Concomitant Chemotherapy and External Radiotherapy plus Brachytherapy for Locally Advanced Esophageal Cancer Results of a Retrospective Multicenter Study

Aims and Background

In October 1995, the Piedmont AIRO (Italian Society of Radiation Oncology) Group started a multi-institutional study of radiochemotherapy on locally advanced esophageal cancer, characterized by external radiotherapy followed by an intraluminal high dose-rate brachytherapy boost. Most patients were re-evaluated for surgery at the end of the program. The primary aim of the study was to assess efficacy of curative radiochemotherapy regarding overall survival and local control rates. The secondary aim was to evaluate the ability of radiochemotherapy to make resectable lesions previously considered inoperable.

Methods and Study Design

Between January 1996 and March 2000, 75 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer were enrolled. All were treated with definitive radiotherapy; due to age or high expected toxicity, chemotherapy was employed only in 53 of them. Treatment schedule consisted of 60 Gy external radiotherapy (180 cGy/d, 5 days/week for 7 weeks) concomitant with two 5-day cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin and fluorouracil (weeks 1 and 5). One or two sessions of 5-7 Gy intraluminal high dose-rate brachytherapy were carried out on patients whose restaging showed a major tumor response. Surgery was performed in 14 patients.

Results

At the end of radiotherapy, dysphagia disappeared in 46/75 cases (61%), and in 20/75 (27%) a significant symptom reduction was recorded. Complete objective response at restaging after radiotherapy was obtained in 33% of patients and a partial response in 53%. At the end of the multimodal treatment program, including esophagectomy, complete responses were 34 (45%); 4 of 14 (28.5%) cases proved to be disease free (pTO) at pathological examination. No G3-G4 toxicity was recorded. Two- and 5-year overall survival rates of all patients were, respectively, 38% and 28%; 2- and 5-year local control rates were, respectively, 35% and 33%. In a subgroup of 20 nonsurgical patients in complete response after radiochemotherapy, the overall survival rate at 3 and 5 years was 65% and the local control rate at 3 and 5 years was 75%. According to multivariate analysis, prognostic factors for survival were Karnofsky index and esophagectomy.

Conclusions

For patients with locally advanced disease, radiochemotherapy showed improved clinical and pathologic tumor response and survival compared to surgery or radiotherapy alone. Intraluminal brachytherapy with a small fraction size allows an increased dose to the tumor without higher toxicity. Esophagectomy following radiochemotherapy could improve survival rates compared to definitive radiochemotherapy, but it is necessary to optimize selection criteria for surgery at the re-evaluation phase.

Combined Chemo-Radiotherapy for Stage IV Undifferentiated Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a chemosensitive lesion, but its role in the management of local advanced disease is under investigation. Twenty-seven untreated stage IV undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were treated with radiotherapy (median dose, 66.6 Gy, 1.8 Gy/day) and concomitant cisplatin (100 mg/m2 days 1, 22 and 43). After 4 weeks, patients received, every 4 weeks, 3 cycles with cisplatin (80 mg/m2 day 1) + 5-fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2/day continuous infusion for 96 h). After radiotherapy, we observed 74% complete responses and 26% partial responses; after adjuvant chemotherapy 96% had a complete and 4% a partial response. After a median follow-up of 36 months, 81% of the patients were alive (70% with no evidence of disease). Four-year overall and disease-free survival was 70% and 60%, respectively. Concomitant chemotherapy plus radiotherapy was well tolerated, whereas adjuvant chemotherapy was more toxic. Long-term results were significantly better than those observed with radiotherapy alone.

Stage III-IV Sinonasal and Nasal Cavity Carcinoma Treated with Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy

Aims and Background

To report the dosimetric data and clinical outcomes of patients with advanced neoplasm of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity, treated by three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy.

Methods

Between 2000 and 2005, 31 consecutive patients were treated for locally advanced tumors of paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity. The primary tumor was located as follows: maxillary sinus 15 (48.4%); ethmoid sinus 10 (32.3%); nasal cavity 6 (19.3%). The patients were separated in two groups according to the modality of treatment: group Aincluded 21 patients treated with postoperative three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy; group B included 10 patients treated with radical three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. The median radiation dose to the planning target volume was 60 Gy (range, 56–63) for patients who underwent complete surgical resection and 68 Gy (range, 64–70) for those who did not have tumor resection or patients with residual disease.

Results

The median follow-up was 42 months. Five-year local tumor control and overall survival actuarial rates were 74% and 72%, respectively, in the postoperative setting, 20% and 25%, respectively, with the primary radiotherapy. Local recurrence was the most common site of failure. No patient developed radio-induced blindness; 4 patients underwent enucleation as part of radical surgery. Dosimetric data are reported.

Conclusions

The local control rate for these tumors remains low. The prognosis depends on localization, tumor stage and treatment modality. Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy reduces the risk on optical pathways but does not modify outcome.

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy in the conservative treatment of carcinoma of the anal canal: survival and late morbidity in a series of 25 patients

Combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy have been reported to produce a high incidence of complete regression of epithelial cancer of the anal canal. Our group has treated 25 patients since June 1986. Treatment included chemotherapy (first period: Mitomycin C + 5-Fluorouracil; second period: Carboplatin + 5-Fluorouracil) and simultaneous whole-pelvis irradiation (50.40 Gy). Our results confirm that radiochemotherapy can achieve good local control: all patients were in complete clinical remission three months after the completion of combined therapy. Seven, patients developed recurrences; the actuarial survival rate was 78.5% and the disease free survival rate 67%. Acute toxicity was tolerable, but a relatively high number of patients exhibited chronic treatment-related symptoms. In order to reduce late side effects, other studies are necessary to explore if, in patients with small tumors, less extensive locoregional treatment can be effective without reducing the survival rate.