Concurrent radio-chemotherapy with docetaxel and cisplatinum in inoperable or relapsed head and neck cancer.

Usually head and neck cancer is treated with combined therapy, applying surgery, if possible, and then radiotherapy and chemotherapy in a sequential or concomitant way. Sequential approach seems to be preferred, because of the high toxicity rate of concomitant therapy. Platinum compounds and 5-fluorouracil are the standard drugs, but new drugs are entering therapeutic arena: gemcitabine and taxanes are the most promising ones.

Concurrent chemo-radiotherapy with taxotere and cisplatin in head and neck cancer: a feasibility study.

Background: For many years surgery was the cornerstone of treatment for head and neck cancers and radiotherapy was the treatment of choice in adjuvant and advanced inoperable settings. Recently, induction sequential chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy has shown good tolerability and has prolonged the median overall survival. This phase II trial explored the feasibility of the concurrent association with radiotherapy of a full-dose chemotherapy based on an original schedule of docetaxel and cisplatin.

Measures of late effects in conservative treatment of breast cancer with standard or hypofractionated radiotherapy.

Aims And Background: To confirm the equivalence in terms of late effects between two fractionation schedules of radiotherapy in conservative treatment of breast cancer.

Methods: Fifty-eight patients treated at our institution from 1999 to 2002, with a median follow-up of 15 months (range, 7-46 months), were evaluated retrospectively. Twenty-nine patients (group A) were treated with standard fractionation: 5000 cGy/25fx/5 weeks, and 29 patients (group B) were treated with a hypofractionated schedule: 4500 cGy/15fx/5 weeks, three fractions per week.

Intra-bone marrow injection of bone marrow and cord blood cells: an alternative way of transplantation associated with a higher seeding efficiency.

Objective: Intravenous (IV) injection is currently the normal method for transplanting hematopoietic cells. However, the problem of seeding efficiency and homing is relevant especially when a limited number of stem cells is available. Intra-bone marrow (IBM) injection of bone marrow cells (BMCs) may overcome this problem.

Total body irradiation correlates with chronic graft versus host disease and affects prognosis of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia receiving an HLA identical allogeneic bone marrow transplant.

Purpose: To investigate whether different procedure variables involved in the delivery of fractionated total body irradiation (TBI) impact on prognosis of patients affected by acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receiving allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT).

Methods And Materials: Ninety-three consecutive patients with ALL receiving a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) identical allogeneic BMT between 1 August 1983 and 30 September 1995 were conditioned with the same protocol consisting of cyclophosphamide and fractionated TBI. The planned total dose of TBI was 12 Gy (2 Gy, twice a day for 3 days).