The cancer journal
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Brain metastases are a common problem in patients with lung cancer. This retrospective review was performed to describe the efficacy and toxicity of stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases from lung carcinoma and to evaluate prognostic factors for survival. ⋯ Radiosurgery is an effective therapy for selected patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent brain metastases from lung carcinoma. Initial whole-brain radiotherapy with radiosurgery appears to improve brain control but not survival. Prospective, randomized trials are needed to further investigate the role of radiosurgery with and without whole-brain radiotherapy for brain metastases.
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The purpose of this article is to report the clinical outcome in children with recurrent craniopharyngioma after primary surgery. PATIENT AND MATERIALS: Fourteen children with craniopharyngioma treated with primary surgery developed local recurrence. The median time to recurrence from primary surgery was 19 months (range, 2-156 months). At first recurrence (n = 14), seven children (50%) underwent reoperation. Five children (36%) received radiotherapy, and two children did not undergo any treatment. At second recurrence (n = 7), six children underwent radiotherapy (86%), and one had surgery. External-beam radiation was delivered with 6-MV or 10-MV x-rays by use of three-dimensional conformal technique (n = 4) or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (n = 7) using the Laitinen stereoadapter. Total dose ranged from 54 to 55.8 Gy at 1.8 Gy/fraction. ⋯ In children with recurrent craniopharyngioma after radical resection, the use of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy or fractioned stereotactic radiotherapy results in very good local control with a low incidence of complications. In young children with stable tiny recurrences, a policy of close surveillance could be adopted for the brain to mature before beginning radiotherapy. The use of secondary surgery for recurrent tumors is associated with a low cure rate and a high risk of complications.
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Recent studies have demonstrated that magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) of the prostate may effectively distinguish between regions of cancer and normal prostatic epithelium. This diagnostic imaging tool takes advantage of the increased choline and creatine versus citrate ratio found in malignant, compared with normal, prostate tissue. The purpose of this report is to present our initial experience integrating MRSI data into an intraoperative computer-based optimization planning system for prostate cancer patients who underwent permanent interstitial I 125 implantation. The goal of this approach was to achieve dose escalation to intraprostatic tumor deposits on the basis of MRSI findings without exceeding the tolerance of adjacent normal tissue structures. ⋯ Using this brachytherapy optimization system, we could demonstrate the feasibility of MRS-optimized dose distributions for I 125 permanent prostate implants. This approach may have an impact on the ability to select regions within the prostate to safely employ dose escalation for patients treated with permanent interstitial implantation and to improve outcome for patients with organ-confined prostatic cancers.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Paclitaxel, carboplatin, and vinorelbine in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a phase II trial of the Minnie Pearl Cancer Research Network.
To evaluate the feasibility, toxicity, and efficacy of adding vinorelbine to the paclitaxel/carboplatin combination in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. ⋯ This three-drug regimen is feasible and efficacious in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The addition of vinorelbine increases the incidence of severe leukopenia substantially when compared with the paclitaxel/carboplatin regimen. However, other toxicities are not markedly increased. Ongoing randomized trials will define the role of this regimen in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
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Comparative Study
Failure pattern implications following external beam irradiation of prostate cancer: long-term follow-up and indications of cure.
The purpose of this study was to present patterns and risk of biochemical failure following external beam irradiation of prostate cancer and to make comparisons to a published modern radical prostatectomy series. Between January 1987 and December 1994, 328 men were treated definitively at Fox Chase Cancer Center for localized prostate cancer using conventional or three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy. The median biochemical follow-up was 6.4 years, with all patients having at least 5 years follow-up. ⋯ Group II reaches low levels of risk at 6 years, in contrast to 4 years for the patients with a more favorable prognosis. We concluded that patients treated with external beam radiation alone show little risk of failure after 4 to 6 years. This result suggests that the 5-year bNED control rate approximates the eventual cure rate of prostate cancer.