Intraoperative Electron Radiation Therapy Combined with External Beam Radiation Therapy after Gross Total Resection in Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A European Pooled Analysis.

Introduction: We report a pooled analysis evaluating the combination of gross complete limb-sparing surgery, intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT), and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in patients with extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS).

Methods: Individual data of 259 patients (median follow-up 63 months) with extremity STS from three European expert centers were pooled. Median age was 55 years and median tumor size was 8 cm.

Image-guided volumetric arc radiotherapy of pancreatic cancer with simultaneous integrated boost: Optimization strategies and dosimetric results.

Purpose: To introduce volumetric modulated arc therapy treatments (VMAT) with simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) for pancreatic cancer and describe dosimetric results on a large patient series.

Methods And Materials: 45 patients with pancreatic malignancies were treated with 18 MV single-arc VMAT. Image guidance was performed with daily online kilo-volt cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Patterns of radiotherapy practice for pancreatic cancer: Results of the Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology Study Group multi-institutional survey.

No information is currently available regarding pancreatic cancer (PC) pattern of care in Italy. In the present study, a nationwide survey using a questionnaire was performed to enquire the local standards for PC diagnosis and radiotherapy treatment. Fifty-seven percent of 140 Italian centres completed questionnaire.

Long-term outcome of patients with complete pathologic response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation for cT3 rectal cancer: implications for local excision surgical strategies.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by radical surgery including total mesorectal excision (TME) is standard treatment in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. Emerging data indicate that patients with complete pathologic response (ypCR) after CRT have favorable outcome, suggesting the possibility of less invasive surgical treatment. We analyzed long-term outcome of cT3 rectal cancer treated by neoadjuvant CRT in relation to ypCR and type of surgery.

Dietary habits and risk of pancreatic cancer: an Italian case-control study.

Objective: To investigate the association between dietary habits and pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Between 1991 and 2008, we conducted a hospital-based case-control study in northern Italy.

Cases: 326 patients (median age 63 years) with incident pancreatic cancer admitted to general hospitals in the areas of Milan and Pordenone, northern Italy.

Infusional 5-fluorouracil and ZD1839 (Gefitinib-Iressa) in combination with preoperative radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer: a phase I and II Trial (1839IL/0092).

Purpose: To report the final data of a Phase I and II study (1839IL/0092) on the combination of an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor drug (gefitinib), infusional 5-fluorouracil, and preoperative radiotherapy in locally advanced, resectable rectal cancer.

Methods And Materials: Patients received 45 Gy in the posterior pelvis plus a boost of 5.4 Gy on the tumor and corresponding mesorectum.

Neoadjuvant therapy of rectal cancer new treatment perspectives.

During the past two decades, significant advances have been made in the management of patients with rectal cancer. A number of clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of preoperative chemoradiation therapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based regimens in decreasing local recurrences and improving survival and the likelihood of sphincter preservation. Although 5-FU has been the standard drug used in combination with radiation therapy for many years, new effective drugs including capecitabine, raltitrexed, irinotecan and oxaliplatin have been recently investigated in combination with radiation therapy in the preoperative setting.

Combined modality treatment for locally advanced gastric cancer.

The positive results recently reported by the Intergroup 0116 Study with adjuvant chemoradiation have stimulated an increasing interest in the combined modality treatment of gastric cancer. The significant improvement in disease-free and overall survival reported in this study was related mainly to an improvement in local control rather than to a decrease in the incidence of metastatic disease. Therefore, new and potentially more effective chemotherapy regimens could be considered and the feasibility of their integration with radiation therapy needs to be explored to further improve the treatment in gastric cancer.