Survival and Toxicity Following Chemoradiation for Carcinoma of the Cervix - Impact of Multiple-phase Treatment and Shielding.

Aim: We report on outcomes and significant grade 3-4 late toxicities between January 1999 and October 2006 following introduction of multi-phase treatment and effect of shielding in treatment of cervical cancer with concurrent chemoradiation.

Patients And Methods: Radiotherapy dose by phase, recurrence, survival and toxicity data was collated by a retrospective review of clinical notes. Shielding information was retrieved from original planning films.

Chemotherapy for Uterine Carcinosarcoma with Carboplatin, Ifosfamide and Mesna.

Background/aim: Uterine carcinosarcomas (UCSs) are highly aggressive, rare, biphasic tumors composed of epithelial and mesenchymal elements. Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment in early-stage disease. Adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy improves locoregional control without proven overall survival (OS) benefit.

Chemotherapy for advanced endometrial cancer with carboplatin and epirubicin.

Unlabelled: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in the Western world. In early-stage disease, surgery remains the mainstay of treatment. Adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy reduces the risk of pelvic recurrence, however, without improvement in overall survival.

Unilateral onycholysis in a patient taking erlotinib (Tarceva).

Targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mediated signalling pathways has become routine practice in the treatment of lung cancer. Erlotinib is an oral EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, licensed for maintenance monotherapy treatment in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer after first-line chemotherapy. The authors present the case of a 51-year-old patient who had an excellent response to erlotinib, but developed unilateral onycholysis as an unusual side effect.

The role of somatostatin analogues in the treatment of advanced malignant thymomas: case report and review of the literature.

Thymomas are the most common tumours of the anterior mediastinum; their clinical course is often complicated by accompanying autoimmune and paraneoplastic syndromes. Advanced malignant thymoma is particularly challenging to manage owing to the lack of evidence from randomised trials to guide treatment. Combination first-line chemotherapy has been trialled in several small studies and has been reported to produce a 50-80% response with platinum-containing regimes.

Is there a role for adjuvant hysterectomy after suboptimal concurrent chemoradiation in cervical carcinoma?

Aims: Failure to carry out intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT) in cervical carcinoma results in suboptimal chemoradiation and increases the risk of recurrence. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of adjuvant hysterectomy after unsuccessful ICBT.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out of all women referred with cervical carcinoma between January 1999 and July 2007 where ICBT insertion was unsuccessful after the initial chemoradiation.

A phase II clinical trial of gemcitabine and split dose cisplatin in advanced non-small cell lung cancer in an outpatient setting.

In response to increasing pressure on inpatient services and a meta-analysis indicating that cisplatin (C) is superior to carboplatin, we report a phase II trial of gemcitabine (G) and split-dose C in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in an outpatient setting. Patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC received: G/C 1250/40 mg/m(2); G and C were given on day (d) 1 and d8 in a 21d cycle. Patients with performance status 0-2, adequate bone marrow function and calculated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) >50 ml/min were eligible.

Managing a locally advanced malignant thymoma complicated by nephrotic syndrome: a case report.

Introduction: The management of locally advanced inoperable malignant thymoma is difficult as there are no large randomized clinical trial data to guide treatment. However various case series have shown that malignant thymoma is often a chemosensitive disease. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy has been the gold-standard in the management of these patients.

Malignant transformation within a dermoid cyst: a case report and literature review.

Malignant transformation within a dermoid cyst is a rare event. The most common transformation is to squamous cell carcinoma. Patients are often elderly and present with advanced disease.

Gastric irradiation for low-grade MALT lymphoma of the stomach: report of two cases and review of the literature.

We report the case history of two patients treated with primary gastric irradiation for localized low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma of the stomach that failed to respond to anti-Helicobacter pylori antibiotics. One patient refused gastrectomy and the other was considered unfit for surgery. Both patients obtained a biopsy-confirmed complete response and are well and disease free after a median follow-up time of 28 months.