Patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprise a heterogeneous group, some of whom have curable disease. Although surgery plays a role for some patients, the majority of fit patients will be treated with chemotherapy and radiation alone. The optimal therapy for all patients remains undefined, but certain principles of care are widely accepted. Specifically, concurrent chemo...

BACKGROUND Neoadjuvant chemoradiation might increase anastomotic leakage and stenosis in patients with esophageal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation and esophagectomy. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of radiation dose on the incidence of leakage and stenosis. METHODS Fifty-three patients with esophageal cancer received neoadjuvant chemoradiation (23 × 1.8 Gy) ...

Tumor size seems to be a determinant in the prognosis of early cervical cancer. Patients with tumor greater than 4 cm (bulky) in diameter have worse outcome. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of preoperative combined chemoradiation and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAIC) programs followed by radical hysterectomy in stage IB-IIB bulky cervical cancer. From September 1999 to April...

The effects of treatment with oral capecitabine vs. bolus 5-FU, administered concurrently with preoperative radiotherapy, were compared in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). One hundred and twenty-seven patients with LARC received concurrent preoperative chemoradiation using two cycles bolus 5-FU (500 mg/m2/day) plus leucovorin (LV, 20 mg/m2/day) (Group I). Another LARC gro...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for prediction and early detection of treatment response in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging studies were performed on 40 patients with newly diagnosed HNSCC before, during, and after the end of chemoradiation the...

  Background and Objectives: To compare pathologic complete response (pCR) in patients with advanced rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACT) by 5-FU or Xeloda (capecitabine) with and without Eloxatin (oxaloplatin injection). Materials and Methods: Seventy-five consecutive patients with the diagnosis of advanced rectal adenocarcinoma were included. Two basic chemotherapy r...

OBJECTIVE To review the incidence of aspiration after chemoradiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING Academic institution. PATIENTS One hundred thirty patients with advanced HNC underwent chemoradiation therapy at our institution between 1998 and 2002 as part of a larger, multi-institutional, prospective study of induction chemothe...

BACKGROUND Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels are raised in the serum of patients with oesophageal carcinoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the tumour microvasculature and the role of tumour-associated macrophages in VEGF production after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and surgery for oesophageal cancer. METHODS Sections from 92 consecutively resected oesophageal tumours ...

The optimal management of rectal cancer remains a major challenge for oncologists. The treatment of stage II/III rectal cancer has historically been associated with a high risk of local recurrence and poor survival, which led to the development of adjuvant treatments in the hope of improving outcomes. The approach to adjuvant therapy for rectal cancer currently varies widely between Europe and ...

OBJECTIVE To review our institutional experience of patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) and N2-N3 neck disease with respect to neck recurrence after chemoradiation without planned neck dissection (ND). DESIGN Retrospective study. SETTING Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. PATIENTS Fifty-four adults with locally advanced SCCHN...