Antonio Bosch

Radiotherapy in the treatment of multiple myeloma

Fifty-nine patients with multiple myeloma referred for treatment of painful bony lesions received irradiation to 95 local areas, and 16 of the 59 were irradiated using hemibody techniques. Pain relief was obtained in practically all of the irradiated regions. Most local areas were treated to doses of 3000 cGy in 10 to 15 fractions. Patients with generalized pain due to multiple site involvement were treated with single dose hemibody irradiation, to doses of 600 cGy to the upper hemibody, and of 800 cGy to the lower hemibody. This treatment was well tolerated and side effects minimal. Median survival from diagnosis was 30 months and the survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 80%, 42%, and 12% respectively. Key articles on radiation therapy of multiple myeloma are reviewed and discussed. Since all patients eventually relapse after chemotherapy, the role of radiotherapy using present techniques should be fully evaluated and considered as an alternative in the primary treatment of multiple myeloma.

Complications after Radiation Therapy for Cervical Carcinoma

A series of 1 139 patients with invasive carcinoma of the cervix uteri who received a complete course of treatment by means of external irradiation followed by intracavitary curietherapy was evaluated in order to assess the results of treatment and, in particular, the radiation complications induced. Complications developed in 145 instances (12.7%). Severe complications occurred in only 3 per cent. Twenty-four cases had more than one complication. Rectosigmoidal injuries accounted for 72 per cent of all complications, and appeared earlier than did bladder complications and within the first two years after treatment. No apparent correlation between age and the occurrence of complications was found. The rate was higher in early stages. The radiation complications did not adversely affect the survival results.

Failures after irradiation in early vocal cord cancer.

Radiation therapy for early laryngeal cancer offers an excellent probability of cure as well as preservation of vocal function. Reported failure rates range from 9 to 21% in patients with T1 lesions, and from 28 to 44% in those with T2 lesions, the majority of whom are subsequently salvaged by surgery.

Red blood cell survival in patients with Hodgkin's disease

Red blood cell (RBC) survival studies were performed in a series of 22 consecutive patients with Hodgkins disease. T 1/2 values ranged from 23 to 45 days, with an average of 32.6 ± 7.1 days. Seventy‐three percent of the patients had values within the normal limits established in the laboratory (36.6 ± 4.3 days). No correlation was found between T 1/2 values and age, sex, or other laboratory findings such as hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, leukocyte, and eosinophil counts. Some degree of association was observed between RBC survival and stage of the disease. Early stages of the disease had normal T 1/2 values, whereas half of the cases in advanced stages of the disease had a decreased RBC survival.

Prognostic Importance of the Intracavitary Radium Arrangement in the Treatment of Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix

In many patients, it is not feasible to apply a combination of tandem and colpostat in the treatment of carcinoma of the cervix uteri, e.g., in elderly patients or in instances of residual disease in fornices and vaginal walls or shrinkage of the vaginal vault. The authors have employed a long tandem with a protruding source into the upper vagina; the effects of these respective modalities upon prognosis are compared.