radiotherapy – Page 11 – Oral Cancer News

Quality of life of patients with tongue cancer 1 year after surgery

Source: www.joms.org Authors: Zhao-hui Yang et al. Purpose: To study the changes and factors affecting the quality of life (QOL) of patients with tongue cancer 1 year after primary surgery. Patients and Methods: A total of 289 consecutive patients with tongue cancer who had undergone primary surgery from 2003 to 2008 at our hospital were recruited. Patient QOL was evaluated using the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire, version 4. Statistical analysis was conducted using a paired-samples t test and multiple stepwise linear regression with Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 11.5 (SPSS, Chicago, IL). Results: At 1 year after surgery, the appearance, activity, speech, swallowing, shoulder function, salivary, and taste domain scores were significantly lower than the preoperative scores (P

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-19T09:25:36-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Molecular imaging allows individualized ‘dose painting’ for head and neck cancers

Source: www.eurekalert.org Author: public release According to research revealed at Society of Nuclear Medecine's 57th Annual Meeting, a multi-tracer molecular imaging technique using positron emission tomography (PET) provides detailed information about the physiological processes of cancerous tumors—and could one day help radiation oncologists treat head and neck cancers with precision external-beam radiation therapy and improve the outcomes of therapy. "The research that we are conducting with Philips is extending the use of molecular imaging for radiotherapy planning, moving closer to more personalized treatment of hard-to-treat cancers based on the biology of each individual patient's tumor," said Kristi Hendrickson, Ph.D., lead author of the study and medical physicist at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, Wash. "By modeling the data acquired from PET scans, we can potentially reduce damage to surrounding healthy tissue, as well as provide the ability to do 'dose painting,' delivering a highly customized form of radiation therapy for each patient." Cancers of the head and neck are notoriously difficult to treat, not only because of their proximity to sensitive anatomical structures, but also because of their tendency to recur. Researchers are working to find the best way to image these tumors in order to provide the most effective treatment. Several forms of radiation therapy are currently available. An approach called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a sophisticated technique which is used to maximize dose delivery to tumors while sparing adjacent normal tissues such as the salivary glands. This therapy uses an external beam of radiation [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-07T15:05:46-07:00June, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

ASCO: Second study links HPV to mouth cancer outcomes

Source: www.medpagetoday.com/ Author: Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection predicts a better chance of survival in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, researchers said. In a retrospective analysis of a major radiation therapy trial, more than four-fifths of patients whose tumors were HPV-positive were alive three years after treatment, according to Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, of Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues. In contrast, fewer than six of 10 patients with HPV-negative tumors were still alive at the three-year mark, Gillison and colleagues reported online in the New England Journal of Medicine, in an article released to coincide with a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting here. The study follows a report earlier at the meeting that found a similar pattern among patients enrolled in a chemotherapy trial. The virus is, of course, well known to cause cervical cancer. The New England Journal study adds to the evidence that "HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma represents a distinct clinicopathological entity associated with a better prognosis than HPV-negative oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma," said Douglas Lowy, MD, of the NIH, and Karl Munger, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Writing in an accompanying editorial, Lowy and Munger argued that if the diseases are distinct, "their treatment or prevention might benefit from different approaches." One possibility, they said, would be to target HPV proteins to treat the disease in some patients, while prevention might involve vaccination against the virus. Gillison and colleagues looked at the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-06-07T16:09:05-07:00June, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Clinical outcomes for T1-2N0-1 oral tongue cancer patients underwent surgery with and without postoperative radiotherapy

Source: 7thspace.com Authors: Su Jung Shim et al. Background: The aim of this study was to assess the results of curative surgery with and without radiotherapy in patients with T1-2N0-1 oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to evaluate survival and prognostic factors. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 86 patients with T1-2N0-1 OSCC who received surgery between January 2000 and December 2006. Fourteen patients (16.3%) received postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). Patient characteristics, tumor characteristics, treatment modality, failure patterns, and survival rates were analyzed. Results: The median follow-up was 45 months. The five-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 80.8% and 80.2%, respectively. Higher tumor grade and invasion depth [greater than or equal to] 0.5 cm were the significant prognostic factors affecting five-year OS and DFS (OS rate; 65% vs. 91%, p = 0.001 for grade; 66% vs. 92%, p = 0.01 for invasion depth: DFS rate; 69% vs. 88%, p = 0.005 for grade; 66% vs. 92%, p = 0.013 for invasion depth). In the risk group, there was no local failure in patients with postoperative radiotherapy. Conclusions: In T1-2N0-1 OSCC, factors that affected prognosis after primary surgery were higher tumor grade and deep invasion depth over 0.5 cm. Postoperative radiotherapy should be considered in early oral tongue cancer patients with these high-risk pathologic features. Authors: Su Jung Shim, Jihye Cha, Woong Sub Koom, Gwi Eon Kim, Chang Geol Lee, Eun Chang Choi, Ki Chang Keum Source: Radiation Oncology 2010, 5:43

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-05-27T07:56:08-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Critical impact of radiotherapy protocol compliance and quality in the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer

Source: Stanford University Author: Staff Departments of Radiation Oncology and Medical Oncology, and Centre for Biostatistics and Clinical Trials, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital General Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, North Worcester, MA; Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; Department of Radiation Oncology, Genolier Swiss Medical Network, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Radiation Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France; Quality Assurance Review Center, Providence, RI. PURPOSE To report the impact of radiotherapy quality on outcome in a large international phase III trial evaluating radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin plus tirapazamine for advanced head and neck cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS The protocol required interventional review of radiotherapy plans by the Quality Assurance Review Center (QARC). All plans and radiotherapy documentation underwent post-treatment review by the Trial Management Committee (TMC) for protocol compliance. Secondary review of noncompliant plans for predicted impact on tumor control was performed. Factors associated with poor protocol compliance were studied, and outcome data were analyzed in relation to protocol compliance and radiotherapy quality. Results At TMC review, 25.4% of the patients had noncompliant plans but none in which QARC-recommended changes had been made. At secondary review, 47% of noncompliant plans (12% overall) had deficiencies with a predicted major adverse impact on tumor control. Major deficiencies were unrelated to tumor subsite or to T or N stage (if N+), [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-05-27T07:47:24-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Radiation planning reduces dysphagia in oropharyngeal cancer

Source: www.medscape.com Author: Nick Mulcahy In patients with oropharyngeal cancer, modifying radiotherapy to spare swallowing structures appears to be an effective strategy to reduce the long-term dysphagia that accompanies chemoradiotherapy, according to a small longitudinal study. Importantly, the strategy did not come at the expense of locoregional control, report investigators in a study published online April 26 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dysphagia has emerged as perhaps the most important late adverse effect in this setting, supplanting xerostomia, said the study's senior author, Avraham Eisbruch, MD, professor of radiation oncology at the University of Michigan Medical School and Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ann Arbor. "Aggressive chemoradiotherapy approaches produce more dysphagia than in the past," he told Medscape Oncology. Meanwhile, the late adverse effect of xerostomia is on the wane, because the use of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has allowed radiation oncologists to spare most patients' salivary glands from radiation, he said. To address the problem of dysphagia, Dr. Eisbruch and colleagues at the University of Michigan used IMRT in combination with chemotherapy. Their treatment planning for 73 patients with stages III to IV oropharyngeal cancer included sparing any swallowing structure that did not have tumor involvement. The structures included pharyngeal constrictors, glottic and supraglottic larynx, and esophagus. One year after concurrent chemotherapy and IMRT, all 73 of the patients had either absent or minimal observer-rated dysphagia (scores, 0 to 1), with the exception of 4 people: 1 who was feeding-tube dependent and 3 who required a soft diet. The results [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-05-19T20:47:25-07:00May, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Radiotherapy: the unsung hero of cancer care, say experts

Source: news.oneindia.in Author: staff Experts at the world's leading cancer charity have said that radiotherapy, which is a crucial cancer treatment, is often the unsung hero of cancer care. Although surgery is often the first-line of treatment and anti-cancer drugs make more headlines, radiotherapy zaps cancer cells, complements chemotherapy, relieves symptoms and shrinks tumors before surgery. In fact, four out of ten cancer patients who have beaten the disease receive the treatment at some point - and 120,000 people in the UK benefit from radiotherapy every year. But despite its benefits, it still has a slightly scary reputation, possibly because as it destroys cancer cells with a beam of high-energy rays, radiotherapy - like other cancer treatments - can also damage healthy cells. The treatment can lead to unpleasant reactions on the skin, tiredness, hair loss and mouth ulcers. But over the last 20 years huge strides have been made to improve radiotherapy and reduce these side effects. According to Cancer Research UK, decades of research into improving radiotherapy have made it more effective, sophisticated and targeted than it has ever been - and side effects have been reduced. Just last year, Dr Chris Nutting presented early results from a Cancer Research UK-funded radiotherapy trial called PARSPORT, run by The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Hospital. The trial tested a new cutting edge radiotherapy technique called intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), as mentioned in the video above. Doctors found they were able to target the tumour more accurately [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-04-20T08:34:47-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Accelerated schedule of radiotherapy for HNSCC is more effective than conventional fractionation

Source: Lancet Oncology 4-2010 Author: Staff An accelerated schedule of radiotherapy for squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is more effective than conventional fractionation, and since it does not require additional resources it might be a suitable new global standard baseline treatment for radiotherapy of HNSCC, according to a study published online April 9 in the Lancet Oncology. The findings of the study called the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) trial showed that accelerated radiotherapy (increasing the number of treatments from five to six a week) prevented local disease recurrence and improved disease-free survival, with no increase in late radiation-induced side-effects, in HNSCC patients in resource-limited settings. Jens Overgaard, MD, chief of the experimental clinical oncology department at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and international colleagues from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America recruited 908 patients with HNSCC of the larynx, pharynx and oral cavity who were eligible for curative radiotherapy from Jan. 6, 1999 to March 31, 2004. Patients were randomly assigned to an accelerated schedule of six fractions of radiotherapy per week of 2 Gy (458 patients) or to a conventional radiotherapy schedule of five fractions per week of 2 Gy (450 patients), up to a total dose 66-70 Gy in 33-35 fractions, according to Overgaard and colleagues. The median treatment time was 40 days in the accelerated group and 47 days in the conventional group. Five year locoregional control was 12 percent better in patients given the accelerated regimen (42 percent) compared with [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-04-16T11:09:55-07:00April, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Effects of external irradiation of the neck region on intima media thickness of the common carotid artery

Source: 7thspace.com/headlines Author: staff Several studies have shown that common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is increased after radiotherapy (RT) to the head and neck. However, further studies are needed to define the exact mechanism of radiation-induced injury in large vessels, investigate the relationship between radiation dose and large vessel injury and evaluate the rate of progress of atherosclerosis in irradiated vessels. Objectives: To investigate whether external irradiation to the carotid area has any effect on IMT of the common carotid artery in a group of patients who received RT vs control group matched for age, gender and race. Methods: We studied 19 patients (10 male; 47.8 +/- 17.4 years) during a 5-month period (January 2009- July 2009); they had completed RT with a mean of 2.9 years before (range: 1 month-6 years) The mean radiation dose to the neck in the irradiated patients was 41.2 +/- 15.6 Gy (range: 25-70 Gy). Common carotid IMT was measured with echo-color Doppler. Nineteen healthy adult patients (10 male; 47.8 +/- 17.6) were recruited as a control group. Results: IMT was not significantly higher in patients when compared to the control group (0.59 +/- 0.16 vs 0.56 +/- 0.16 mm, p=0.4). There was no significant difference between the two groups in relation to the absence (p= 0.7) or presence (p= 0.6) of vascular risk factors. Although the difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.1), the irradiated young patients (age [less than or equal to] 52 years) had IMT measurements higher (0.54 +/- 0.08 mm) [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2010-03-21T10:46:21-07:00March, 2010|Oral Cancer News|

Radiotherapy-induced skin changes and quality of life

Source: The Lancet Oncology Author: Julie B Schnur Quality of life is broadly recognized within oncology as an essential component of cancer care and has been studied extensively in patients with breast cancer.1 Yet, among the three pillars of breast cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy), research on radiotherapy-related quality of life has lagged behind. Specifically, the study of quality of life as it relates to normal tissue effects in patients with breast cancer is woefully understudied. The reasons for this relative lack of attention are unclear, but the results are worrying. Insufficient understanding of the effects of radiotherapy on quality of life can impair doctor—patient communication, inhibit therapeutic progress, and limit a patient's understanding of radiotherapy and its outcomes. Therefore, the report of the START trials today in The Lancet Oncology, by Hopwood and colleagues, is much needed. 2 It makes an important contribution to the area of radiotherapy by looking at several aspects of quality of life (breast, arm, and shoulder effects, and body image). In doing so, these researchers show a consideration of the patient's point of view that is too often absent. The study's findings provide a strong foundation for further pursuit of understanding of the patient's experience of adverse skin changes after radiotherapy. Indeed, at least five areas of future research are readily apparent. 40% of women reported moderate or striking concerns for at least one body image item up to 5 years after treatment, and body image concerns did not differ between radiotherapy regimens. [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-03-04T12:20:58-07:00March, 2010|Oral Cancer News|