| 1. |
- Zackrisson, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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Two-year results from a Swedish study on conventional versus accelerated radiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma - The ARTSCAN study
- 2011
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Ingår i: Radiotherapy and Oncology. - : Elsevier. - 0167-8140 .- 1879-0887. ; 100:1, s. 41-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and purpose: Studies on accelerated fractionation (AF) in head and neck cancer have shown increased local control and survival compared with conventional fractionation (CF), while others have been non-conclusive. In 1998 a national Swedish group decided to perform a randomised controlled clinical study of AF. Materials and methods: Patients with verified squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx (except glottic T1-T2, N0) and hypopharynx were included. Patients with prior chemotherapy or surgery were excluded. Patients were randomised to either CF (2Gy/day, 5days/week for 7 weeks, total dose 68Gy) or to AF (1.1Gy+2.0Gy/day, 5days/week for 4.5weeks, total dose 68Gy). An extensive quality assurance protocol was followed throughout the study. The primary end point was loco-regional tumour control (LRC) at two years after treatment. RESULTS: The study was closed in 2006 when 750 patients had been randomised. Eighty-three percent of the patients had stages III-IV disease. Forty eight percent had oropharyngeal, 21% laryngeal, 17% hypopharyngeal and 14% oral cancers. There were no significant differences regarding overall survival (OS) or LRC between the two regimens. The OS at two years was 68% for AF and 67% for CF. The corresponding figures for LRC were 71% and 67%, respectively. There was a trend towards improved LRC for oral cancers treated (p=0.07) and for large tumours (T3-T4) (p=0.07) treated with AF. The AF group had significantly worse acute reactions, while there was no significant increase in late effects. Conclusion: Overall the AF regimen did not prove to be more efficacious than CF. However, the trend towards improved results in AF for oral cancers needs to be further investigated.
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| 2. |
- Johansson, Karl-Axel, et al.
(författare)
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The quality assurance process for the ARTSCAN head and neck study - a practical interactive approach for QA in 3DCRT and IMRT.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-8140 .- 1879-0887. ; 87:2, s. 290-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: This paper describes the quality assurance (QA) work performed in the Swedish multicenter ARTSCAN (Accelerated RadioTherapy of Squamous cell CArcinomas in the head and Neck) trial to guarantee high quality in a multicenter study which involved modern radiotherapy such as 3DCRT or IMRT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was closed in June 2006 with 750 randomised patients. Radiation therapy-related data for every patient were sent by each participating centre to the QA office where all trial data were reviewed, analysed and stored. In case of any deviation from the protocol, an interactive process was started between the QA office and the local responsible clinician and/or physicist to increase the compliance to the protocol for future randomised patients. Meetings and workshops were held on a regular basis for discussions on various trial-related issues and for the QA office to report on updated results. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: This review covers the 734 patients out of a total of 750 who had entered the study. Deviations early in the study were corrected so that the overall compliance to the protocol was very high. There were only negligible variations in doses and dose distributions to target volumes for each specific site and stage. The quality of the treatments was high. Furthermore, an extensive database of treatment parameters was accumulated for future dose-volume vs. endpoint evaluations. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive QA programme increased the probability to draw firm conclusions from our study and may serve as a concept for QA work in future radiotherapy trials where comparatively small effects are searched for in a heterogeneous tumour population.
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| 3. |
- Nyman, Jan, 1956, et al.
(författare)
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Accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy combined with induction and concomitant chemotherapy for inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer--impact of total treatment time.
- 1998
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Ingår i: Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden). - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 37:6, s. 539-45
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tumour cell proliferation during conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (RT) can negatively influence the treatment outcome in patients with unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Accelerated and hyperfractionated RT may therefore have an advantage over conventional RT. Moreover, earlier studies have suggested improved survival with addition of cisplatin-based chemotherapy (CT). We present here the results of combined treatment with induction and concomitant CT and accelerated hyperfractionated RT in a retrospective series of patients with advanced NSCLC. Between August 1990 and August 1995, 90 consecutive patients, aged 42-77 years (median 63 years), with locally advanced unresectable or medically inoperable NSCLC and good performance status were referred for treatment: stage: I 23%, IIIa 37%, IIIb 40%. Patient histologies included: squamous cell carcinoma 52%, adenocarcinoma 34% and large cell carcinoma 13%. The treatment consisted of two courses of CT (cisplatin 100 mg/m2 day 1 and etoposide 100 mg/m2 day 1-3 i.v.), the second course given concomitantly with RT. The total RT dose was 61.2-64.6 Gy, with two daily fractions of 1.7 Gy. A one-week interval was introduced after 40.8 Gy to reduce acute toxicity, making the total treatment time 4.5 weeks. Concerning toxicity, 33 patients had febrile neutropenia, 10 patients suffered from grade III oesophagitis and 7 patients had grade III pneumonitis. There were two possible treatment-related deaths, one due to myocardial infarction and the other due to a pneumocystis carinii infection. The 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival rates were 72%, 46% and 34%, respectively; median survival was 21.3 months. Fifty-nine patients had progressive disease: 21 failed locoregionally, 29 had distant metastases and 9 patients had a combination of these. Pretreatment weight loss was the only prognostic factor found, except for stage. However, the results for stage IIIb were no different from those for stage IIIa. We conclude that the survival results compare favourably with those of most other studies with a manageable toxicity.
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| 4. |
- Nyman, Jan, 1956, et al.
(författare)
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Prognostic factors for local control and survival of cancer of the oral tongue. A retrospective analysis of 230 cases in western Sweden.
- 1993
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Ingår i: Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden). - 0284-186X. ; 32:6, s. 667-73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the 19-year period from 1970 to 1988, 289 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue were diagnosed in Western Sweden. In 230 of these, treatment regimens and results were analysed in an attempt to define prognostic factors for local control and survival. Tumour stages were: T1 26%, T2 32%, T3 30% and T4 13%. Nodal disease was seen in 32% of the patients. Sixty per cent of the patients had surgery, 74% external with or without combination with interstitial irradiation; and 32% received chemotherapy. The local control rate at five years was 59% (T1 66%, T2 67%, T3 44% and T4 0%). Survival at five years was 37% (T1 61%, T2 51%, T3 19% and T4 0%). By a multivariate procedure we demonstrate that the tumour related variables T-category, N-category and extension to the tonsillar region had a significant association with survival. Extension to the tonsillar region, extension to the floor of the mouth and level of neck nodes were significantly associated with local-regional control.
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| 5. |
- Stalfors, Joacim, 1966, et al.
(författare)
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Accuracy of tele-oncology compared with face-to-face consultation in head and neck cancer case conferences.
- 2001
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Ingår i: Journal of telemedicine and telecare. - 1357-633X. ; 7:6, s. 338-43
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Telemedicine was introduced for weekly tumour case conferences between Sahlgrenska University Hospital and two district hospitals in Sweden. The accuracy of tele-oncology was determined using simulated telemedicine consultations, in which all the material relating to each case was presented but without the patient in person. The people attending the conference were asked to determine the tumour ('TNM') classification and treatment. The patient was then presented in person, to give the audience the opportunity to ask questions and perform a physical examination. Then a new discussion regarding the tumour classification and the treatment plan took place, and the consensus was recorded. Of the 98 consecutive patients studied in this way, 80 could be evaluated by both techniques. Of these 80, 73 (91%) had the same classification and treatment plan in the telemedicine simulation as in the subsequent face-to-face consultation. In four cases the TNM classification was changed and for three patients the treatment plan was altered. The specialists also had to state their degree of confidence in the tele-oncology decisions. When they recorded uncertainty about their decision, it was generally because they wanted to palpate the tumour. In five of the seven patients with a different outcome, the clinical evaluation was stated to be dubious or not possible. The results show that telemedicine can be used safely for the management of head and neck cancers.
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