Genetic variants of NPAT-ATM and AURKA are associated with an early adverse reaction in the gastrointestinal tract of patients with cervical cancer treated with pelvic radiation therapy.

Purpose: This study sought to associate polymorphisms in genes related to cell cycle regulation or genome maintenance with radiotherapy (RT)-induced an early adverse reaction (EAR) in patients with cervical cancer.

Methods And Materials: This study enrolled 243 cervical cancer patients who were treated with pelvic RT. An early gastrointestinal reaction was graded using the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria, version 2.

Can MRI predict local control rate of uterine cervical cancer immediately after radiation therapy?

Purpose: To evaluate the utility of measuring the volumes of areas of high signal intensity on T(2)-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images immediately after irradiation for predicting the local control rate of uterine cervical cancer.

Materials And Methods: From our departmental database, we identified 109 patients with cervical cancer who underwent MR imaging before irradiation and just before or just after completion of radiation therapy from 1994 to 2007. We included 46 of the 109 patients in this study, 5 patients with local recurrence and 41 patients who were free of disease for more than 2 years.

Malignant myoepithelioma in the maxillary sinus: case report and review of the literature.

Malignant myoepithelioma of the head and neck usually arises in the salivary glands. We experienced a rare case with malignant myoepithelioma in the maxillary sinus. A 47-year-old woman with malignant myoepithelioma in the maxillary sinus underwent partial maxillectomy.

Comparison of tumor regression rate of uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma during external beam and intracavitary radiotherapy.

Purpose: We compared the radioresponse of cervical carcinoma that was closely related to local disease control by the tumor regression rate (RR) during intracavitary radiotherapy (ICRT) and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) on the presumption that ICRT has a stronger treatment impact than EBRT because of its specific dose distribution.

Materials And Methods: A total of 37 patients were treated by EBRT at 45.0 Gy over 5 weeks, followed by high-dose-rate ICRT at 6.

A salvage treatment for solid liver metastasis after radical resection of Klatskin tumour.

Background: Long-term survival has not been described following surgical resection for liver metastasis after radical resection of an advanced hilar bile duct carcinoma (Klatskin tumour). One such patient who developed liver metastasis after radical treatment for stage IVA (pTNM) hilar cholangiocarcinoma has survived 5.5 years after resection of the liver metastasis followed by chemotherapy.

Pathologic radioresponse of preoperatively irradiated invasive thymomas.

Background: We have been applying preoperative radiotherapy (RT) to Masaoka stage III thymomas intending to make surgical resection more complete by reducing mass volume, to prevent possible dissemination caused by surgical manipulation and to get better survival as a result. However, the radioresponses vary from tumor to tumor. We hypothesized that thymoma is a variable radioresponsive tumor depending on pretreatment histology.

Proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent to the porta hepatis.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of proton beam therapy (PBT) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) located adjacent to the porta hepatis.

Methods And Materials: Subjects of the study were 53 patients with HCC located within 2 cm of the main portal vein. All patients had tumor confined to the radiation field with no evidence of metastatic disease.

Classical tandem-source dwelling covering the entire uterus: essential in modern intracavitary radiotherapy for cervical cancer?

Purpose: We investigated whether conventional tandem-source dwelling to cover the entire uterus, classically regarded as the target volume, is necessary in modern intracavitary radiotherapy (ICRT) for cervical cancer.

Materials And Methods: The study included 95 cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients treated by high-dose-rate ICRT (point A dose was 6.0 Gy, with three to five insertions per patient) after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), with central pelvic doses of 12-50 Gy.

Proton irradiation in a single fraction for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with uncontrollable ascites. Technical considerations and results.

Purpose: To present technical considerations and results of proton irradiation in a single fraction for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with uncontrollable ascites.

Patients And Methods: Three HCC patients with uncontrollable ascites underwent proton irradiation of 24 Gy in a single fraction. Hepatic tumors were solitary in two patients, and multiple in one, and tumor sizes were 30, 30, and 33 mm in maximum diameter.

Proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus: report of three cases.

Three patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and inferior vena cava tumor thrombus (IVCTT) were treated using proton beam therapy at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. A total dose of 50-70 Gy in 10-35 fractions was given to the primary tumor and IVCTT. All the patients survived for more than 1 year from the beginning of proton beam therapy (13-55 months) and no treatment-related toxicity of grade 3 or higher was observed.

Explanation for the failure of neoadjuvant chemotherapy to improve outcomes after radiotherapy for locally advanced uterine cervical cancer from the standpoint of the tumor regression rate.

Purpose: Treatment outcomes for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer are no better with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) combined with radiotherapy (RT) than with RT alone. We investigated the reason for this failure from the standpoint of the tumor regression rate (RR).

Materials And Methods: A total of 48 patients with clinical stage IIB-IVA cervical squamous cell carcinoma were treated clinically with cisplatin-based NAC plus RT (n = 15) or RT alone (n = 33).

Hypofractionated high-dose proton beam therapy for stage I non-small-cell lung cancer: preliminary results of a phase I/II clinical study.

Purpose: To present treatment outcomes of hypofractionated high-dose proton beam therapy for Stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods And Materials: Twenty-one patients with Stage I NSCLC (11 with Stage IA and 10 with Stage IB) underwent hypofractionated high-dose proton beam therapy. At the time of irradiation, patient age ranged from 51 to 85 years (median, 74 years).

Proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma patients with severe cirrhosis.

Background And Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with severe cirrhosis are usually treated with supportive care because of their poor prognosis. However, the survival of severe cirrhotic patients has recently improved due to advanced treatments. The aim of this study was to define the role of proton beam therapy for HCC patients with severe cirrhosis.

Sequential evaluation of hepatic functional reserve by 99mTechnetium-galactosyl human serum albumin scintigraphy after proton beam therapy: a report of three cases and a review of the literatures.

The treatment strategy for malignant liver tumors should be appropriately determined because post-treatment quality of life greatly depends on the patients' residual hepatic function. In this report, we present three patients with malignant liver tumors treated by proton beam therapy in whom pre- and post-therapeutic hepatic functional reserves were evaluated sequentially for more than a year by 99mTechnetium-galactosyl human serum albumin (99mTc-GSA) scintigraphy. All three patients exhibited the distinctive time course of 99mTc-GSA uptake efficiency, which suggested a transient decline in the ratio of liver activity to heart and liver activity at 15 minutes (LHL15) 3-6 months after proton beam therapy.

Proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma with limited treatment options.

Background: The authors conducted a retrospective review to define the usefulness of proton beam therapy for patients who had hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with limited treatment options.

Methods: Twenty-one patients with HCC for whom other treatment modalities either were contraindicative or were unfeasible because of coexisting diseases and unfavorable conditions received proton beam therapy. Four patients had renal failure, 2 patients had severe heart disease, 9 patients had severe cirrhosis, 1 patient had aplastic anemia, 1 patient had a dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysm before treatment, and 4 patients had bleeding tendency or unresectable tumors.

Proton beam therapy for invasive bladder cancer: a prospective study of bladder-preserving therapy with combined radiotherapy and intra-arterial chemotherapy.

Purpose: To present outcomes of bladder-preserving therapy with proton beam irradiation in patients with invasive bladder cancer.

Methods And Materials: Twenty-five patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder, cT2-3N0M0, underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor(s), followed by pelvic X-ray irradiation combined with intra-arterial chemotherapy with methotrexate and cisplatin. Upon completion of these treatments, patients were evaluated by transurethral resection biopsy.

Repeated proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the safety and effectiveness of repeated proton beam therapy for newly developed or recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods And Materials: From June 1989 through July 2000, 225 patients with HCC underwent their first course of proton beam therapy at the University of Tsukuba. Of them, 27 with 68 lesions who had undergone two or more courses were retrospectively reviewed in this study.

Predictive factors for the histologic response to preoperative radiotherapy in advanced oral cancer.

Purpose: Preoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy are important in treating advanced oral cancer. We attempted to elucidate predictive factors for the histologic response to preoperative radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Forty-three patients with locally advanced cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx were treated preoperatively with radiotherapy (50 Gy); surgery included modification of the resected area to preserve organ function.

Early determination of uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma radioresponse identifies high- and low-response tumors.

Purpose: To investigate whether early-assessed radioresponse of tumors corresponds with late-assessed radioresponse, which is associated with local disease control in radiotherapy (RT) for cervical cancer.

Methods And Materials: This prospective study included 12 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma treated by RT with or without concurrent cisplatin. Tumor volume was estimated by scheduled magnetic resonance imaging before (preRT), 3 to 4 weeks after (early assessment), and 6 to 7 weeks after (late assessment) RT initiation.

Proton beam therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus.

Background: Treatment modalities for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) are limited and controversial; furthermore, the prognosis for these patients is extremely poor. The authors conducted a retrospective review to determine the role of proton beam therapy in the treatment of patients who had HCC with PVTT.

Methods: Twelve patients with HCC who had tumor thrombus in the main trunk or major branches of the portal vein (clinical T3-T4N0M0) were treated with proton beam therapy.

Preliminary estimation of treatment effect on uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma in terms of tumor regression rate: comparison between chemoradiotherapy and radiotherapy alone.

Purpose: We preliminarily estimated the treatment effect on cervical cancer in terms of the tumor regression rate (TRR) achieved with chemoradiotherapy and radiotherapy alone.

Materials And Methods: The study included cervical squamous cell carcinomas treated by radiotherapy alone (n=45) or chemoradiotherapy (concurrent once-a-week cisplatin 30 mg/m2, n=13). Tumors were measured three-dimensionally on pre- and mid-treatment magnetic resonance images.

Clinical results of proton beam therapy for cancer of the esophagus.

Purpose: To present the results of proton beam therapy for patients with esophageal cancer.

Methods And Materials: This study reviewed 46 patients with esophageal cancer who were treated between 1985 and 1998 using proton beams with or without X-rays. All patients had locoregionally confined disease; all but one had squamous cell carcinoma.

Clinical results of proton beam therapy for skull base chordoma.

Purpose: To evaluate clinical results of proton beam therapy for patients with skull base chordoma.

Methods And Materials: Thirteen patients with skull base chordoma who were treated with proton beams with or without X-rays at the University of Tsukuba between 1989 and 2000 were retrospectively reviewed. A median total tumor dose of 72.