The impact of radiotherapy on symptoms, anxiety and QoL in patients with cancer.

Aim: To evaluate prospectively disease- and treatment-related symptoms, anxiety and quality of life (QoL), in patients with different types of cancer undergoing external-beam radiotherapy (RT) and examine the relationship among them, at baseline and at the end of the treatment.

Patients And Methods: This study included 90 patients with cancer. Patients' QoL was evaluated using the Linear Analog Scale Assessment (LASAs) questionnaire, anxiety was measured with the Spielberger state and trait inventory (STAI), while symptoms were assessed using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI).

Muscle metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary tumor of the liver. Disease dissemination occurs through hematogenous routes and frequently involves the lungs, bone, adrenal glands, and pancreas. The patterns of the extrahepatic manifestations are diverse.

Bilateral metastases to extraocular muscles from lobular breast carcinoma.

Background: Metastastic carcinoma to extraocular muscles is extremely rare, but even more so is the case of a bilateral one.

Case Report: A 50-year-old woman with a history of mastectomy for a T4N1M0 right breast carcinoma was referred to us with diplopia due to bilateral extraocular muscle metastases, 5 years post mastectomy. Multiple metastases to the whole body were also present.

Phase II study of temozolomide and concomitant whole-brain radiotherapy in patients with brain metastases from solid tumors.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and possible toxicity of the combination of temozolomide (TMZ) with whole-brain irradiation (WBI) in the treatment of brain metastases from solid tumors.

Patients And Methods: 33 patients with brain metastases were included in the study and treated with TMZ 60 mg/m2/day (days 1-16) concomitantly with WBI (36 Gy/12 fractions given in 16 days). One month after the end of radiotherapy, 6 cycles of TMZ were administered as adjuvant treatment (200 mg/m2/day for 5 consecutive days every 28 days).

Solitary brain metastasis from classic biphasic pulmonary blastoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Classic biphasic pulmonary blastoma (CBPB) is a rare and aggressive primary malignancy, brain metastases of this type of tumor are even rarer.

Case Report: A 51-year-old male patient with a solitary cerebral metastasis, diagnosed ten months after left pneumonectomy for a CBPB, was treated by surgery and accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy.

Results: The patient died 15 months after partial removal of the brain metastasis.

Could intensified treatment in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia improve outcome independently of risk factors?

Purpose: Many risk-directed therapeutic protocols have been proposed in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the relapse rates remain high. The effectiveness of each protocol depends on how quickly the clearance of blast cells is achieved.

Duration of bisphosphonate treatment: results of a non-randomised study in patients previously treated with local irradiation for bone metastases from breast cancer.

Purpose: To assess whether disodium pamidronate (DP) once started should be given life-long in women with lytic bone metastases.

Patients And Methods: One hundred and three women with breast cancer who had at least one osteolytic lesion received 180 mg of DP as a 2-h intravenous infusion given every 4 weeks for a life-time, following local radiotherapy. After six cycles, 26 out of 103 patients (25%) refused to continue their bisphosphonate-treatment.

The cytoprotective effect of amifostine in acute radiation dermatitis: a retrospective analysis.

To study the impact of amifostine as a cytoprotective agent against acute radiation dermatitis, we reviewed 220 patient records. One hundred cancer patients, with tumors localised in the pelvis (bladder, rectum, prostatic carcinomas, or gynecological cancer), who received radiotherapy and cytoprotective treatment with intravenous infusion of amifostine (group A) were included in this study. Retrospectively, we randomly selected from a database in our hospital 120 historical controls, who received only radiotherapy without cytoprotection (group B).