Health-Related Quality of Life, Satisfaction with Care, and Cosmetic Results in Relation to Treatment among Patients with Keratinocyte Cancer in the Head and Neck Area: Results from the PROFILES Registry.

Background: Little is known about the impact of keratinocyte cancer (KC) and its treatment on health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Objectives: The objectives of the present study were (1) to evaluate HRQoL among patients with KC in a population-based setting and compare this with an age- end sex-matched normative population and (2) to compare HRQoL, satisfaction with care, and cosmetic results among patients who underwent conventional excision, Mohs' micrographic surgery, or radiotherapy.

Method: A random sample of 347 patients diagnosed with cutaneous basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck area between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014, were selected from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) and were invited to complete a questionnaire on HRQoL, satisfaction with care, and cosmetic results.

Comparison of 36 Gy, 20 Gy, or No Radiation Therapy After 6 Cycles of EBVP Chemotherapy and Complete Remission in Early-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma Without Risk Factors: Results of the EORT-GELA H9-F Intergroup Randomized Trial.

Purpose: While patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) have an excellent outcome with combined treatment, the radiation therapy (RT) dose and treatment with chemotherapy alone remain questionable. This noninferiority trial evaluates the feasibility of reducing the dose or omitting RT after chemotherapy.

Methods And Materials: Patients with untreated supradiaphragmatic HL without risk factors (age ≥ 50 years, 4 to 5 nodal areas involved, mediastinum-thoracic ratio ≥ 0.

Breast Cancer Risk After Radiation Therapy for Hodgkin Lymphoma: Influence of Gonadal Hormone Exposure.

Background: Young women treated with chest radiation therapy (RT) for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) experience a strongly increased risk of breast cancer (BC). It is unknown whether endogenous and exogenous gonadal hormones affect RT-associated BC risk.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study among female 5-year HL survivors treated before age 41.

Second Cancer Risk Up to 40 Years after Treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Background: Survivors of Hodgkin's lymphoma are at increased risk for treatment-related subsequent malignant neoplasms. The effect of less toxic treatments, introduced in the late 1980s, on the long-term risk of a second cancer remains unknown.

Methods: We enrolled 3905 persons in the Netherlands who had survived for at least 5 years after the initiation of treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Cryopreservation, semen use and the likelihood of fatherhood in male Hodgkin lymphoma survivors: an EORTC-GELA Lymphoma Group cohort study.

Study Question: How does the successful cryopreservation of semen affect the odds of post-treatment fatherhood among Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivors?

Summary Answer: Among 334 survivors who wanted to have children, the availability of cryopreserved semen doubled the odds of post-treatment fatherhood.

What Is Known Already: Cryopreservation of semen is the easiest, safest and most accessible way to safeguard fertility in male patients facing cancer treatment. Little is known about what proportion of patients achieve successful semen cryopreservation.

Health care use among endometrial cancer survivors: a study from PROFILES, a population-based survivorship registry.

Objective: Increasing numbers of endometrial cancer survivors place a high burden on the health care system. This study describes the number of visits to the general practitioner, the medical specialist and other care services, compared with the general population, and factors associated with this health care use: age, marital status, education, body mass index, comorbidity, years since diagnosis, and radiotherapy.

Methods: Survivors of stage I to stage II endometrial cancer diagnosed between 1999 and 2007 were selected from the Eindhoven Cancer Registry.

Follow-up practice in endometrial cancer and the association with patient and hospital characteristics: a study from the population-based PROFILES registry.

Objective: To examine to what extent endometrial cancer survivors experienced follow-up according to the Dutch national guidelines, and to identify associations between follow-up care consumption and socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL), and worry (including fear of recurrence). Patients' preferences with the received follow-up care were also evaluated.

Methods: All patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer FIGO stages I-II between 1999 and 2007, registered in the Eindhoven Cancer Registry (ECR), received a questionnaire including patients' follow-up care consumption, preferences regarding the follow-up schedule, HRQL (SF36 and EORTC-QLQ-EN24), and worry (IOCv2).

A high level of fatigue among long-term survivors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: results from the longitudinal population-based PROFILES registry in the south of the Netherlands.

The course of fatigue and quality of life in survivors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is unknown. The aims of this study were, therefore, to assess fatigue and quality of life in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma following primary treatment, compare fatigue and quality of life in these patients with those of an age- and sex matched normative population to assess the severity of concerns and identify associations with fatigue of survivors who remained fatigued. The population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry was used to select all patients diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma from 1999-2009.

Brachytherapy after external beam radiotherapy and limited surgery preserves bladders for patients with solitary pT1-pT3 bladder tumors.

Background: Several French, Belgian and Dutch radiation oncologists have reported good results with the combination of limited surgery after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) followed by brachytherapy in early-stage muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Patients And Methods: Data from 12 of 13 departments which are using this approach have been collected retrospectively, in a multicenter database, resulting in 1040 patients: 811 males and 229 females with a median age of 66 years, range 28-92 years. Results were analyzed according to tumor stage and diameter, histology grade, age and brachytherapy technique, continuous low-dose rate (CLDR) and pulsed dose rate (PDR).

Health related quality of life and symptoms after pelvic lymphadenectomy or radiotherapy vs. no adjuvant regional treatment in early-stage endometrial carcinoma: a large population-based study.

Objectives: Routine lymphadenectomy (LA) in early stage endometrial cancer does not improve survival. However, in the absence of lymph node metastasis, radiotherapy (RT) could be withheld and hence could result in less morbidity. Our aim was to evaluate health related quality of life (HRQL) in endometrial cancer survivors that received routine pelvic LA without RT compared to no LA, but RT in the presence of risk factors.

Endometrial cancer survivors are unsatisfied with received information about diagnosis, treatment and follow-up: a study from the population-based PROFILES registry.

Objective: To evaluate perceived level of and satisfaction with information received by endometrial cancer survivors, and to identify associations with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics.

Methods: All patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer between 1998 and 2007, registered in the Eindhoven Cancer Registry, received a questionnaire including EORTC-QLQ-INFO25.

Results: Seventy-seven percent responded (n=742).

Use of primary radiotherapy for rectal cancer in the Netherlands between 1997 and 2008: a population-based study.

Aims: To describe variation in the utilisation rates of primary radiotherapy for patients with rectal cancer in the Netherlands, focusing on time trends and age effects.

Materials And Methods: Data on primary non-metastatic rectal cancer were derived from the population-based cancer registries of four comprehensive cancer centres (regions) in the Netherlands (1997-2008, n=13,055).

Results: An increase in the utilisation rate was noted for the four regions, from 37-46% in 1997 to 66-76% in 2008, for both genders.

Mapping use of radiotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer in the Netherlands between 1997 and 2008.

Aim: After the publication of several reports that the utilisation rate of radiotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) varies for both medical and non-medical reasons, the utilisation of radiotherapy was studied in four regions in the Netherlands.

Materials And Methods: Data from 1997-2008 were collected from the population-based cancer registries of four comprehensive cancer centres ('regions'), which represent about half of the Dutch population, resulting in 24 185 non-metastatic patients with NSCLC. Treatment had to be started or planned within 6 months of diagnosis.

Outcome of Endometrial Cancer Stage IIIA with Adnexa or Serosal Involvement Only.

Objective. The aim of this study is to look at possible differences in outcome between serosa and adnexal involvement stage IIIA endometrial carcinoma. Methods.

The impact of treatment, socio-demographic and clinical characteristics on health-related quality of life among Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors: a systematic review.

Cancer survivors are at risk of experiencing adverse physical and psychosocial effects of their cancer and its treatment. Both Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) survivors face problems that can affect their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The authors systematically reviewed the literature on HRQoL among HL and NHL survivors.

Fifteen-year radiotherapy outcomes of the randomized PORTEC-1 trial for endometrial carcinoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the very long-term results of the randomized Post Operative Radiation Therapy in Endometrial Carcinoma (PORTEC)-1 trial for patients with Stage I endometrial carcinoma (EC), focusing on the role of prognostic factors for treatment selection and the long-term risk of second cancers.

Patients And Methods: The PORTEC trial (1990-1997) included 714 patients with Stage IC Grade 1-2 or Stage IB Grade 2-3 EC. After surgery, patients were randomly allocated to external-beam pelvic radiotherapy (EBRT) or no additional treatment (NAT).

An increased utilisation rate and better compliance to guidelines for primary radiotherapy for breast cancer from 1997 till 2008: a population-based study in the Netherlands.

Only scarce data are available on the utilisation rate of primary radiotherapy (RT) for patients with breast cancer. In this study, we compared the use of primary RT for patients with stages I-III breast cancer in 4 of the 9 Dutch Comprehensive Cancer Centres, focussing specifically on time trends as well as age effects. From the population-based cancer registries, we selected all females diagnosed with breast cancer between 1997 and 2008 (N=65,966, about 50% of all Dutch breast cancer patients in this period).

A population-based study on the utilisation rate of primary radiotherapy for prostate cancer in 4 regions in the Netherlands, 1997-2008.

Aim: The purpose was to study variations in utilisation rates of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and brachytherapy (BT) for prostate cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: We calculated the proportion and number of EBRT and BT given or planned within 6 months of diagnosis in 4 Dutch regions, according to stage and age in a population-based setting including 47,259 prostate cancer patients diagnosed from 1997 until 2008.

Results: During this study period, the overall utilisation rate of EBRT remained stable at around 25%, while the rate of BT for non-metastasized patients increased from 1% (95% CI:0-1%) to 12% (11-13%) in 2006 and slightly decreased towards 10% (9-11%) in 2008.

Adherence to national guidelines for treatment and outcome of endometrial cancer stage I in relation to co-morbidity in southern Netherlands 1995-2008.

Background: Endometrial cancer (EC) occurs more frequently amongst women over 60years old, who often also suffer from co-morbidity. Since treatment guidelines are derived from clinical trials that usually exclude such patients, nevertheless these guidelines are also applied for older EC patients. We assessed the independent influence of age and co-morbidity on treatment modalities and survival of patients with stage I EC in everyday clinical practice, thereby also examining the implementation of Dutch guidelines on treatment, since 2000.

Long-term outcome and quality of life of patients with endometrial carcinoma treated with or without pelvic radiotherapy in the post operative radiation therapy in endometrial carcinoma 1 (PORTEC-1) trial.

Purpose: To determine the long-term outcome and health-related quality of life (HRQL) of patients with endometrial carcinoma (EC) treated with or without pelvic radiotherapy in the Post Operative Radiation Therapy in Endometrial Carcinoma 1 (PORTEC-1) trial.

Patients And Methods: Between 1990 and 1997, 714 patients with stage IC grade 1 to 2 or IB grade 2 to 3 EC were randomly allocated to pelvic external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or no additional treatment (NAT). HRQL was evaluated with the Short Form 36-Item (SF-36) questionnaire; subscales from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) PR25 module for bowel and bladder symptoms and the OV28 and CX24 modules for sexual symptoms; and demographic questions.

Neoadjuvant radiotherapy of primary irresectable unicentric Castleman's disease: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Castleman disease (CD) is a rare benign disorder characterised by hyperplasia of lymphoid tissue that may develop at a single site or throughout the body. The etiology of this disorder is unclear, although the histopathological presentation can be differentiated into a hyaline vascular variant, a plasma cell variant and a mixed variant. Clinically, it has been recorded that 3 manifestations of CD are characterized: a localized unicentric type, a generalized multicentric type and a mixed form.

The number of metastatic sites for stage IIIA endometrial carcinoma, endometrioid cell type, is a strong negative prognostic factor.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to look at the impact of the number of sites with tumour involvement on outcome for patients with stage IIIA endometrioid-type endometrial carcinoma.

Patients And Methods: 141 patients stage IIIA were included. A central histopathological review was performed.

Age-specific differences in the treatment of cervical cancer in the east and the south of The Netherlands 1989-2004.

Objective: This study aims to describe trends and variation in treatment and survival of cervical cancer in two regions in The Netherlands and to relate this to adherence to the treatment recommendations.

Study Design: Patient characteristics, tumour characteristics, treatment and follow-up data were collected for 1954 cervical cancer cases diagnosed in the period 1989-2004.

Results: In FIGO stages IB-IIA 93% of patients were treated according to the recommendations of The Netherlands Working Group Gynaecologic Oncology.

General practitioners and referral for palliative radiotherapy: a population-based survey.

Background And Purpose: The suspicion exists that the referral rate for palliative radiotherapy (RT) is too low. RT, especially in a short series, is an essential and established modality within palliative cancer care for localised symptoms.

Material And Methods: Questionnaires to evaluate the knowledge of palliative RT were sent to the 1100 general practitioners (GP's) in the area of the Comprehensive Cancer Centre South in the Netherlands, covering about 2.