| 1. |
- Abel, Edvard, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Fatigue in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Treated With Radiation Therapy: A Prospective Study of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Their Association With Radiation Dose to the Cerebellum
- 2022
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Ingår i: Advances in Radiation Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2452-1094. ; 7:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Although fatigue is a known side effect in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) receiving radiation therapy, knowledge regarding long-term fatigue and dose-response relationships to organs at risk is scarce. The aim of this prospective study was to analyze patient-reported fatigue in patients with HNC receiving radiation therapy and to explore any possible association with organ-at-risk doses. Methods and Materials: Patients with HNC referred for curative radiation therapy were eligible for inclusion in the study. To assess patient-reported fatigue, quality of life questionnaires (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-FA12) were distributed before treatment and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 60 months after the start of treatment. Mean dose (Dmean) and near maximum dose (D2%) of the cerebellum and brain stem were evaluated in relation to baseline-adjusted fatigue scores at 3 months. Results: One hundred twenty-six patients treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy between 2008 and 2010 were available for final analysis. Female sex and age <60 years were associated with higher fatigue at baseline, whereas patients also treated with chemotherapy had reduced physical and emotional fatigue at 6 months. Physical fatigue (QLQ-FA12 scale) increased from baseline up to 3 months (29 vs 59; P < .0001) but showed no difference compared with baseline from 1 to 5 years. Emotional fatigue was significantly lower at 5 years compared with baseline (14 vs 28; P < .0001). Patients with cerebellum Dmean > 3.5 Gy had higher mean physical fatigue scores at 3 months (38 vs 27; P = .036). Conclusions: Although there is a significant increase in fatigue scores for patients with HNC up to 1 year after radiation therapy, this study showed a return to baseline levels at 5 years. A possible association was found between physical fatigue and a higher mean dose to the cerebellum.
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| 2. |
- Abel, Edvard, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Impact on quality of life of IMRT versus 3-D conformal radiation therapy in head and neck cancer patients: A case control study
- 2017
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Ingår i: Advances in Radiation Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2452-1094. ; 2:3, s. 346-353
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective The purpose of this study was to prospectively and longitudinally compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes between head and neck (HN) cancer patients treated with parotid-sparing intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and patients treated with 3-dimensional conventional radiation therapy (3D-CRT). Methods and materials Before and up to 12 months after treatment, HRQOL was recorded in patients with HN cancer who were referred to the Department of Oncology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital for curative IMRT. The study group's HRQOL was compared with a matched group of patients from previous descriptive HRQOL studies treated with 3D-CRT. Both groups' HRQOL was measured by the European Organization for Research and Treatment for Cancer QLQ-C30 and European Organization for Research and Treatment for Cancer QLQ-HN35 at 6 time points in the first year after diagnosis. Results Two hundred and seven patients were included, 111 treated with IMRT and 96 matched controls treated with 3D-CRT. Both groups' HRQOL deteriorated during and after treatment. Just after treatment, worse HRQOL scores were observed in the IMRT group regarding insomnia (38 vs 27; P = .032), appetite loss (64 vs 50; P = .019), senses (54 vs 41; P = .017), and coughing (39 vs 26, P = .009). At 12 months, however, significantly better HRQOL scores were observed in the IMRT group regarding problems with dry mouth (72 vs 62; P = .018), pain (28 vs 20; P = .018), sexuality (37 vs 23; P = .016), social contacts (10 vs 6; P = .026), cognitive functioning (79 vs 87; P = .0057), and financial difficulties (12 vs 20; P = .0019). Conclusions This study further supports the hypothesis that the introduction of IMRT has improved the long-term quality of life of HN cancer patients who have been treated with radiation therapy, but might cause more acute side effects. Longer follow-up is needed to study late complications.
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| 3. |
- Abel, Edvard, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Long-Term Aspects of Quality of Life in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Treated With Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy: A 5-Year Longitudinal Follow-up and Comparison with a Normal Population Cohort
- 2020
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Ingår i: Advances in Radiation Oncology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2452-1094. ; 5:1, s. 101-110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2019 The Author(s) Purpose: Knowledge of long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with advanced head and neck cancer treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy is scarce. Methods and Materials: HRQOL in 126 patients with advanced head and neck cancer treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy was followed longitudinally from diagnosis to 5 years after treatment with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's QLQ-C30, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's Head and Neck Cancer Module, and the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory. The survivors' HRQOL was compared with an age- and sex-matched normal population cohort. Results: At 5 years, 73 of the 95 surviving patients had completed the study. Significant reductions in general pain (29 vs 12), head and neck (HN) pain (22 vs 14), and feeling ill (20 vs 10) were found, and emotional functioning (70 vs 83) and global quality of life (67 vs 74) improved, compared with baseline values. Conversely, dry mouth (19 vs 56), senses (8 vs 27), teeth problems (10 vs 22), opening mouth (19 vs 56), and sticky saliva (15 vs 40) were markedly worse, although significant improvements had occurred over time after treatment. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory scores >80 at 5 years indicated good swallowing function. In a subgroup analysis, dry mouth and senses were significantly better in patients treated with chemoradiotherapy. Comparison to a normal population cohort's HRQOL shows that the study group experienced a wide array of symptoms affecting their quality of life. Conclusions: The results of this large, long-term follow-up study show that a majority of patients report a reasonable quality of life 5 years after treatment and that there seems to be continuous improvement over time. Comparison with a normal population cohort, however, underlines the fact that classical side effects remain, even with improved radiation techniques. Additional emphasis on normal-tissue-sparing radiation therapy is warranted, with close attention devoted to HRQOL outcomes.
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| 4. |
- Fernström, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Results of preoperative chemoradiotherapy for patients with advanced cancer of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Acta oto-laryngologica. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1651-2251 .- 0001-6489. ; 137:12, s. 1292-1300
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Curative treatment of nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer is challenging due to the proximity to critical anatomical structures. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of trimodality therapy with preoperative chemotherapy and reduced-dose radiotherapy followed by organ-preserving surgery for treating patients with nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer.This retrospective study included all 156 patients diagnosed with sinonasal cancer in western Sweden between 1986 and 2009. We determined the treatment selection pattern and treatment outcomes for 79 patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy.Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histology. The five-year overall survival was 54%, and 85% of these patients had T3 or T4 tumors. The five-year cumulative incidence rate of local recurrence was 32%. The five-year overall survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma was 45% and 76%, respectively. The median preoperative radiation dose was 48 Gy. Orbital exenteration was performed in 7% of patients.Preoperative chemoradiotherapy may be beneficial for patients with advanced sinonasal cancer when primary radical surgery is challenging. Survival outcomes were comparable to outcomes reported in the literature despite conservative surgery and relatively low radiation doses in patients with locally advanced tumors.
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| 5. |
- Hallqvist, Andreas, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy and concomitant chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer limited-disease. Dose response, feasibility and outcome for patients treated in western Sweden, 1998-2004.
- 2007
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Ingår i: Pubmed. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0284-186X. ; , s. 1-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Addition of thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) to chemotherapy (CHT) can increase overall survival in patients with small cell lung cancer limited-disease (SCLC-LD). Accelerated fractionation and early concurrent platinum-based CHT, in combination with prophylactic cranial irradiation, represent up-front treatment for this group of patients. Optimised and tailored local and systemic treatment is important. These concepts were applied when a new regional treatment programme was designed at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in 1997. The planned treatment consisted of six courses of CHT (carboplatin/etoposide) + TRT+/-prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). Standard TRT was prescribed as 1.5 Gy BID to a total of 60 Gy during 4 weeks, starting concomitantly with the second or third course of CHT. However, patients with large tumour burdens, poor general condition and/or poor lung function received 45 Gy, 1.5 Gy BID, during 3 weeks. PCI in 15 fractions to a total dose of 30 Gy was administered to all patients with complete remission (CR) and "good" partial remission (PR) at response evaluation. Eighty consecutive patients were treated between January 1998 and December 2004. Forty-six patients were given 60 Gy and 34 patients 45 Gy. Acute toxicity occurred as esophagitis grade III (RTOG/EORTC) in 16% and as pneumonitis grade I-II in10%. There were no differences in toxicity between the two groups. Three- and five-year overall survival was 25% and 16%, respectively. Median survival was 20.8 months with no significant difference between the two groups. In conclusion, TRT with a total dose of 60 or 45 Gy is feasible with comparable toxicity and no difference in local control or survival. Distant metastasis is the main cause of death in this disease; the future challenge is thus further improvement of the systemic therapy combined with optimised local TRT.
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| 6. |
- 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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| 7. |
- Kalm, Marie, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Neurochemical Evidence of Potential Neurotoxicity After Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation.
- 2014
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Ingår i: International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-355X .- 0360-3016. ; 89:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To examine whether cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for neuroaxonal damage, neuroglial activation, and amyloid β-related processes could characterize the neurochemical response to cranial radiation.
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| 8. |
- 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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| 9. |
- Stock, M., et al.
(författare)
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Harmonization of proton treatment planning for head and neck cancer using pencil beam scanning: first report of the IPACS collaboration group
- 2019
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Ingår i: Acta Oncologica. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 58:12, s. 1720-1730
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and purpose: A collaborative network between proton therapy (PT) centres in Trento in Italy, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic and Sweden (IPACS) was founded to implement trials and harmonize PT. This is the first report of IPACS with the aim to show the level of harmonization that can be achieved for proton therapy planning of head and neck (sino-nasal) cancer. Methods: CT-data sets of five patients were included. During several face-to-face and online meetings, a common treatment planning protocol was developed. Each centre used its own treatment planning system (TPS) and planning approach with some restrictions specified in the treatment planning protocol. In addition, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) photon plans were created. Results: For CTV1, the average D-median was 59.3 +/- 2.4 Gy(RBE) for protons and 58.8 +/- 2.0 Gy(RBE) for VMAT (aim was 56 Gy(RBE)). For CTV2, the average D-median was 71.2 +/- 1.0 Gy(RBE) for protons and 70.6 +/- 0.4 Gy(RBE) for VMAT (aim was 70 Gy(RBE)). The average D-2% for the spinal cord was 25.1 +/- 8.5 Gy(RBE) for protons and 47.6 +/- 1.4 Gy(RBE) for VMAT. The average D-2% for chiasm was 46.5 +/- 4.4 Gy(RBE) for protons and 50.8 +/- 1.4 Gy(RBE) for VMAT, respectively. Robust evaluation was performed and showed the least robust plans for plans with a low number of beams. Discussion: In conclusion, several influences on harmonization were identified: adherence/interpretation to/of the protocol, available technology, experience in treatment planning and use of different beam arrangements. In future, all OARs that should be included in the optimization need to be specified in order to further harmonize treatment planning.
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| 10. |
- 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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