Long-term outcomes of definitive radiation with volumetric modulated arc therapy and concurrent chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the anus in a regional Australian cancer centre.

Introduction: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the standard of care in the curative intent treatment of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anus. Volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) is a highly conformal radiation therapy technique that has been implemented to reduce toxicity for these patients. However, there are few reports evaluating the long-term outcomes of VMAT.

Evaluating delays in patients treated with post-operative radiation therapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Introduction: Delays in commencing post-operative radiation therapy (PORT) and prolongation of overall treatment times (OTT) are associated with reduced overall survival and higher recurrence rates in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The objective of this study was to evaluate treatment delays, factors contributing to those delays and to explore strategies to mitigate them.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with mucosal HNSCC at Townsville University Hospital treated with curative intent surgery and PORT between June 2011 and June 2019.