Anal Cancer debuting as Cancer of Unknown Primary

Anal cancer usually presents with a visible or palpable tumour. In this case we describe a 54-year old man diagnosed with Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) with a single inguinal node as the only finding. Thorough examination failed to identify any primary tumour. The patient was treated with lymph node dissection and not until nearly two years after initial diagnosis, was the primary tumour found, and the patient was diagnosed with anal cancer. The patient was treated with chemoradiotherapy and 45 months after initial diagnosis there is still no sign of relapse. This case illustrates, that anal cancer can metastasise before the primary tumour is detectable. Furthermore, it demonstrates the necessity of thorough clinical follow-up after treatment of CUP since the primary tumour was found later. Finally this is a case of a long-term survivor following treatment for metastatic inguinal lymph nodes from an initially unknown primary cancer

Improvement in toxicity in high risk prostate cancer patients treated with image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy compared to 3D conformal radiotherapy without daily image guidance

BACKGROUND: Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) facilitates the delivery of a very precise radiation dose. In this study we compare the toxicity and biochemical progression-free survival between patients treated with daily image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IG-IMRT) and 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) without daily image guidance for high risk prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: A total of 503 high risk PCa patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) and endocrine treatment between 2000 and 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. 115 patients were treated with 3DCRT, and 388 patients were treated with IG-IMRT. 3DCRT patients were treated to 76 Gy and without daily image guidance and with 1–2 cm PTV margins. IG-IMRT patients were treated to 78 Gy based on daily image guidance of fiducial markers, and the PTV margins were 5–7 mm. Furthermore, the dose-volume constraints to both the rectum and bladder were changed with the introduction of IG-IMRT. RESULTS: The 2-year actuarial likelihood of developing grade > = 2 GI toxicity following RT was 57.3% in 3DCRT patients and 5.8% in IG-IMRT patients (p < 0.001). For GU toxicity the numbers were 41.8% and 29.7%, respectively (p = 0.011). On multivariate analysis, 3DCRT was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing grade > = 2 GI toxicity compared to IG-IMRT (p < 0.001, HR = 11.59 [CI: 6.67-20.14]). 3DCRT was also associated with an increased risk of developing GU toxicity compared to IG-IMRT. The 3-year actuarial biochemical progression-free survival probability was 86.0% for 3DCRT and 90.3% for IG-IMRT (p = 0.386). On multivariate analysis there was no difference in biochemical progression-free survival between 3DCRT and IG-IMRT. CONCLUSION: The difference in toxicity can be attributed to the combination of the IMRT technique with reduced dose to organs-at-risk, daily image guidance and margin reduction

Prospective assessment of the quality of life before, during and after image guided intensity modulated radiotherapy for prostate cancer

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy (RT) in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PCa) carries a risk of gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary toxicity, which might affect the quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study was to assess the QoL in patients with PCa before, during and after radiotherapy (RT) and to compare the QoL 1 year after RT to a normal population. METHODS: The QoL was evaluated prospectively by the self-administered questionnaire SF-36 in 87 patients with PCa. The SF-36 was completed before RT (baseline), at start of RT, at end of RT and 1 year after RT. A mixed model analysis was used to determine the changes in QoL at each time point compared to baseline. The patients’ QoL 1 year after RT was compared to a normal population consisting of 462 reference subjects matched on age and education. RESULTS: One year after RT, patients reported significantly less pain and significantly fewer limitations due to their physical health compared to baseline. Compared to the normal population, patients reported significantly less pain 1 year after RT. However, patients also reported significantly less vitality, worse mental health as well as significantly more limitations due to physical and mental health 1 year after RT compared to the normal population. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, patients with PCa did not experience significant impairment in the QoL 1 year after RT compared to baseline. However, patients reported significantly worse mental health before, during and 1 year after RT compared to the normal population