Katarzyna Bilska

Vincristine, irinotecan, and temozolomide in patients with relapsed and refractory Ewing sarcoma

Patients with metastatic, progressive or recurrent Ewing sarcoma (ES) have a dismal outcome. The combination of irinotecan and temozolomide has been proposed as an effective salvage regimen for some pediatric malignancies. Thus, we sought to evaluate this combination with vincristine for patients with relapsed and refractory ES.

Validation of a multi‐modal treatment protocol for Ewing sarcoma—A report from the polish pediatric oncology group

Ewing sarcoma (ES) is the second most common paediatric malignant bone tumor. Advances in multi‐disciplinary care have resulted in significant improvement in cure rates over the last decades. However, the generalization of those results in countries traditionally excluded from large cooperative trials has yet to be demonstrated. We report the results of modern multi‐disciplinary care for patients with ES in Poland.

Ovarian function in female survivors after multimodal Ewing sarcoma therapy

With advances in cancer care, more young women with Ewing sarcoma (ES) survive after treatment. Thus, we sought to analyze the ovarian function in prepubertal, pubertal and postpubertal females and young women receiving multimodal therapy for ES, and to identify patients at risk of infertility on whom fertility preservation would be indicated.

Internal hemipelvectomy in the management of pelvic Ewing sarcoma - are outcomes better than with radiation therapy?

BACKGROUND Pelvic Ewing sarcoma (ES) is commonly associated with a worse prognosis. Large size and location limit local control options to radiation therapy, and local recurrences are common. We evaluated the impact of hemipelvectomy and radiation on outcomes, including function. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-nine patients (median age 13.5years) with ES of the pelvis and sacral bones were treated during the period 2000-2012. Fifteen were treated with definitive radiotherapy (RT), 9 patients underwent hemipelvectomy alone, and 15 were treated with combined hemipelvectomy and RT. RESULTS Twenty patients (51.2%) are alive with a median follow-up 3.2years from diagnosis. Median time from diagnosis to relapse was 1.3years. Three-year estimates of EFS and OS were 47% and 61%, respectively. Patients treated with surgery or surgery with RT had better outcome than patients treated with RT only (3-year OS 78% or 81% vs. 36%, respectively, p=0.00083). The outcome of patients with pelvic ES treated with hemipelvectomy was not significantly different from the outcome of all patients with Ewing sarcoma treated on the national Polish protocol. CONCLUSIONS Internal hemipelvectomy offers good chances of cure for patients with pelvic ES, with a reasonable rate of complications and good function.

Prediction of Ewing Sarcoma treatment outcome using attenuated tissue reflection FTIR tissue spectroscopy

Ewing sarcoma is the second most common type of primary bone cancer and predominantly affects children and young people. Improved outcome prediction is key to delivering risk-adjusted, appropriate and effective care to cancer patients. Advances in the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of tissues enable it to be a non-invasive method to obtain information about the biochemical content of any biological sample. In this retrospective study, attenuated tissue reflection FTIR spectroscopy of biopsy samples from paediatric patients reveals spectral features that are diagnostic for Ewing Sarcoma. Furthermore, our results suggest that spectral features such as these may be of value for the prediction of treatment outcome independent to well-known, routinely used risk factors.