Acta oncologica
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Case-control studies and short term prospective studies have suggested that selected groups of patients with precursors of colorectal cancer may benefit from colonoscopic surveillance after initial removal of adenomas. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate such a possible benefit from long term (1-24 years) colonoscopic surveillance in a population of patients with all types of adenomas regardless of size and way of removal. Two thousand and forty-one patients with a first time diagnosis of colorectal adenoma were included in prospective surveillance between year 1978 and 2002. ⋯ A total of 6 289 colonoscopies resulted in severe complications in 20 patients and two died from complications. Long-term colonoscopic surveillance may reduce incidence of CRC as well as mortality in patients with sporadic adenomas. The benefit is reduced to a minor degree by complications from surveillance.
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Cancer rehabilitation programs mainly involve endurance training, and little attention is paid to strength training. Cancer survivors are generally advised to train at much lower workloads than the standard guidelines for strength training suggest. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an 18-week high-intensity strength training program in cancer survivors. ⋯ We conclude that a supervised, high-intensity strength training program seems to be an effective means to improve muscle strength, cardiopulmonary function, and HRQOL and should be incorporated in cancer rehabilitation programs. Further randomized trials are needed to confirm the results.
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Widespread acceptance of breast conserving surgery for early breast cancer has led to renewed interest in multifocality, which is seen in 13-63% of breast cancers. According to current guidelines, oestrogen/progesterone receptor status is assessed on the sample obtained at initial core biopsy or the main tumour focus in multifocal breast cancer (more than one distinct tumour focus in a quadrant). We assessed receptor status of individual foci in multifocal breast cancer. ⋯ Sixteen patients (88%) were oestrogen receptor-positive. Progesterone receptor staining showed more variability between foci in two patients but, since the tumours were oestrogen receptor-positive this would not have affected clinical decision-making. No major differences in oestrogen receptor status between multiple tumour foci in the same quadrant were found in this pilot study.
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Addition of thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) to chemotherapy (CHT) can increase overall survival in patients with small cell lung cancer limited-disease (SCLC-LD). Accelerated fractionation and early concurrent platinum-based CHT, in combination with prophylactic cranial irradiation, represent up-front treatment for this group of patients. Optimised and tailored local and systemic treatment is important. ⋯ Medica survival was 20.8 months with no significant difference between the two groups. In conclusion, TRT with a total dose of 60 to 45 Gy is feasible with comparable toxicity and no difference in local control or survival. Distant metastasis is the main cause of death in this disease; the future challenge is thus further improvement of the systemic therapy combines with optimised local TRT.
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Review Practice Guideline
Techniques of tumour bed boost irradiation in breast conserving therapy: current evidence and suggested guidelines.
Breast conservation surgery followed by external beam radiotherapy to breast has become the standard of care in management of early carcinoma breast. A boost to the tumour bed after whole breast radiotherapy is employed in view of the pattern of tumour bed recurrences in the index quadrant and was particularly considered in patients with some adverse histopathological characteristics such as positive margins, extensive intraductal carcinoma (EIC), lymphovascular invasion dose in patients even without such factors and for all age groups. The maximum absolute reduction of local recurrences by the addition of boost is especially seen in young premenopausal patients. ⋯ A widespread application of these techniques might ultimately translate into improved local control with minimal cosmetic deficit. The present article discusses the role of radiotherapy boost and the means to delineate and deliver the same, identify the high risk group, optimal technique and the doses and fractionations to be used. It also discusses the extent of adverse cosmetic outcome after boost delivery, means to minimise it and relevance of tumour bed in present day scenario of advanced radiotherapy delivery techniques like Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).