Audiological profile of patients treated for childhood cancer.

Objective: To characterize the hearing loss after cancer treatment, according to the type of treatment, with identification of predictive factors.

Methods: Two hundred patients who had cancer in childhood were prospectively evaluated. The mean age at diagnosis was 6 years, and at the audiometric assessment, 21 years.

Conformal radiotherapy for lung cancer: interobservers' variability in the definition of gross tumor volume between radiologists and radiotherapists.

Background: Conformal external radiotherapy aims to improve tumor control by boosting tumor dose, reducing morbidity and sparing healthy tissues. To meet this objective careful visualization of the tumor and adjacent areas is required. However, one of the major issues to be solved in this context is the volumetric definition of the targets.

High-dose-rate brachytherapy for soft tissue sarcoma in children: a single institution experience.

Purpose: To report our experience treating soft tissue sarcoma (STS) with high dose rate brachytherapy alone (HBRT) or in combination with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in pediatric patients.

Methods And Materials: Eighteen patients, median age 11 years (range 2 - 16 years) with grade 2-3 STS were treated with HBRT using Ir-192 in a interstitial (n = 14) or intracavitary implant (n = 4). Eight patients were treated with HBRT alone; the remaining 10 were treated with a combination of HBRT and EBRT.

Unusual dissemination patterns of low-grade astrocytomas in childhood.

Low-grade astrocytomas are intracerebral lesions of relatively high frequency in the under-18 pediatric population. They often present indolent behaviour, and complete surgical resection is the choice treatment. In cases where the surgery is not possible, chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be used.

The addition of ifosfamide/etoposide to cisplatin/teniposide improves the survival of children with retinoblastoma and orbital involvement.

This study aimed to determine the impact of the addition of ifosfamide/etoposide to a regimen containing cisplatin/teniposide on the survival of patients with retinoblastoma with orbital involvement. Thirty patients were treated at the A. C.

Whole brain radiotherapy for brain metastases from breast cancer: estimation of survival using two stratification systems.

Background: Brain metastases (BM) are the most common form of intracranial cancer. The incidence of BM seems to have increased over the past decade. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) of data from three Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) trials (1200 patients) has allowed three prognostic groups to be identified.

Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) in the postoperative treatment of an adenocarcinoma of the endometrium complicated by a pelvic kidney.

Background: Pelvic Radiotherapy (RT) as a postoperative treatment for endometrial cancer improves local regional control. Brachytherapy also improves vaginal control. Both treatments imply significant side effects that a fine RT technique can help avoiding.

High-risk surgical stage 1 endometrial cancer: analysis of treatment outcome.

Purpose: To report the relapse and survival rates associated to treatment for patients with stage IC, grade 2 or grade 3 and IB grade 3 diseases considered high risk patients group for relapse.

Materials And Methods: From January 1993 to December 2003, 106 patients with endometrial cancer stage I were managed surgically in our institution. Based on data from the medical records, 106 patients with epithelial endometrial cancer met the following inclusion criteria: stage IC grade 2 or 3 and IB grade 3 with or without lymphovascular invasion.

Retinoblastoma in children older than 5 years of age.

Background: Retinoblastoma is a malignant tumor of the embryonic neural retina. About 80% of cases are diagnosed before age 4, with a median age at diagnosis of 2 years.

Objective: To determine characteristics and prognosis of retinoblastoma in children older than 5 years.

Whole brain radiation therapy in management of brain metastasis: results and prognostic factors.

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic factors associated with overall survival in patients with brain metastasis treated with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and estimate the potential improvement in survival for patients with brain metastases, stratified by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) class.

Patients And Methods: From January 1996 to December 2000, 270 medical records of patients with diagnosis of brain metastasis, who received WBRT in the Hospital do Cancer Sao Paulo A.C.

Treatment of retinoblastoma patients with chemoreduction plus local therapy: experience of the AC Camargo Hospital, Brazil.

To evaluate the efficacy of conservative management of intraocular retinoblastoma with chemoreduction combined with local therapy with or without plaque radiation in the preservation of the eye, and avoidance of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) (success rate). From 1995 to 2000, 84 newly diagnosed patients with intraocular retinoblastoma were admitted to the Pediatric Department of the Hospital do Cancer A.C.

Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in the treatment of fixed and semi-fixed rectal tumors. Analysis of results and prognostic factors.

Purpose: To report the retrospective analysis of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neodjuvant radiochemotherapy.

Methods And Materials: From January 1994 to December 2003, 101 patients with fixed (25%) or semi-fixed (75%) rectal adenocarcinoma were treated by preoperative radiotherapy with a dose of 45 Gy at the whole pelvis and 50.4 Gy at primary tumor, concomitant to four weekly chemotherapies with 5-Fluorouracil (425 mg/m2) and Leucovorin (20 mg/m2).

Trilateral retinoblastoma.

Background: Trilateral retinoblastoma (TRB) is a syndrome consisting of unilateral or bilateral hereditary retinoblastoma (Rb) associated with an intracranial neuroblastic tumor. Although its incidence is low, the prognosis is very poor. This article reports four cases of TRB and discusses the role of neuroimaging screening for early detection.

Comparison of low and high dose rate brachytherapy in the treatment of uterine cervix cancer. Retrospective analysis of two sequential series.

Purpose: This retrospective analysis aims to report on the comparative outcome of cervical cancer patients treated with low dose rate (LDR) and high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy.

Methods And Materials: From 1989 to 1995, 190 patients were treated with low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy (LDR group) and from 1994 to 2001, 118 patients were treated with high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy (HDR group). FIGO stage distribution for the LDR group was Stage I: 6.

High-dose-rate brachytherapy as part of a multidisciplinary treatment of nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma in childhood.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in childhood is rare. Radiochemotherapy is considered the standard treatment and yields increased survival and local control rates. In this article, the authors report on the results from the multidisciplinary treatment of pediatric patients who had nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma with radiochemotherapy, including high-dose-rate brachytherapy of the primary tumor site.

[The Pediatrician's ability to recognize the presenting signs and symptoms of retinoblastoma].

Background: Retinoblastoma is the most frequent primary intraocular tumor in children. The most common presenting sign is leukocoria and the second one is strabism. In the developing countries extra ocular disease is seen more frequently because of delayed referral.

Late urinary morbidity with high dose prostate brachytherapy as a boost to conventional external beam radiation therapy for local and locally advanced prostate cancer.

Purpose: Late urinary retention (UR) is a known complication that may occur when using high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-B) to boost external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) when treating prostate cancer. However, the dosimetric, treatment and clinical factors associated with this complication are not well-known.

Materials And Methods: From March 1997 to March 2000 a total of 108 patients with local or locally advanced prostate adenocarcinoma were treated with EBRT (45 Gy) and HDR-B as a boost, when 16 to 20 Gy was given in 4 fractions twice daily.

Extraocular retinoblastoma: a 13-year experience.

Background: The current study was performed to evaluate two regimens of treatment and to describe clinical and epidemiologic characteristics in patients with extraocular retinoblastoma.

Methods: Eighty-three patients with extraocular retinoblastoma according to Childrens Cancer Group (CCG) classification were admitted to the Pediatric Department of the A. C.

Results of high dose rate afterloading brachytherapy boost to conventional external beam radiation therapy for initial and locally advanced prostate cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact on biochemical control (bNED), acute and late gastro-intestinal (GI) and urological (GU) morbidity of initial and locally advanced prostate cancer treated with fractionated transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) high dose rate after loading brachytherapy (HDR-B) as a boost to conventional external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).

Patients And Methods: From March 1997 to February 2000 a total of 119 patients with any of the following characteristics were eligible for study entry: biopsy proven adenocarcinoma Gleason scored (GS), initial prostatic specific antigen (PSA) level dosage 1992 AJCC clinical stage T3a or less, and prostatic volume <60 cc. All patients had prior to HDR-B a course of EBRT 6 MV photons to a median dose of 45 Gy, in 1.