Chloroma (Granulocytic sarcoma): An unusual cause of shoulder pain in chronic myeloid leukemia; a diagnostic dilemma

At one point or another in their lives, most people will experience some degree of shoulder pain. It may be secondary to a variety of underlying pathology. We report a case of shoulder pain caused by a granulocytic sarcoma (chloroma) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patient misdiagnosed initially as synovitis. Although granulocytic sarcoma has many classic musculoskeletal manifestations, to our knowledge, a case of CML concurrent with chloroma of the shoulder joint has not been reported in the literature. We must not forget that the shoulder pain arising from granulocytic sarcoma may be the initial presenting feature of underlying hematological malignancy such as CML

Dosimetric impact of setup errors in head and neck cancer patients treated by image-guided radiotherapy

To assess and analyze the impact of setup uncertainties on target volume coverage and doses to organs at risk (OAR) in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients treated by image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). Translational setup errors in 25 HNC patients were observed by kilovoltage cone beam computed tomography (kV CBCT). Two plans were generated. Plan one – the original plan which was the initially optimized and approved plan of the patient. All patients were treated according to their respective approved plans at a defined isocenter. Plan two – the plan sum which was the sum of all plans recalculated at a different isocenter according to setup errors in x, y, and z-direction. Plan sum was created to evaluate doses that would have been received by planning target volume (PTV) and OARs if setup errors were not corrected. These 2 plans were analyzed and compared in terms of target volume coverage and doses to OARs. A total 503 kV CBCT images were acquired for evaluation of setup errors in 25 HNC patients. The systematic (mean) and random errors (standard deviation) combined for 25 patients in x, y, and z directions were 0.15 cm, 0.21 cm, and 0.19 cm and 0.09 cm, 0.12 cm, and 0.09 cm, respectively. The study showed that there was a significant difference in PTV coverage between 2 plans. The doses to various OARs showed a nonsignificant increase in the plan sum. The correction of translational setup errors is essential for IGRT treatment in terms of delivery of planned optimal doses to target volume

Dosimetric influence of photon beam energy and number of arcs on volumetric modulated arc therapy in carcinoma cervix: A planning study

AimAim of the present study was to compare the dosimetric impact of different photon beam energies and number of arcs in the treatment of carcinoma cervix.BackgroundCarcinoma cervix is a common cancer in women worldwide with a high morbidity rate. Radiotherapy is used to treat such tumours. Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) is considered superior to other techniques with multiple arcs and energies.Materials and methodsTwenty patients with carcinoma cervix underwent radiotherapy in a prospective observation study conducted at our institute. Volumetric modulated arc plans with 6[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]MV, 10[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]MV and 15[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]MV photon energies using single arc (SA) and dual arc (DA) were generated. Several physical indices for planning target volume (PTV) like V95%, V100%, V110%, D98%, D50%, D2% and total number of MUs were compared. Normal Tissue Integral Dose (NTID) and dose to a shell structure PHY2.5 and PHY5.0 were analyzed.ResultsComparable dose coverage to PTV was observed for all the energies and arcs. CI for DA6MV (1.095) was better than SA6MV (1.127), SA10MV (1.116) and SA15MV (1.116). Evaluated parameters showed significant reduction in OAR doses. Mean bladder dose for DA6MV (41.90[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy) was better than SA6MV (42.48[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy), SA10MV (42.08[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy) and SA15MV (41.93[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]Gy). Similarly, p-value for the mean rectal dose calculated was 0.001 (SA6 vs 15), 0.013 (DA6 vs 10) and 0.003 (DA6 vs 15) and subsequently favoured DA6MV. Difference in NTID was very small.ConclusionsThe study showed no greater advantage of higher energy, and DA VMAT plan with 6[[ce:hsp sp="0.25"/]]MV photon energy was a good choice of treatment for carcinoma cervix as it delivered a highly homogeneous and conformal plan with superior target coverage and better OAR sparing

Primary gastric Burkitt’s lymphoma

The primary gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, although rare, is among the most common extra-nodal lymphomas, considering that gastric lymphomas are more common than intestinal lymphomas. Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive form of B-cell lymphoma that is typically endemic in Africa, while non-endemic cases are found in the rest of the world. Primary gastric BL is extremely rare and only around 50 cases have been reported worldwide. Here we present the case of a young HIV-negative male, who was referred to our department with a stage IV gastric BL. He was planned for palliative chemotherapy, but after the first cycle of chemotherapy he succumbed to the progression of the disease