Mranalini Verma

Is aspiration as detected on pretreatment video fluorography, a harbinger of poor quality of life and early mortality in cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract treated with radiotherapy?

Background: Patients with cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (head and neck cancer (HNC)) tend to aspirate, either due to disease or treatment. The association of aspiration (documented on video fluorography (VFG)) with quality of life (QOL) and unexpected mortality was studied prospectively in patients treated with simultaneous integrated boost technique of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT). Materials and Methods: Moderately advanced (stage III/IV) HNC were treated by SIB-IMRT delivering 66 Gy/30 fr, 60 Gy/30 fr, and 54 Gy/30 fr to high, intermediate, and low risk volumes, respectively. They underwent serial VFG and QOL assessments (Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and head and neck-35 (HN35) European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) tools) at 0, 3, and 6 months. Pharyngeal musculature (PM) was additionally delineated on planning computed tomography (CT) scans as potential organs at risk (OARs). Results: Between November 2009 and May 2011, 20 HNC were treated as per protocol. All patients were fit (Karnofsky performance status (KPS) ≥ 80). Based on VFG findings, seven patients (4/9 oropharynx and 3/11 laryngopharynx) were grouped as aspirators (A) and remaining 13 as non-aspirators (NA). The QOL study showed that pretreatment coughing and swallowing difficulties were greater in group A versus NA and remained persistently higher. In group A, deaths attributable to aspiration were seen in 3/7 patients, while none occurred in the NA group (Fishers exact P = 0.03). The mean PM dose was 60 Gy in both the groups and mean V60 was similar at 69 and 67% in A and NA groups, respectively. Conclusions: VFG helps identify patients who aspirate and are at risk of premature death due to its complications, alerting caregivers to direct attention appropriately.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy in head and neck cancers: In which direction are we heading?

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the treatment modalities, which most of the time used in the treatment of most head and neck cancers with/without chemotherapy either as a definitive treatment or adjuvant/postoperated or for symptoms palliation, but it is always accompanied by late sequelae such as xerostomia and dysphagia. These two major sequelae have a significant effect on patient′s quality of life even after cure of disease. However, with the advancement of modern techniques such as intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) which effectively spares the parotid glands has a significant effect, proven in randomized trials, for xerostomia as well as dysphagia. IMRT to spare dysphagia and aspiration related structure ( DARSs) has also been studied extensively. To improve the results further, nowadays, we focus on use of functional imaging at the time of RT planning and/or use of image guidance for the adaptation during RT treatment as well as focus on to reduce neurocognition effects of treatment by sparing brain.

An audit of over two decades of treating pituitary adenomas at a tertiary care facility

Aims: This retrospective audit of long-term outcomes and treatment sequelae with conventional radiotherapy (RT) is presented with an objective to provide baseline data with which outcomes of high precision techniques (fractionated radiosurgery and intensity-modulated RT [IMRT]) may be compared. Materials and Methods: Between the years 1990 and 2012, a total of 182 patients of pituitary adenoma were registered in the Department of Radiotherapy. Of these, 156 received RT. Immobilization consisted of a plaster of Paris cast (1990–1995), acrylic cast (1996–2000), a three-point head fixation thermoplastic cast (2001–2006), and now we are using “U”-IMRT thermoplastic cast since 2007 onward. A 2-field technique was used in 7% patients, whereas in the remaining 93% patients, 3-field technique was used. Forty-seven percent of patients were treated on a telecobalt unit and the remaining 53% patients on 6 MV linear accelerator. Rectangular fields, no field shaping, and appropriate wedges were used with mean field sizes (standard deviation [SD] and range) being 41.4 cm2 (16, 25–100). Mean dose (SD, range) was 47.5 Gy (SD 3.2; range 45–55) given in 1.8–2.0 Gy/fraction, 5 fractions/week. Results: Sixty percent of patients were (93/156) males. Median age was 37 years (mean - 37, SD - 13.2, range 12–66); 40.4% (63/156) had functional tumors. Presenting features were mainly headache 125 (80%), field defects 91 (58.3%), menstrual disturbances 33 (53% of women), and acromegalic features 38 (24.4%). Suprasellar extension, 129 (82.7%), was most common. All patients underwent resection; out of them, 28.2% patients had multiple surgeries. At a median (range) follow-up of 33 months (2–212) of all patients, the estimated freedom from progression was 96% at 2 years and 92% at 5 and 10 years with no patient failing beyond 18 months. Conclusions: Conventional external RT as described in postoperative cases of pituitary adenoma is safe and effective for tumor control with a median time to normalization of hormonal hypersecretion being about 30 months.

Leiomyosarcoma of tongue: A case report and review of literature

Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) of the tongue is an extremely rare mesenchymal tumor. Till now, we came across about 24 cases of tongue LMS reported in the literature. Here, we are presenting the case of a 50-year-old female with 4 months history of ulcerative growth on the tongue along with difficulty in swallowing and tongue movement who was diagnosed with LMS of the tongue on histopathology. He was managed with surgical excision followed by radiotherapy without any recurrence or metastasis after 6 months of follow-up.

Evaluation of fatigue in head and neck cancer patients undergoing (intensity modulated radiation therapy) radiotherapy: A prospective study

Introduction: Fatigue is a common symptom in cancer patients and persists after the completion of cancer-directed treatment. We attempted to study temporal variation in fatigue levels in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients when they were treated by radiotherapy (RT) using intensity modulated radiation therapy techniques. Materials and Methods: Histologically proven HNC patients (AJCC stage II and III with Karnofsky performance status [KPS] ≥80) receiving RT between August 2009 and October 2011 were included. Fatigue was assessed before, during and at 3, 6, and 12 months following RT and compared with age-matched healthy controls by using EORTC QOLQ C30 (using question number 10, 12, and 18). Results: Twenty-six patients were evaluated, whose baseline average fatigue score was 22.4, which was significantly higher as compared to controls (average fatigue score = 12.8; P = 0.04). During RT, average fatigue score increased to 30 by 3 weeks (P = 0.02) and rising to 33.2 (P = 0.029) towards the end of RT. Three months following RT, average fatigue score decreased to 22.8 and remained between 23 and 20 at 6 and 12 months respectively. Significant higher fatigue scores were observed in patients with advanced stage (P = 0.000). Lower KPS score did not show significantly higher fatigue scores (P = 0.5). Conclusion: Our study shows that HNC patients suffer greater fatigue than age-matched healthy individuals which is further aggravated by RT. It gradually comes back to the pretreatment level by 3 months following treatment, but does not reach to a normal healthy level even at 12 months following treatment.