Asbestos Cancer Update 2008

Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology.

Radiation therapy uses ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors, with consideration to minimize harmful damages to health tissues. About 30% of all people with cancer are treated with radiation therapy, either alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy may be internal or external. In brachytheraphy as the internal radiation therapy the radioisotope is implanted into or near the tumor by tubes as the container. And it is often used for patients with the tongue cancer. External radiation, the type most often used, comes from a machine outside the body. It is usually used for shrinking tumors with bony invasions such as gingival cancer and improving the pain in patients with bony metastasis. For the primary bone tumor the radiation therapy is not always used because the radiosensitivity of the almost primary bone tumor is low.

Share This

Department of Radiation Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to improve the treatment results for locally advanced tongue cancer. A combination of radiotherapy with continuous intra-arterial therapy using CBDCA was used. STUDY DESIGN: According to TNM staging (1997), 29 patients had stage III lesions and 11 patients had stage IV (M0) lesions. A catheter was inserted through the lingual artery in 26 patients, through the external carotid artery in 11 patients, and through the faciolingual trunk in 2 patients. CBDCA was continuously infused for 4 to 6 weeks. With IA chemotherapy, external irradiation (median dose: 46.8 Gy) was simultaneously performed, and 1 to 2 courses of systemic chemotherapy were performed in 19 patients before intra-arterial chemotherapy. RESULTS: The 5-year local control rate was 65%. The 5-year OS rate was 39.5%. There were no clinically significant adverse side effects. CONCLUSION: Continuous IA CBDCA and concurrent radiation therapy can be delivered safely with good efficacy for locally advanced carcinoma of the tongue.

Share This

Clinique Victor Hugo, Le Mans, France.

Objective(s): To assess efficacy and tolerability of preoperative capecitabine chemoradiation in rectal cancer. Methods: Patients received radiotherapy 45 Gy in 25 fractions over 5 weeks and capecitabine 825 mg/m(2) twice daily throughout radiotherapy. Surgery was performed 5-7 weeks after radiotherapy. The primary endpoint was pathological complete response, secondary endpoints were downstaging and tolerability. Results: Fifty-one patients were enrolled in a phase II study, median age 62 years (range 35-78). Sixty-three percent of tumours involved the lower third of the rectum, 45% were fixed. The median delivered radiotherapy dose was 44.8 Gy (range 39.6-45.0 Gy) over 33-49 days. The treatment-related grade 3 adverse events were diarrhoea (12%), skin reactions (8%) and asthenia (8%), with no grade 4 toxicity. Fifty patients underwent surgery (29 conservative) and 1 patient refused. The pathological complete response rate was 20% and a further 10% of patients had minimal residual disease. Additional tumour downstaging was seen in 28% of patients and the sphincter preservation rate was 58%. Conclusions: Preoperative capecitabine chemoradiation is well tolerated and its efficacy supports further exploration, both as a single agent and as part of new therapeutic strategies. Copyright (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Share This