Challenges scoring radiation pneumonitis in patients irradiated for lung cancer

To quantify uncertainties in scoring radiation pneumonitis

Is early postradiation dysplasia almost associated with poor prognosis? A case report and review of the literature

Following radiotherapy for cervical carcinoma, abnormal cytologic changes have been reported in a number of publications. These reactions occur at varying periods of time following irradiation and do not necessarily reflect the presence of invasive cancer. On the basis of cytologic and histopathologic features, these reactions were determined as postradiation dysplasia (PRD). PRD has been reported to occur in 18.7-26% of patients treated by radiotherapy for cervical cancer. In the literature, it was reported that patients diagnosed with PRD less than 3 years after the initial diagnosis of cervical cancer had a mean survival rate of 33.8% as compared with a 100% 5-year survival rate in patients with a delayed (> 3 years) onset of period. We present a case of stage IIIB cervical squamous cell carcinoma with PRD detected 6 months after radiotherapy. The patient is still tumor free 8 years after radiotherapy. In the light of this patient, we review the literature and discuss the relationship of PRD with survival in the cervical carcinomas

Treatment results and prognostic factors in oral tongue cancer: analysis of 80 patients

Treatment results and prognostic factors for 80 patients with oral tongue cancer admitted to Istanbul University Oncology Institute between 1987 and 2000 were retrospectively analysed. The patients were treated by surgery and postoperative or curative radiotherapy. Median age was 55 (22-93) out of which 41 patients (51%) were male and 39 (49%) were female. One patient (1%) had stage I disease, 28 patients (36%) stage II, 18 patients (23%) stage III and 32 patients (40%) stage IVA disease. Nineteen patients (24%) were medically inoperable or refused surgical treatment, so were treated with curative radiotherapy to a total dose of 70 Gy (group A). The remaining 61 patients (76%) were treated with surgery and postoperative external beam radiotherapy (group B). The median follow-up time was 44 months. The 5-year overall and loco-regional disease-free survival rates were 42% and 46%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates were 16% in group A and 49% in group B (P = 0.0002). The 5-year disease-specific survival rate was 23% in group A while in group B it was 49%; the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.02). Combined treatment improves overall and disease-free survival in patients with stage 11, 111 and IVA oral tongue cancer. In patients who are not candidates for surgery, the effect of radiotherapy may be increased with the use of brachytherapy