| 1. |
- Asklund, Thomas, et al.
(author)
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Brain tumors in Sweden : Data from a population-based registry 1999-2012
- 2015
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In: Acta Oncologica. - : Informa Healthcare. - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 54:3, s. 377-384
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background. The Swedish brain tumor registry has, since it was launched in 1999, provided significant amounts of data on histopathological diagnoses and on important aspects of surgical and medical management of these patients. The purpose is mainly quality control, but also as a resource for research.Methods. Three Swedish healthcare regions, constituting 40% of the Swedish population, have had an almost complete registration. The following parameters are registered: diagnosis according to SNOMED/WHO classification, symptoms, performance status, pre- and postoperative radiology, tumor size and localization, extent of surgery and occurrence of postoperative complications, postoperative treatment, such as radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, other treatments, complications and toxicity, occurrence of reoperation/s, participation in clinical trials, multidisciplinary conferences and availability of a contact nurse.Results. Surgical radicality has been essentially constant, whereas the use of early (within 72 hours) postoperative CT and MRI has increased, especially for high-grade glioma, which is a reflection of quality of surgery. Survival of patients with high-grade glioma has increased, especially in the age group 60-69. Patients aged 18-39 years had a five-year survival of 40%. Waiting times for the pathological report has been slightly prolonged. Geographical differences do exist for some of the variables.Conclusion. Population-based registration is valuable for assessment of clinical management, which could have impact on patient care. As a result of short survival and/or the propensity to affect cognitive functions this patient group has considerable difficulties to make their voices heard in society. We therefore believe that a report like the present one can contribute to the spread of knowledge and increase the awareness for this patient group among caregivers and policy makers.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Carstam, Louise, et al.
(author)
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Neurosurgical patterns of care for diffuse low-grade gliomas in Sweden between 2005 and 2015
- 2018
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In: Neuro-Oncology Practice. - : Oxford University Press. - 2054-2577 .- 2054-2585. ; 6:2, s. 124-133
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: In the last decade, increasing evidence has evolved for early and maximal safe resection of diffuse low-grade gliomas (LGGs) regarding survival. However, changes in clinical practice are known to occur slowly and we do not know if the scientific evidence has yet resulted in changes in neurosurgical patterns of care.Methods: The Swedish Brain Tumor Registry was used to identify all patients with a first-time histopathological diagnosis of LGG between 2005 and 2015. For analysis of surgical treatment patterns, we subdivided assessed time periods into 2005-2008, 2009-2012, and 2013-2015. Population-based data on patient and disease characteristics, surgical management, and outcomes were extracted.Results: A total of 548 patients with diffuse World Health Organization grade II gliomas were identified: 142 diagnosed during 2005-2008, 244 during 2009-2012, and 162 during 2013-2015. Resection as opposed to biopsy was performed in 64.3% during 2005-2008, 74.2% during 2009-2012, and 74.1% during 2013-2015 (P = .08). There was no difference among the 3 periods regarding overall survival (P = .11). However, post hoc analysis of data from the 4 (out of 6) centers that covered all 3 time periods demonstrated a resection rate of 64.3% during 2005-2008, 77.4% during 2009-2012, and 75.4% during 2013-2015 (P = .02) and longer survival of patients diagnosed 2009 and onward (P = .04).Conclusion: In this nationwide, population-based study we observed a shift over time in favor of LGG resection. Further, a positive correlation between the more active surgical strategy and longer survival is shown, although no causality can be claimed because of possible confounding factors.
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| 4. |
- Dahlrot, R. H., et al.
(author)
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Prognostic value of O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) protein expression in glioblastoma excluding nontumour cells from the analysis
- 2018
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In: Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology. - : Wiley. - 0305-1846 .- 1365-2990. ; 44:2, s. 172-184
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: It is important to predict response to treatment with temozolomide (TMZ) in glioblastoma (GBM) patients. Both MGMT protein expression and MGMT promoter methylation status have been reported to predict the response to TMZ. We investigated the prognostic value of quantified MGMT protein levels in tumour cells and the prognostic importance of combining information of MGMT protein level and MGMT promoter methylation status.Methods: MGMT protein expression was quantified in tumour cells in 171 GBMs from the population‐based Region of Southern Denmark (RSD)‐cohort using a double immunofluorescence approach. Pyrosequencing was performed in 157 patients. For validation we used GBM‐patients from a Nordic Study (NS) investigating the effect of radiotherapy and different TMZ schedules.Results: When divided at the median, patients with low expression of MGMT protein (AF‐low) had the best prognosis (HR = 1.5, P = 0.01). Similar results were observed in the subgroup of patients receiving the Stupp regimen (HR = 2.0, P = 0.001). In the NS‐cohort a trend towards superior survival (HR = 1.6, P = 0.08) was seen in patients with AF‐low. Including MGMT promoter methylation status, we found for both cohorts that patients with methylated MGMT promoter and AF‐low had the best outcome; median OS 23.1 and 20.0 months, respectively.Conclusion: Our data indicate that MGMT protein expression in tumour cells has an independent prognostic significance. Exclusion of nontumour cells contributed to a more exact analysis of tumour‐specific MGMT protein expression. This should be incorporated in future studies evaluating MGMT status before potential integration into clinical practice.
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| 5. |
- Henriksson, Roger, et al.
(author)
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High-grade astrocytoma treated concomitantly with estramustine and radiotherapy.
- 2006
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In: Journal of neuro-oncology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-594X .- 1573-7373. ; 78:3, s. 321-6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Experimental and early clinical investigations have demonstrated encouraging results for estramustine in the treatment of malignant glioma. The present study is an open randomized clinical trial comparing estramustine phosphate (Estracyt) in addition to radiotherapy with radiotherapy alone as first line treatment of astrocytoma grade III and IV. The 140 patients included were in a good clinical condition with a median age of 55 years (range 22-87). Estramustine was given orally, 280 mg twice daily, as soon as the diagnosis was established, during and after the radiotherapy for a period of in total 3 months. Radiotherapy was delivered on weekdays 2 Gy daily up to 56 Gy. Eighteen patients were excluded due to misclassification, leaving 122 patients eligible for evaluation. Overall the treatment was well tolerated. Mild or moderate nausea was the most common side effect of estramustine. The minimum follow-up time was 5.2 years for the surviving patients. For astrocytoma grade III the median survival time was 10.6 (1.3-92.7) months for the radiotherapy only group and 17.3 (0.4-96.9+) months for the estramustine + radiotherapy group. In grade IV the corresponding median survival time was 12.3 (2.1-89.2) and 10.3 (0.3-91.7+) months, respectively. Median time to progress for radiotherapy only and radiotherapy and estramustin group in grade III tumours was 6.5 and 10.1 months, respectively. In grade IV tumours the corresponding figures were 5.1 and 3.3 months, respectively. Although there was a tendency for improved survival in grade III, no statistical significant differences were found between the treatment groups. No differences between the two treatment groups were evident with respect to quality of life according to the EORTC QLQ-protocol. In conclusion, this first randomized study did not demonstrate any significant improvement of using estramustine in addition to conventional radiotherapy, however, a trend for a positive response for the estramustine group was found in patients with grade III glioma.
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| 6. |
- Holgersson, Georg, et al.
(author)
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Swedish Lung Cancer Radiation Study Group: Predictive value of age at diagnosis for radiotherapy response in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
- 2012
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In: Acta Oncologica. - London : Informa Healthcare. - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 51:6, s. 759-767
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of age at diagnosis on prognosis in patients treated with curatively intended radiotherapy for NSCLC. Material and methods. This is a joint effort among all the Swedish Oncology Departments that includes all identified patients with a diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer that have been subjected to curatively intended irradiation (andgt;= 50 Gy) treated during 1990 to 2000. Included patients had a histopathological/cytological diagnosis date as well as a death date or a last follow-up date. The following variables were studied in relation to overall and disease-specific survival: age, gender, histopathology, time period, smoking status, stage and treatment. Results. The median overall survival of all 1146 included patients was 14.7 months, while the five-year overall survival rate was 9.5%. Younger patients (andlt;55 years), presented with a more advanced clinical stage but had yet a significantly better overall survival compared with patients in the age groups 55-64 years (p = 0.035) and 65-74 years (p = 0.0097) in a multivariate Cox regression analysis. The overall survival of patients aged andgt;= 75 years was comparable to those aged andlt;55 years. Conclusion. In this large retrospective study we describe that patients younger than 55 years treated with curatively intended radiotherapy for NSCLC have a better overall survival than patients aged 55-64 and 65-74 years and that younger patients seem to benefit more from the addition of surgery and/or chemotherapy to radiotherapy. Due to the exploratory nature of the study, these results should be confirmed in future prospective trials.
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| 7. |
- Holgersson, Georg, et al.
(author)
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Swedish Lung Cancer Radiation Study Group: Predictive value of histology for radiotherapy response in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
- 2011
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In: European Journal of Cancer. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-0852 .- 0959-8049. ; 47:16, s. 2415-2421
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential predictive value of histology in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with curatively intended radiotherapy. In a collaborative effort among all the Swedish Oncology Departments, clinical data were collected for 1146 patients with a diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer subjected to curatively intended irradiation (>= 50 Gy) during the years 1990 to 2000. The included patients were identified based on a manual search of all medical and radiation charts at the oncology departments from which the individual patient data were collected. Only patients who did not have a histological diagnosis date and death date/last follow-up date were excluded (n = 141). Among the 1146 patients with non-small cell carcinoma eligible for analysis, 919 were diagnosed with either adenocarcinoma (n = 323) or squamous cell carcinoma (n = 596) and included in this study. The median survival for the 919 patients was 14.8 months, while the 5-year survival rate was 9.5%. Patients with adenocarcinoma had a significantly better overall survival compared with patients with squamous cell carcinoma (p = 0.0062, log-rank test). When comparing different stages, this survival benefit was most pronounced for stages IIA-IIB (p<0.0001, log-rank test). The difference in survival between the two histological groups was statistically significant in a univariate Cox analysis (p = 0.0063) as well as in two multivariate Cox analyses including demographic and treatment variables (p = 0.037 and p = 0.048, respectively). In this large population based retrospective study we describe for the first time that patients with adenocarcinoma have a better survival after curatively intended radiation therapy in comparison with squamous cell carcinoma patients, particularly those with clinical stages IIA-IIB. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 8. |
- Holgersson, Georg, et al.
(author)
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Swedish lung cancer radiation study group: the prognostic value of anaemia, thrombocytosis and leukocytosis at time of diagnosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
- 2012
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In: Medical Oncology. - : Humana Press (Springer Imprint). - 1357-0560 .- 1559-131X. ; 29:5, s. 3176-3182
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is a need to improve the prognostic and predictive indicators in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At present, the main focus is on genetic predictive markers while the prognostic value of the standard blood variables related to haematopoiesis has been subjected to relatively limited attention. To study the prognostic potential of haemoglobin (Hgb), platelet (Plt) and white blood cell (WBC) levels at time of diagnosis in NSCLC patients, 835 NSCLC patients, stage I-IV, who received radiotherapy with curative intention (andgt; 50 Gy), were included in the study. WBC, Plt, Hgb, gender, age at diagnosis, stage, surgery and first-line chemotherapy were studied in relation to overall survival. For patients with Hgb andlt; 110 g/L and Hgb a parts per thousand yen 110 g/L), the median survival was 11.2 and 14.5 months, respectively (p = 0.0032). For WBC andgt; 9.0 x 10(9)/L and andlt; 9.0 x 10(9)/L, the median survival was 11.6 and 15.4 months, respectively (p andlt; 0.0001). For Plt andgt; 350 x 10(9)/L and andlt; 350 x 10(9)/L, the median survival was 11.2 and 14.9 months, respectively (p andlt; 0.0001). The median survival in patients with pathological results in all three markers was half of that in patients with normal levels of all three markers (8.0 and 16.0 months, respectively (p andlt; 0.0001). The level of the three studied haematological biomarkers corresponds significantly to outcome in NSCLC. These results indicate that standard haematological variables may be used as guidance for the clinician in the decision-making regarding treatment intensity and patient information.
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| 9. |
- Holgersson, Georg, et al.
(author)
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The impact of hyperfractionated radiotherapy regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer
- 2013
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In: Medical Oncology. - : Humana Press. - 1357-0560 .- 1559-131X. ; 30:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The prognosis for patients with lung cancer is poor with an average of 5-year overall survival rate of only 10-15 % taking all clinical stages together. The aim of this study was to elucidate the impact of the radiotherapy regimen on survival. Clinical data were collected from all the Swedish Oncology Departments for 1,287 patients with a diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) subjected to curatively intended irradiation (andgt;= 50 Gy) during the years 1990 to 2000. The included patients were identified based on a manual search of all medical and radiation charts at the oncology departments from which the individual patient data were collected. Patients who did not have a histopathological diagnosis date and/or death date/last follow-up date as well as patients being surgically treated were excluded from the study (n = 592). Thus, 695 patients were included in the present study. Patients who received hyperfractionated radiotherapy (HR) had a higher local control rate compared with patients receiving conventional fractionation (CF) (38 vs. 49 % local relapse). The difference in survival between the two radiotherapy regimens was statistically significant in a univariate Cox analysis (p = 0.023) in favor of HR. This significance was, however, not retained in a multivariate Cox analysis (p = 0.56). Thus, the possible beneficial effects of hyperfractionation are still unclear and need to be further investigated in well-controlled prospective clinical trials, preferably including systemic treatment with novel drugs.
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| 10. |
- Holgersson, Georg, et al.
(author)
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The value of induction chemotherapy for survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with radiotherapy.
- 2012
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In: Anticancer research. - : The International Institute of Anticancer Research. - 1791-7530 .- 0250-7005. ; 32:4, s. 1339-46
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AIM: The aim of the present study was to retrospectively investigate the impact of induction chemotherapy on treatment outcome in patients treated with curatively intended radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with a diagnosed NSCLC that have been subjected to curatively intended irradiation (≥50 Gy) and treated in an oncology department in Sweden during the years 1990-2000 were included in the study. Operated patients and patients having received concomitant chemotherapy were excluded. The included patients were localised by a manual search of all the oncology departments' medical records and radiation charts. RESULTS: Patients treated with induction chemotherapy (n=79) had a significantly better overall survival compared with patients treated with radiotherapy alone (p=0.0097) in a univariate Cox regression analysis. A platinum/taxane combination produced the greatest survival benefit; hazard ratio=0.49 (95% confidence interval=0.31 to 0.75). CONCLUSION: We found that patients treated with induction chemotherapy in addition to radiotherapy for NSCLC have a better overall survival than patients treated with radiotherapy alone and that the best results are achieved using a platinum/taxane combination.
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