Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0677930 (primary tumor)
 20,210 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

From 1976 to 1987, 98 patients affected with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were observed at the Oncology Center, Trento, Italy. Eighty of them were treated with radical radiation therapy (average total dose: 6432 Gy, range: 5500-7400 Gy) on primary tumor and positive neck nodes. The clinically negative neck received 5000 Gy. Each dose ranged from 180 to 250 Gy. Fifty-nine patients were treated with the split-course technique with an interval of about 15 days after receiving 4000 cGy. The patients were 60 males and 20 females, their age ranging 17-81 years (mean: 57 years). Histology diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma in 15 cases and undifferentiated carcinoma in 65 cases. All patients were staged according to TNM (UICC, 1978) criteria. Ten patients were stage I/II. Complete local control was obtained in 81.3% of cases. Actuarial global survival at 10 years was 52%, actuarial relapse-free survival was 49%. Mean follow-up is 33 months (range: 4-122 months). Squamous cell carcinoma at histology and advanced nodal involvement (N2-N3) were negative prognostic factors. Six patients had a relapse in the nasopharynx and 5 in the neck; the incidence of distant failures was 20%. The most frequent mid-/long-term side-effect was xerostomia.
 ...
PMID:[Radical radiation therapy of carcinoma of the rhinopharynx: analysis of 80 cases]. 228 Nov 76

From 1970 to 1984, 127 patients with T1 or T2 carcinomas of the oropharynx were treated with external irradiation to the primary tumor and neck nodes to a dose of 45 Gy, followed by a further 30 Gy delivered by an iridium 192 implant to the primary tumor. Patients with clinically positive nodes had either further neck irradiation using electrons or a neck dissection. Crude 5-year disease-free survival was 66% for tonsillar carcinomas, 43% for soft palate, and 51% for base of tongue. Local control was 98%, 85%, and 76%, respectively. Regional control was 97% for N0 patients and 88% for N1-3. Soft tissue ulceration occurred in 17 patients; all healed spontaneously. The high rate of local control achieved in these patients while preserving function and minimizing xerostomia supports the use of this approach.
 ...
PMID:Iridium 192 implantation of squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx. 268 25

Planning terminal care for patients with malignant neoplasms is difficult, in part, because accurate measures of prognosis have not been defined. Using data from the National Hospice Study, we examined the correlation of 14 easily assessable clinical symptoms with survival in patients with terminal cancer. Performance status was the most important clinical factor in estimating survival time, but five other symptoms had independent predictive value as well (shortness of breath, problems eating or anorexia, trouble swallowing, dry mouth, and weight loss). We generated four parametric accelerated time survival models to estimate survival in patients with combinations of these symptoms and validated the log-normal model on the entire data set. This model was unaffected by patient age, sex, primary tumor type, or site. Our findings illustrate the value of biologically "soft" clinical data in predicting survival in patients with terminal cancer. The prevalence of similar symptoms among patients with cancer of various primary and metastatic sites also supports the concept of a common final clinical pathway in patients with advanced malignant neoplasms.
 ...
PMID:Clinical symptoms and length of survival in patients with terminal cancer. 338 3

The Lambert-Eaton syndrome is an autoimmune disease affecting the presynapse of the neuromuscular junction. Proximal muscle fatigue of the limbs is improved by repeated maximal voluntary contractions. Generally, patients present hypo or areflexia and frequently a dry mouth syndrome. In 50% of the cases, the Lambert-Eaton syndrome is associated with small-cell bronchogenic carcinoma. The different treatments proposed in the literature for Lambert-Eaton paraneoplastic syndrome focus on treatment of the primary tumor. Symptomatic treatment of the junctional disorder are based on cholinergic drugs, immunosuppression and immunomodulation, useful in case of unsuccessful antineoplastic therapy.
 ...
PMID:[Treatment of the paraneoplastic Lambert-Eaton syndrome]. 976 89

We studied target volume coverage and normal tissue sparing of serial tomotherapy intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and fixed-field IMRT for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), as compared with those of conventional beam arrangements. Twelve patients with NPC (T2-4N1-3M0) at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology underwent computed tomography simulation. Images were then transferred to a virtual simulation workstation computer for target contouring. Target gross tumor volumes (GTV) were primary nasopharyngeal tumor (GTV(NP)) with a prescription of 70 Gy, grossly enlarged cervical nodes (GTV(LN)) with a prescription of 70 Gy, and the uninvolved cervical lymphatics [designated as the clinical tumor volume (CTV)] with a prescription of 60 Gy. Critical organs, including the parotid gland, spinal cord, brain stem, mandible, and pituitary gland, were also delineated. Conventional beam arrangements were designed following the guidelines of Intergroup (SWOG, RTOG, ECOG) NPC Study 0099 in which the dose was prescribed to the central axis and the target volumes were aimed to receive the prescribed dose +/- 10%. Similar dosimetric criteria were used to assess the target volume coverage capability of IMRT. Serial tomotherapy IMRT was planned using a 0.86-cm wide multivane collimator, while a dynamic multileaf collimator system with five equally spaced fixed gantry angles was designated for fixed-beam IMRT. The fractional volume of each critical organ that received a certain predefined threshold dose was obtained from dose-volume histograms of each organ in either the three-dimensional or IMRT treatment planning computer systems. Statistical analysis (paired t-test) was used to examine statistical significance. We found that serial tomotherapy achieved similar target volume coverage as conventional techniques (97.8 +/- 2.3% vs. 98.9 +/- 1.3%). The static-field IMRT technique (five equally spaced fields) was inferior, with 92.1 +/- 8.6% fractional GTV(NP) receiving 70 Gy +/- 10% dose (P < 0.05). However, GTV(LN) coverage of 70 Gy was significantly better with both IMRT techniques (96.1 +/- 3.2%, 87.7 +/- 10.6%, and 42.2 +/- 21% for tomotherapy, fixed-field IMRT, and conventional therapy, respectively). CTV coverage of 60 Gy was also significantly better with the IMRT techniques. Parotid gland sparing was quantified by evaluating the fractional volume of parotid gland receiving more than 30 Gy; 66.6 +/- 15%, 48.3 +/- 4%, and 93 +/- 10% of the parotid volume received more than 30 Gy using tomotherapy, fixed-field IMRT, and conventional therapy, respectively (P < 0.05). Fixed-field IMRT technique had the best parotid-sparing effect despite less desirable target coverage. The pituitary gland, mandible, spinal cord, and brain stem were also better spared by both IMRT techniques. These encouraging dosimetric results substantiate the theoretical advantage of inverse-planning IMRT in the management of NPC. We showed that target coverage of the primary tumor was maintained and nodal coverage was improved, as compared with conventional beam arrangements. The ability of IMRT to spare the parotid glands is exciting, and a prospective clinical study is currently underway at our institution to address the optimal parotid dose-volume needs to be spared to prevent xerostomia and to improve the quality of life in patients with NPC.
 ...
PMID:Comparison of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment techniques for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. 1129 Oct 96

The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional benefit of parotid-sparing irradiation, comparing the body weights of patients irradiated with parotid-sparing technique versus those irradiated with bilateral opposed photon beams, including both parotid glands in the radiation fields. One hundred fourteen patients with cancer of the oral cavity were irradiated with curative intent. Two-dimensional radiotherapy techniques sparing at least one parotid gland from the radiation beams were used to treat 31 patients (parotid-sparing techniques). Eighty-three patients were irradiated using bilateral opposed photon beams, which included both parotid glands (bilateral technique). Body weight during and after irradiation, treatment outcome, and survival were compared. Patients treated with parotid-sparing techniques maintained their nutritional intake and baseline body weight during and after irradiation. Patients treated with the bilateral technique that included both parotid glands had poor nutritional intake, leading to a more than 10% decline in their initial body weight; these patients did not regain their body weight during the 2-year follow-up period. Primary tumor control rate was higher for patients treated with parotid-sparing techniques than for patients who had both parotid glands irradiated (70% versus 48%; p = 0.05). This difference is because a higher percentage of patients treated with parotid-sparing techniques had early-stage tumors (54%) compared with patients treated with the bilateral technique (24%). When analyzed according to the tumor stage, the primary tumor control rates for patients treated with parotid-sparing techniques and for patients treated with the bilateral technique showed no difference; control rates were 93% and 87% (p = 1.00) for early-stage tumors and 42% and 36% (p = 0.75) for advanced-stage tumors, respectively. Nodal control rates in the ipsilateral side of the neck and in the contralateral side of the neck for patients treated with parotid-sparing techniques and with the bilateral technique were not significantly different-74% versus 76% (p = 0.86) and 70% versus 82% (p = 0.21), respectively. Sparing at least one parotid gland during irradiation of patients with head and neck cancer will preserve parotid function and prevent xerostomia. Patients treated with parotid-sparing techniques were able to maintain their oral nutrition and body weight, compared with patients who had both parotid glands irradiated. A higher percentage of patients treated with parotid-sparing techniques had early-stage tumors, resulting in higher rates of primary tumor control and survival in this group of patients.
 ...
PMID:Parotid-sparing irradiation for cancer of the oral cavity: maintenance of oral nutrition and body weight by preserving parotid function. 1147 57

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a contact neodymium YAG laser for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the mobile tongue in 35 patients. The TNM stage and histologic grade were as follows: T1, n = 20; T2, n = 11; T3, n = 4; and N0, n = 33; N1, n = 2; G1, n = 20; G2, n = 10; and G3, n = 5. The surgical treatment consisted of a hemiglossectomy or resection with adequate margins in 28 cases, and an ipsilateral neck dissection was also performed in 7 patients. Radiotherapy to a mean tumor dose of 62-64 Gy and an elective dose of 50 Gy to the cervical lymph nodes was given to 14 patients. The radiotherapy was preoperative in 12 patients and postoperative in 2. Tongue resection was easily performed using the contact neodymium YAG laser, with a mean operation time of 31 min and intraoperative bleeding varying from negligible to 100 cm3. During postoperative follow-up no major complications occurred: cases with minor hemorrhage were easily controlled on the ward and 1 patient had a bleed on the 14th postoperative day necessitating hospitalization. The resection was histologically radical in all cases. During follow-up one patient had a local recurrence (T2N0, G3) and four failed in the neck (T1N0 G2, T1N0 G2, T1N0 G2, T2N0 G2), three of whom were successfully salvaged with a neck dissection and radiotherapy. One patient with osteoradionecrosis was diagnosed and treated curatively. Two patients died of their tongue cancer (T2N0 G3, T2N0 G2), 1 died from a second primary tumor (T2N0 G1) and 2 of intercurrent disease with no evidence of cancer; 30 patients (86%) are still alive with no evidence of disease. The function of the tongue in all patients in this sample was good to satisfactory. The major complaint was xerostomia in the irradiated patients. In conclusion, the contact neodymium YAG laser appears to be suitable for resection of T1-T2 SCCs of the oral tongue. In this limited patient sample T stage or grade did not predict failures in the neck. Biologic predictive markers need to be evaluated.
 ...
PMID:Neodymium YAG contact laser in the treatment of cancer of the mobile tongue. 1203 May 83

Background and purpose. Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) offers an opportunity to generate dose distributions highly conformal to the target volume. Head and neck cancer patients, referred for radiotherapy, may be good candidates to benefit from IMRT. This paper discusses the clinical implementation of IMRT for oropharyngeal and oral cavity tumors, and reports the clinical results of the 14 patients treated with this technique at Ghent University Hospital (GUH). Patients and Methods. Between May 1999 and May 2001, 14 patients were treated with IMRT at GUH for oropharyngeal or oral cavity tumors. Two groups of patients can be distinguished. The first group consists of eight patients re-irradiated with IMRT for a locoregional relapse. The second group of six patients were treated with IMRT for a primary tumor. For the first group, IMRT was used to treat the relapse by generating a concave dose distribution, i.e. to combine a homogeneous target re-irradiation with a dose to the spinal cord as low as possible. For the second group, IMRT was applied in order to achieve a more homogeneous dose distribution inside the PTV and to preserve parotid gland function. Results. The majority of the patients of group 1 (6/8) relapsed in field within four months after the end of the re-irradiation, with a median overall survival of 7 months. For group 2, two patients died shortly after the end of the IMRT treatment, the other four patients are free of tumor relapse with a median follow-up of 5 months (1-13 months). The acute toxicity due to radiation was acceptable for both patient groups. Dysphagia and pain was more present in group 1. Regarding late complications for the group of re-irradiations (group 1), no myelitis, carotid rupture or cranial nerve palsy was observed. One patient of group 1 developed osteoradionecrosis of the mandible and feeding tube dependency was present for another patient. No fatal late complications were observed in this group. For the first two patients of group 2, sparing of the parotid function was not a treatment objective. For the other patients of group 2, the mean dose to the contralateral parotid gland ranged from 17 to 25 Gy, which resulted in a decrease of subjective symptoms of xerostomia compared to patients treated with conventional radiotherapy. Conclusions. The implementation of IMRT for oropharyngeal and oral cavity tumors results in a homogeneous target irradiation and allows to re-irradiate locoregional relapses with acceptable adverse effects. Sparing of the parotid gland by IMRT is feasible, although this may be significantly influenced by the delineation method of the elective lymph node regions.
 ...
PMID:Intensity modulated radiation therapy for oropharyngeal and oral cavity tumors: clinical use and experience. 1216 38

Organ preservation in patients with head and neck cancer can be achieved using concomitant chemoradiation protocols. Critical tissues can be spared using highly conformal radiation therapy techniques and/or radiation protectors. With three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) tight target definitions of the primary tumor and neck nodal levels are mandatory. In 2000, a clinical trial for advanced-stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma was initiated in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Patients are treated with paclitaxel administered concomitantly with 3DCRT and randomized to receive subcutaneous (SC) amifostine or no amifostine. Those in the radioprotectant arm received amifostine 500 mg SC before each radiation therapy (RT) fraction. This article presents early findings on toxicity. Acute toxicity is evaluated according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group criteria. Xerostomia was scored subjectively and by whole saliva measurements. Neck nodal levels were delineated in accordance with previously published computed tomography (CT)-based guidelines developed in Rotterdam. Forty-one patients are the subject of this report. In patients treated with amifostine, mucositis and dysphagia took longer to resolve than with conventional RT schedules. No difference in objective and subjective evaluation of xerostomia was seen between treatment arms. So far in this ongoing study, no advantage of SC amifostine has been detected. This might be because of the toxicity of the concomitant treatment itself, the dose of amifostine, the route of administration, or the insufficient sparing of critical structures by 3DCRT. These early findings and the ongoing development of better tissue-sparing techniques with more accurate CT-based target delineation protocols and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) are discussed.
 ...
PMID:Tools for optimal tissue sparing in concomitant chemoradiation of advanced head and neck cancer: subcutaneous amifostine and computed tomography-based target delineation. 1257 48

We report a case of a 59-year-old man with solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma in his oropharynx. Because the diagnosis is rare and there is only limited experience in the literature based on retrospective data, the optimal planning target volume and optimal dose of radiation therapy (RT) are still controversial. The frequently discussed problem is the necessity of first echelon lymph node irradiation because it is associated with a higher rate of complications such as xerostomia caused by damage to salivary glands. In order to prevent late toxicity, intensity-modulated RT with the use of simultaneous integrated boost and parotid salivary gland sparing was used in this patient's treatment. The RT was performed in 23 identical fractions, the primary tumor region was irradiated with a dose of 46 Gy and the first echelon lymph node region with the risk of subclinical disease with a dose of 41.4 Gy; the dose per fraction was 2 Gy and 1.8 Gy, respectively. The patient is alive and well > 20 months after the irradiation, without any evidence of disease. Parotid gland function remained intact, and no xerostomia occurred. This is the first report of the use of intensity-modulated RT with parotid gland sparing in the treatment of solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma in the head and neck region.
 ...
PMID:Solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma in the oropharynx: advantages of intensity-modulated radiation therapy. 1762 12


1 2 Next >>