Arm and shoulder morbidity following surgery and radiotherapy for breast cancer

<p><b>Purpose.</b> To explore the relationship between radiotherapy (RT) dose levels in the arm/shoulder region and arm/shoulder morbidity in breast cancer patients.</p> <p><b>Material and methods.</b> This study included 183 breast cancer patients who had received locoregional RT with or without chemotherapy and/or hormone treatment during the period 1998–2002. Individual RT dose level, reflected by dose-volume histograms (DVHs), for the shoulder joint and joining structures were obtained from archived CT-based RT plans. Individual median, mean and maximum arm/shoulder RT dose levels were extracted. Arm/shoulder morbidity was assessed 29–58 months after breast cancer treatment using the following clinical endpoints: arm pain, arm stiffness, swollen arm, use of arm, numbness, shoulder flexion and shoulder abduction difference, fibrosis and breast cancer-related lymphedema. The relationship between arm/shoulder RT dose level and these clinical endpoints was assessed by Spearman's correlation and multivariate logistic regression.</p> <p><b>Results.</b> Ninety-one percent of the included patients had some degree of arm/shoulder morbidity. Neither mean nor maximum RT dose level was associated with clinical endpoints. However, significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between DVHs and arm stiffness, arm pain, use of arm and shoulder abduction difference, when arm/shoulder RT dose levels were approximately 15 Gy.</p> <p><b>Conclusions.</b> Three-dimensional conformal locoregional RT for breast cancer results in long-term arm/shoulder morbidity. To minimize this risk, large shoulder volumes receiving RT doses of approximately 15 Gy should be reduced.</p

Arm and shoulder morbidity following surgery and radiotherapy for breast cancer

<p><b>Purpose.</b> To explore the relationship between radiotherapy (RT) dose levels in the arm/shoulder region and arm/shoulder morbidity in breast cancer patients.</p> <p><b>Material and methods.</b> This study included 183 breast cancer patients who had received locoregional RT with or without chemotherapy and/or hormone treatment during the period 1998–2002. Individual RT dose level, reflected by dose-volume histograms (DVHs), for the shoulder joint and joining structures were obtained from archived CT-based RT plans. Individual median, mean and maximum arm/shoulder RT dose levels were extracted. Arm/shoulder morbidity was assessed 29–58 months after breast cancer treatment using the following clinical endpoints: arm pain, arm stiffness, swollen arm, use of arm, numbness, shoulder flexion and shoulder abduction difference, fibrosis and breast cancer-related lymphedema. The relationship between arm/shoulder RT dose level and these clinical endpoints was assessed by Spearman's correlation and multivariate logistic regression.</p> <p><b>Results.</b> Ninety-one percent of the included patients had some degree of arm/shoulder morbidity. Neither mean nor maximum RT dose level was associated with clinical endpoints. However, significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between DVHs and arm stiffness, arm pain, use of arm and shoulder abduction difference, when arm/shoulder RT dose levels were approximately 15 Gy.</p> <p><b>Conclusions.</b> Three-dimensional conformal locoregional RT for breast cancer results in long-term arm/shoulder morbidity. To minimize this risk, large shoulder volumes receiving RT doses of approximately 15 Gy should be reduced.</p

Long-term serum platinum changes and their association with cisplatin-related late effects in testicular cancer survivors

<p><b>Background:</b> The long-term toxicities after cisplatin-based chemotherapy (CBCT) reveal a remarkable inter-individual variation among testicular cancer survivors (TCSs). Therefore, we assessed long-term platinum (Pt) changes and their associations with CBCT-related late effects in TCSs.</p> <p><b>Material and methods:</b> In 77 TCSs treated with CBCT from 1984 to 1990, blood samples for analyses of Pt and a questionnaire including self-reported neuro- and ototoxicity (NTX) symptoms were collected during two follow-up surveys at median 12 (Survey I; SI) and 20 (Survey II; SII) years after treatment. Information about second cancers after SII was retrieved from the Norwegian Cancer Registry.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> A larger Pt decline from SI to SII was associated with a decreased risk of a second cancer diagnosis (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.62–0.99 per 10 ng/L/year), and worsening of paresthesias in hands (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.09–3.59 per 10 ng/L/year) and tinnitus (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.01–2.27 per 10 ng/L/year).</p> <p><b>Conclusion:</b> In summary, we found a significant association between a larger Pt decline and a reduced risk of second cancers and deterioration of paresthesias in hands and tinnitus.</p