International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 1999
Long-term follow-up of patients treated with primary radiotherapy for supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
To assess disease control, patterns of relapse, factors predictive of relapse, and late effects of treatment, we reviewed all cases of supradiaphragmatic (SD) Hodgkin's disease (HD) treated with primary radiation therapy (RT) at our institution. ⋯ The current analysis confirms the curative potential of RT for HD in children and adolescents. Despite successful salvage therapy, relapsed disease remained the principal cause of death in our cohort. Excess risk of septic death in asplenic patients, fatal heart disease, and second malignancies may further compromise the ultimate cure of HD in long-term survivors.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 1999
Acute central nervous system (CNS) toxicity of total body irradiation (TBI) measured using neuropsychological testing of attention functions.
The purpose of this study was to investigate acute normal tissue damage of low irradiation doses to the healthy, adult central nervous system (CNS) using neuropsychological testing of attention functions. ⋯ Our data show no deterioration of neuropsychologic test results acutely after 1.2 Gy whole body exposure in adult patients without CNS disease receiving antiemetic medication.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jul 1999
Rectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease: natural history and implications for radiation therapy.
There exists little information concerning the natural history of rectal cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In addition, the tolerance of pelvic irradiation in these patients is unknown. We analyzed the largest series of patients with IBD and rectal cancer in order to determine the natural history of the disease as well as the effect and tolerance of pelvic irradiation. ⋯ Treatment results are comparable to those historically reported for non-IBD-related rectal cancer although the subset of high-risk patients appeared to have a poorer outcome. In light of this finding and the ability of these patients to tolerate chemotherapy and pelvic irradiation, aggressive adjuvant therapy should be given to IBD-associated rectal cancer patients with high-risk features.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jun 1999
Radiation therapy for consolidation of metastatic or recurrent sarcomas in children treated with intensive chemotherapy and stem cell rescue. A feasibility study.
To assess the role of consolidative radiation therapy (CRT) in conjunction with myeloablative therapy with or without total body irradiation (TBI) in children and young adults with metastatic or recurrent sarcoma. ⋯ Consolidative radiotherapy is feasible in primary metastatic or recurrent pediatric sarcoma patients treated with myeloablative therapy with or without TBI. CRT to sites amenable to irradiation provided an improved 3-year actuarial local control than that seen in sites amenable to CRT that did not undergo radiotherapy. There was a trend for improved DFS with the use of TBI. Improved DFS and OS can be predicted by response to induction therapy. This intensive regimen may improve the cure rate of advanced pediatric sarcomas in select patients.
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Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. · Jun 1999
Multicenter StudyRadiation-induced emesis: a prospective observational multicenter Italian trial. The Italian Group for Antiemetic Research in Radiotherapy.
A prospective observational multicenter trial was carried out to assess the incidence, pattern, and prognostic factors of radiation-induced emesis (RIE), and evaluate the use of antiemetic drugs in radiation oncology clinical practice. ⋯ Our study provided useful data on epidemiology and characteristics of RIE. Previous chemotherapy, field size, and irradiated site (upper abdomen) were the only significant prognostic factors of RIE. A remarkable incidence of RIE was found in patients submitted to thoracic and head and neck RT. With this background of knowledge, it will be possible to better plan further studies on this important problem. Moreover, the low rate of antiemetics use and the wide variety of doses and schedules employed suggest the need to reinforce the "evidence based" approach to identify the best antiemetic approach to RIE.