BACKGROUND: Combined radiation and chemotherapy for intrathoracic tumors can produce appreciable morbidity. Apprehension about the severity of these toxicities may inhibit optimal patient care. METHODS: The literature on recognition, diagnosis, prophylaxis, and management of these toxicities is reviewed and combined with the experiences of the authors to produce management recommendations. RESU...

In an attempt to develop better combination therapies for use with local radiation, the interaction between bleomycin and hyperthermia +/- radiation was studied in the FSaIIC tumor system. In cells exposed in vitro to bleomycin at 37 degrees C and at pH 7.40, the drug was substantially more toxic toward normally oxygenated than hypoxic cells. At hyperthermic temperatures (42 degrees or 43 degre...

Seventy-five patients with stage III and IV squamous cell cancer of the head and neck, previously untreated, had two courses of chemotherapy with cis-platinum, Oncovin and bleomycin, followed by radical surgery, radiotherapy or both. Response to chemotherapy (complete and partial) was high (80 percent). In 36 patients radical surgery became possible. The overall survival improved statistically ...

The taxanes, paclitaxel and docetaxel, are novel antimitotic agents that are under extensive investigation in clinical trials. Both taxanes have demonstrated significant activity against many solid tumors as single agents and in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents. In addition, taxanes arrest cells at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, which is the most radiosensitive phase. These pro...

Patient. A 65-year old man who had previously undergone surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia presented with symptoms of recurrent bladder outflow obstruction. Cystoscopy revealed the presence of recurrent tissue.Results. Histology identified a leiomyosarcoma. Several years after further surgery and radiotherapy, the patient presented with secondaries in the lungs and brain, but there was no...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Photodynamic therapy causes direct cytotoxicity to malignant cells within a tumor. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can also have both direct and indirect effects upon various non-malignant components of the tumor microenvironment. This action can lead to PDT-mediated angiogenesis and inflammation, which are emerging as important determinants of PDT responsiveness. STUDY D...

A number of advances have been made in the use of adjuvant chemotherapy for resectable rectal cancer. Whereas pelvic radiation therapy has been shown to increase local control in patients with clinically resectable disease, systemic chemotherapy is needed in addition to further improve local control and overall survival. In this review, the experience treating patients with clinically resectabl...

Preoperative or postoperative pelvic radiation plus concurrent fluorouracil-based chemotherapy is standard adjuvant treatment for patients with T3 and/or N1/2 rectal cancer. Newer chemotherapeutic regimens have been developed for the treatment of patients with metastatic disease. Irinotecan (CPT-11, Camptosar)-based regimens have improved survival in patients with metastatic disease and are bei...

Objective Sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma is a rare and aggressive malignancy of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Multi-institutional studies examining outcomes of combined modality treatment versus other treatment modalities have not been performed. The objective of our study was to present outcomes for multimodality therapy through use of the National Cancer Database. Study Design...