Haematological toxicity in adult patients receiving craniospinal irradiation - Indication of a dose-bath effect.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the haematological toxicity observed in patients treated with craniospinal irradiation, and the dose distribution in normal tissue, specifically the occurrence of large volumes exposed to low dose

The effect on the small bowel of 5-FU and oxaliplatin in combination with radiation using a microcolony survival assay

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In locally advanced rectal cancer, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemoradiation is the standard treatment. The main acute toxicity of this treatment is enteritis. Due to its potential radiosensitizing properties, oxaliplatin has recently been incorporated in many clinical chemoradiation protocols. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent 5-FU and oxaliplatin influence the radiation (RT) induced small bowel mucosal damage when given in conjunction with single or split dose RT.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Immune competent balb-c mice were treated with varying doses of 5-FU, oxaliplatin (given intraperitoneally) and total body RT, alone or in different combinations in a series of experiments. The small bowel damage was studied by a microcolony survival assay. The treatment effect was evaluated using the inverse of the slope (D₀) of the exponential part of the dose-response curve.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In two separate experiments the dose-response relations were determined for single doses of RT alone, yielding D₀values of 2.79 Gy (95% CI: 2.65 - 2.95) and 2.98 Gy (2.66 - 3.39), for doses in the intervals of 5-17 Gy and 5-10 Gy, respectively. Equitoxic low doses (IC5) of the two drugs in combination with RT caused a decrease in jejunal crypt count with significantly lower D₀: 2.30 Gy (2.10 - 2.56) for RT+5-FU and 2.27 Gy (2.08 - 2.49) for RT+oxaliplatin. Adding both drugs to RT did not further decrease D₀: 2.28 Gy (1.97 - 2.71) for RT+5-FU+oxaliplatin. A clearly higher crypt survival was noted for split course radiation (3 × 2.5 Gy) compared to a single fraction of 7.5 Gy. The same difference was seen when 5-FU and/or oxaliplatin were added.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Combining 5-FU or oxaliplatin with RT lead to an increase in mucosal damage as compared to RT alone in our experimental setting. No additional reduction of jejunal crypt counts was noted when both drugs were combined with single dose RT. The higher crypt survival with split dose radiation indicates a substantial recovery between radiation fractions. This mucosal-sparing effect achieved by fractionation was maintained also when chemotherapy was added.</p

Comparison of cisplatin sensitivity and the 18F fluoro-2-deoxy 2 glucose uptake with proliferation parameters and gene expression in squamous cell carcinoma cell lines of the head and neck

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The survival of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer is still poor, with 5-year survival rates of 24–35%. The identification of prognostic and predictive markers at the molecular and cellular level could make it possible to find new therapeutic targets and provide "taylor made" treatments. Established cell lines of human squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are valuable models for identifying such markers.</p> <p>The aim of this study was to establish and characterize a series of cell lines and to compare the cisplatin sensitivity and 18F fluoro-2 deoxy 2 glucose (18F-FDG) uptake of these cell lines with other cellular characteristics, such as proliferation parameters and TP53 and CCND1 status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Explant cultures of fresh tumour tissue were cultivated, and six new permanent cell lines were established from 18 HNSCC cases. Successfully grown cell lines were analysed regarding clinical parameters, histological grade, karyotype, DNA ploidy, and index and S-phase fraction (Spf). The cell lines were further characterized with regard to their uptake of 18F-FDG, their sensitivity to cisplatin, as measured by a viability test (crystal violet), and their TP53 and CCND1 status, by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) with DNA sequencing and, for cyclin D1, by immunohistochemistry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients with tumours that could be cultured in vitro had shorter disease-free periods and overall survival time than those whose tumours did not grow in vitro, when analysed with the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Their tumours also showed more complex karyotypes than tumours from which cell lines could not be established. No correlation was found between TP53 or CCND1 status and 18F-FDG uptake or cisplatin sensitivity. However, there was an inverse correlation between tumour cell doubling time and 18F-FDG uptake.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In vitro growth of HNSCC cells seem to be an independent prognostic factor, with cell lines being more readily established from aggressive tumours, a phenomenon more dependent on the molecular genetic characteristics of the tumour cells than on tumour location or TNM status.</p

Sammenhengen mellom smerter, katastrofetanker og eksekutiv funksjon hos pasienter med kronisk whiplashsyndrom: en prospektiv studie.

Kroniske smerter har blitt svært utbredt i Norge, og medfører både lidelse og høye kostnader i forbindelse med manglende arbeidsevne hos de rammede. En stor undergruppe er pasienter med kronisk whiplashsyndrom, som innebærer kroniske nakkesmerter, ofte grunnet en bilulykke. Disse plages av nedsatt eksekutiv funksjon, noe som er til hinder for optimal rehabilitering og fungering i arbeidslivet. Denne studien undersøker hvorvidt redusert smertenivå og redusert grad av katastrofetenkning predikerer forbedring i eksekutiv funksjon. Hensikten er en bedre forståelse av hvilke variabler som kan påvirke pasientenes eksekutive fungering. 66 kroniske whiplashpasienter gjennomgikk behandling, og smertenivå, katastrofetenkning samt eksekutiv funksjon ble målt før og etter intervensjonen ved hjelp av Brief Pain Inventory, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Stroop Task og Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task. Redusert smertenivå og redusert grad av katastrofetenkning fra før til etter behandling predikerte eksekutiv funksjon etter behandling, uavhengig av hverandre. Behandlingsimplikasjoner av funnene diskuteres, og det vises til mulige nevrofysiologiske sammenhenger som tyder på høy grad av påvirkning mellom de nevrale nettverkene for smerter, katastrofetanker og eksekutiv funksjon.

Long-Term Risk of Hip Complications After Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer : A Dose-Response Study

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to analyze the long-term incidence of hip complications after external beam radiation therapy compared with age-matched controls from the general population. We also investigated whether there were any dose−response associations. Methods and materials: A total of 349 patients with prostate cancer treated to curative dose with external beam radiation therapy between 1997 and 2002 were included in the study. Physical and fractionation-corrected dose-volume descriptors were derived for the femoral heads, pubic bone, and sacrum. Information on skeletal events was collected for the patients and 1661 matched controls through the Prostate Cancer database Sweden. Uni- and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regressions were used to analyze the time to event. Results: Data from 346 patients were available for analysis. The median mean physical dose and corresponding equivalent 2-Gy/fraction dose (EQD2) to the femoral heads were 35.5 Gy and 28.7 Gy, respectively. The median follow-up time was 16.0 years. During the follow up, 12 hip fractures occurred. Hip osteoarthritis was diagnosed in 36 cases, with 29 cases leading to replacement surgery. No increased risk of hip fractures was found. Hip osteoarthritis was the only event for which a statistically significant difference was found between the irradiated cohort and the controls (cause-specific hazard ratio: 1.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-2.26; P = .02). The cumulative incidence of osteoarthritis at 10 years was 8.1% and 4.9% in the irradiated cohort and the controls, respectively. A significant relationship between osteoarthritis and the volume of the femoral head receiving ≥40 Gy (ie, EQD2) was found. Conclusions: In this study of 346 patients treated with conventional radiation therapy, we found no increased risk of hip fracture but an increased risk of clinically relevant osteoarthritis at long-term follow up. Our results indicate a dose–response relationship between osteoarthritis and the volume of the femoral head receiving an EQD2 dose of ≥40 Gy

Comparison of low dose nicotinamide versus benzamide, administered per os, as radiosensitizers in a C3H mammary carcinoma

We have evaluated if any differences in tumor radiosensitization exist between the two adenosine diphosphate ribosyl transferase (ADPRT) inhibitors nicotinamide and benzamide at fractionated low doses. A significant radiosensitizing effect with nicotinamide at a 10 mg/kg per day dose was found in the tumor model used. We found, however, no radiosensitizing effect with benzamide given according to this schedule