Delineating brachial plexus, cochlea, pharyngeal constrictor muscles and optic chiasm in head and neck radiotherapy: a CT-based model atlas.

Background And Purpose: Sparing of the organs at risk is one of the primary end-points of radiotherapy. The effects of organ-at-risk delineation on the dosimetric parameters can be critical and can influence treatment planning and outcomes. The aim of our study was to provide anatomical boundaries for the identification and delineation of the following critical organs at risk in the head and neck district: brachial plexus, cochlea, pharyngeal constrictor muscles and optic chiasm.

Parotid glands in whole-brain radiotherapy: 2D versus 3D technique for no sparing or sparing.

Purpose: Whole-brain radiotherapy is performed as standard therapy in patients with multiple brain metastases and in patients with more favourable prognosis such as lymphoma and small-cell lung carcinoma in the prophylactic setting. Because of the prognosis and the total prescribed dose, the parotid glands are not usually regarded as an organ at risk in whole-brain radiotherapy. Long-term survival can be expected in some of these patients and late toxicity can be observed, becoming essential to evaluate organs at risk, particularly the parotid glands even in metastatic patients.

Developing a decision-making model based on an interdisciplinary oncological care group for the management of colorectal cancer.

Aim: To report our experience on implementation and preliminary results of a decision-making model based on the recommendations of an Interdisciplinary Oncological Care Group developed for the management of colorectal cancer.

Patients And Methods: The multidisciplinary team identified a reference guideline using appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation (AGREE) tool based on a sequential assessment of the guideline quality. Thereafter, internal guidelines with diagnostic and therapeutic management for early, locally advanced and metastatic colonic and rectal cancer were drafted; organizational aspects, responsibility matrices, protocol actions for each area of specialty involved and indicators for performing audits were also defined.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positivity predicts locoregional recurrence in patients with T1-T2 breast cancer.

Aim: To determine the impact of biological subtypes defined by hormonal receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 status on risk of recurrence in women with invasive breast cancer treated with breast-conserving therapy.

Patients And Methods: Between 2001-2005, we observed 590 women with invasive breast cancer. They underwent conservative surgery, adjuvant radiotherapy and hormonotherapy or chemotherapy.

Postoperative 5-FU based radiochemotherapy in rectal cancer: retrospective long term results and prognostic factors of a pooled analysis on 1,338 patients.

Aim: To evaluate survival outcomes of patients in pStage II-III rectal cancer treated with adjuvant 5-fluorouracil-based radiochemotherapy and to retrospectively analyze the impact of prognostic variables on local control, metastasis-free survival and cause-specific survival.

Patients And Methods: A total of 1,338 patients, treated between 1985-2005 for locally advanced rectal cancer, who underwent surgery and postoperative 5-fluorouracil-based chemoradiation, were selected.

Results: The actuarial 5- and 10-year outcomes were: local control 87.