1970 and 1982. Seventy-five percent of these tumors were classified as T2. There was no relationship between T and N stages. The nodal involvement was essentially linked to the macroscopic appearance of the tumor (superficial or nodular) and to the histology. The 5-year survival rate of the whole population was 58%. N stage and macroscopic appearance only influenced the survival. The local control was 88% for T1, 79% for T2. The main prognostic factors for local control were the histological type, with a 93% local control rate for poorly differentiated tumors versus 73% for well differentiated ones, and the macroscopic appearance, with a 83% local control rate for nodular tumors versus 75% for superficial ones. Superficial tumors spreading forward the anterior pilar have a higher local failure rate. All the patients' charts have been reviewed, and we observed a high percentage of marginal recurrences. The technique of irradiation, above all in case of a superficial tumor, must take into account the possibility of "geographic miss" and keep large safety margins.

Limited small cell lung cancer treated by combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy: evaluation of a grading system of lung fibrosis

A grading system of radiological fibrosis was defined and applied by four observers for the reading of 218 posterior-anterior chest X-rays of 78 patients. These patients with limited small cell lung cancer were treated from May 1980 to July 1983 in two consecutive alternating radiotherapy-chemotherapy schedules. Chest X-rays performed at each 6-month interval were read by each observer. A second reading was performed the day after. The analysis of results showed that in spite of some systematic variations in intra- and inter-observations, the proposed grading system had a good reproducibility. The radiological lung fibrosis score progressed between 6 and 12 months but was stable after one year of follow-up. There was no difference in the score of lung fibrosis between the two protocols which delivered a total dose of 45 and 55 Gy to the mediastinum. There was no significant correlation between the radiological changes and clinical symptoms.