Impact of intraluminal brachytherapy on survival outcome for radiation therapy for unresectable biliary tract cancer: a propensity-score matched-pair analysis.

Purpose: To determine whether adding intraluminal brachytherapy (ILBT) to definitive radiation therapy (RT) for unresectable biliary tract cancer has a positive impact on survival outcome.

Methods And Materials: The original cohort comprised 209 patients, including 153 who underwent external beam RT (EBRT) alone and 56 who received both ILBT and EBRT. By matching propensity scores, 56 pairs (112 patients) consisting of 1 patient with and 1 patient without ILBT were selected.

Factors influencing survival outcome for radiotherapy for biliary tract cancer: a multicenter retrospective study.

Purpose: To seek for the possible factors influencing overall survival (OS) with radiotherapy (RT) for biliary tract cancer.

Materials And Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from RT database of 31 institutions in Japan. All patients underwent at least external beam RT.

Patterns of radiotherapy practice for biliary tract cancer in Japan: results of the Japanese radiation oncology study group (JROSG) survey.

Background: The patterns of radiotherapy (RT) practice for biliary tract cancer (BTC) in Japan are not clearly established.

Methods: A questionnaire-based national survey of RT used for BTC treatment between 2000 and 2011 was conducted by the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group. Detailed information was collected for 555 patients from 31 radiation oncology institutions.

Tumor response after low-dose preoperative radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy for squamous cell esophageal carcinoma.

Aim: Patients with T3 or more squamous cell esophageal cancer underwent low-dose preoperative radiotherapy with chemotherapy, to reduce local recurrence, followed by surgery. The aim was to ascertain tumor response and assess prognostic factors.

Patients And Methods: Between May 2002 and June 2011, 37 consecutive patients with esophageal cancer underwent chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery.

Preliminary results of radiotherapy for primary intraocular non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the efficacy of radiotherapy for primary intraocular non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PIOL). Between May 1998 and October 2010, 22 immunocompetent patients (four men, 18 women; median age 70 years, range 53-79 years) were diagnosed with PIOL. Magnetic resonance imaging showed no intracranial involvement in any patient.

Significance of the number of brain metastases for identifying patients who don't need whole brain radiotherapy: implication as oligometastases of the brain.

Background And Purpose: To investigate the significance of the number of brain metastases in the treatment with stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) with or without whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT).

Material And Methods: Between February 2003 and October 2010, 218 consecutive patients with brain metastases who underwent SRT alone or WBRT plus SRT were investigated. The prognostic factors affecting overall survival and brain progression-free survival were analyzed by multivariate and univariate analysis.

Selective intraarterial chemoradiation therapy for oropharyngeal carcinoma with high-dose cisplatin.

Purpose: Cisplatin has shown a high tumor response rate among head and neck carcinomas, and the tumor response is related to the cisplatin dosage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of selective intraarterial chemoradiation therapy for oropharyngeal carcinomas with high-dose cisplatin.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study consisted of 21 patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma, stages II-IVB, in whom intraarterial chemoradiation therapy was performed between 2000 and 2008.

Preliminary results of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy after cyst drainage for craniopharyngioma in adults.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) for craniopharyngioma.

Methods And Materials: Between 1999 and 2005, 16 patients with craniopharyngioma were referred to Tokyo Medical University Hospital. They received FSRT alone after histologic confirmation by needle biopsy and underwent cyst drainage via endoscopy.

Diagnosis of uveal malignant melanoma by a new semiquantitative assessment of N-isopropyl-p-[123I]-iodoamphetamine.

Purpose: To semiquantify the uptake of N-isopropyl-p-[(123)I]-iodoamphetamine (I-123 IMP) in patients with uveal malignant melanoma reproducibly and objectively.

Methods: Fifty-two patients were examined. Twenty-nine patients had malignant melanoma (group A), three were clinically diagnosed with metastatic choroidal tumor, and 20 patients were given either histological or clinical diagnoses of either benign pigmented lesion or tumor (group B).

Postoperative external beam radiotherapy for resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma: impact of chemotherapy on local control and survival.

Aim: To analyze retrospectively the results of postoperative external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Patients And Methods: The records of 47 patients treated with gross complete resection (R0: 24 patients, R1: 23 patients) and post-operative EBRT were reviewed. The median dose of EBRT was 50 Gy (range, 12-60 Gy), and chemotherapy was used in 37 patients (78.

Results of radiation therapy for superficial esophageal cancer using the standard radiotherapy method recommended by the Japanese Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (JASTRO) Study Group.

Background: Superficial esophageal cancer (SEC) is defined as esophageal cancer limited to the submucosal layers, including mucosal cancer and submucosal cancer, and is squamous cell carcinoma in most patients. In 2000, the Japanese Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (JASTRO) Study Group for SEC published a consensus guideline of standard radiotherapy methods. In this study, the interim treatment outcomes of SEC patients, who had received radiation therapy following the standard radiotherapy methods, were investigated.

Two cases of stereotactic radiosurgical boost as an initial treatment for young nasopharyngeal cancer patients.

Case 1: A 14-year-old boy with nasopharyngeal cancer (T4N0M0) was treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) as a boost therapy after conventional radiotherapy. Persistent residual tumor visible with MR remained after conventional radiotherapy comprising 59.6 Gy in total.

[Second malignancies following radiotherapy: an analysis of 54 cases accumulated by mail survey in Japan].

The increasing incidence of second malignant neoplasms after radiotherapy, while due in part to increasing numbers of survivors, is also thought to be related to new modalities of radiotherapy and/or increasingly more intensive combined modality treatment. From a mail survey conducted in 2000 concerning secondary neoplasms following radiotherapy, 62 patients were collected from 22 hospitals in Japan. The following patients were excluded: benign (4 cases) or unknown (2) first primary diseases, unknown histology of a second malignancy (1), and short latent period (from initial radiotherapy to diagnosis of second neoplasm) (1).

[Study on the most appropriate time for Romurtide administration (Nopia) in radiotherapy patients].

The most appropriate time for administration was studied based on examination of the total number of leukocytes, differential white blood count, and the number of platelets in 30 cases in which 200 micrograms Romurtide (Nopia) was injected subcutaneously on the day of radiotherapy, 5 times a week, for 2 weeks, totally 10 times because leukopenia was caused during treatment with radiotherapy. It was recognized that the number of leukocytes, mainly neutrophils, increased from 1 week after starting administration of Romurtide to after the completion of administration (2 weeks after administration), except 1 week after completion of administration. The increasing effect in the number of platelets was not recognized, and it had decreased from at the completion of administration to 1 week after the completion of administration of Romurtide.

[CT evaluation of the pelvic cavity after total cystectomy].

CT scans were performed 40 times in 28 postcystectomy patients to identify the type and location of tumor recurrence. Sixteen patients showed tumor recurrence. Patients without recurrence showed a complete symmetric pelvis and a thin string that looked like an operation scar.

[Combined radiotherapy and resection in carcinoma of the lung].

To evaluate the therapeutic effect of surgery combined with radiotherapy in lung cancer, 385 operative cases, and 308 received combined treatment, were analyzed. The 5-year survival rate of T3 cases among pTNM-stage III cases undergoing surgery was 2.4% (1/42), while that of cases receiving combined radiotherapy was 18.