Preoperative Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: Efficacy and Safety.

Background: Preoperative chemoradiation (CRT) is considered the standard of care in the management of stage II/III rectal cancer. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the efficacy and safety of preoperative CRT in our patient cohort with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma.

Methods: Forty patients with cT3-4N0-2M0 adenocarcinoma of the lower (n = 26) and mid/upper (n = 14) rectum were enrolled in this study between 2001 and 2012.

3D conformal radiotherapy in primary nasopharyngeal cancer: effectiveness and prognostic factors.

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of using 3D conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) to treat nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) in a Caucasian cohort and evaluate factors with prognostic value.

Methods: Between September 2001 and November 2012, 44 NPC patients with a mean age of 57 years underwent 3DCRT at the University Hospital of Ioannina. Nineteen patients (43%) presented with WHO type 1 and 2 histology.

Reirradiation for recurrent head and neck carcinoma.

Purpose: To present the outcome and toxicity profile of reirradiation (re-RT) in patients with recurrent head and neck cancer (HNC).

Methods: From 1995 to 2009, 35 patients underwent re-RT at our institution. Twenty-seven (77%) patients were initially diagnosed with stage III/IV disease.

The role of radiation dose in a combined therapeutic protocol for the prevention of heterotopic ossification after total hip replacement.

Purpose: To present the results of a prospective study which aimed to evaluate the efficacy of radiation dose in a combined protocol using postoperative radiotherapy (RT) and indomethacin for the prevention of heterotopic ossification (HO) in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) and are at high risk for HO development.

Methods: Seventy-one patients with a mean age of 63 years received either a single dose of 7 Gy or a fractionated dose of 10 Gy in 5 fractions of 2 Gy within the 3 postoperative days. Concurrently all patients received 75 mg of indomethacin for 15 days.

Primary cerebral gliosarcoma: a case presentation with review of the literature.

In this presentation we describe a rare case of a 42- year-old female with a large right frontal gliosarcoma (GS) treated with gross total resection of the tumor and postoperative external radiotherapy. The patient did not respond to treatment and she died 3 months after the end of radio- therapy. We also present a review of the literature on epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of this uncommon clinical entity.

Adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy in patients with gastric cancer.

Background: The role of adjuvant therapy in gastric cancer has been controversial.

Aim: In this study, we report our experience with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in patients with non-metastatic gastric cancer.

Settings And Design: Fifty patients were reviewed and assigned to three therapeutic groups.

Radical versus postoperative radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer: a 10-year experience of an academic hospital.

This study is a presentation of our department's experience in the treatment of localized prostate cancer with either radical or postoperative radiotherapy (RT). Fifty-five patients with clinical localized prostate cancer were reviewed. Thirty-three patients (T1-T2AN0M0 stage) were treated with radical RT and 22 (T2B-T3N0M0 stage) with postoperative RT.

Prevention of heterotopic ossification in high-risk patients with total hip arthroplasty: the experience of a combined therapeutic protocol.

The combination of radiotherapy and indomethacin for the prevention of heterotopic ossification (HO) in high-risk patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) has not been reported. The aim of the present study was to present the experience of our department with this combined therapeutic protocol. Fifty-four patients who underwent THA received a single dose of 7 Gy of postoperative radiotherapy and 75 mg of indomethacin for 15 days.

Multi-focal gliosarcoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Gliosarcoma (GS) is an uncommon malignant brain tumor with biphasic tissue pattern consisted of both glial and sarcomatous components. It usually occurs in adult population of middle age. We report a rare case of multi-focal GS that was initially interpreted as metastases of extra-cranial tumor.

Astrocytoma-like multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) may sometimes mimic clinically and radiologically a brain tumor. The initial recognition of such cases is essential as it might avoid a surgical intervention and supplementary treatment. However, even in patients who underwent surgery, the appropriate preparation of the specimen is of crucial importance for the correct pathological diagnosis since tumors and non-neoplastic demyelinating lesions share some common histopathological features.

External radiation therapy for endometrial carcinoma: the University Hospital of Ioannina experience.

Purpose Of Investigation: The aim of our study was to present the experience of our department in the treatment of endometrial cancer with postoperative external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) without intracavitary brachytherapy (BRT) and to evaluate the efficacy of such a method.

Methods: We retrospectively retrieved the medical records of all patients with endometrial cancer treated with surgery and EBRT alone (median dose 50.0 Gy).