Robert Morrison

Intra-alveolar Carcinoma of the Jaw. Treatment by Supervoltage Radiotherapy

This article describes the possible sites of origin, the clinical and radiological features and the treatment of intra-alveolar carcinoma of the jaw. Nine patients have been treated with supervoltage radiotherapy and the response of the tumour to this treatment is given.

The Treatment of Carcinoma of the Bladder by Supervoltage X Rays

Four hundred and twelve cases of cancer of the bladder treated by supervoltage radiotherapy have been analysed. The treatment policy is discussed in relation to the extent of the tumour, its histological pattern and the probability of its spread in the bladder wall and to the pelvic lymphatic nodes. The techniques of treatment are described. The survival rates are given for the stage of the disease, the histological type, the site of the tumour in the bladder and its cystoscopic appearance. Lesions with extravesical spread to both sides of the pelvis were found to have a worse prognosis than those with a spread to one side. The reactions after treatment and the late complications are described and their incidence related to the tumour dose. The tumour response at different times after treatment has been analysed for the different histological types and the site of the lesion. The results of a small prospective investigation suggest that the disappearance rate does not increase with a higher tumour dose. P...

Radiation therapy in diseases of the larynx

Laryngeal cancer is one of the most rewarding tumours for the radiotherapist to treat, particularly when it arises on the vocal cord. The diagnosis is usually made when the disease is at an early stage, so that many patients are suitable for radical treatment and a high percentage are now cured and recover their normal voice. During the past 30 years there has been a steady improvement in the results (Baclesse, 1967; Holsti and Taskinen, 1967). These have been achieved by the use of better equipment and especially by the greater skill of the radiotherapist and the closer collaboration with his colleagues in laryngology. Coutard (1934) considered that the treatment of laryngeal tumours was one of the most profitable for the radiotherapist to study because reactions on a variety of normal tissues, tumour regression and the effect of changes in fractionation and dose could be readily observed. Malignant laryngeal tumours are epidermoid in character and generally poorly differentiated, except those which aris...

Drill biopsy: a technique using a high-speed drill.

DRILL biopsy has become accepted, particularly in radiotherapy departments, as a quick and ready method of obtaining tumour tissue for microscopical examination. Admittedly, the procedure has certain limitations and sections made from the small sample may not always be representative of the whole tumour. This is a difficulty inherent in the method which may make the pathologist hesitate to give a firm diagnosis, especially if the appearance of the section suggests a tumour with

The Relative Biological Efficiency of 8 MV X rays and Radium Gamma Rays, with Reference to Buccal Mucosa

The relative effectiveness of X radiation generated at 8 million volts and γ radiation from radium is compared in patients having treatment for cancer of the anterior part of the mouth. The onset of the mucosal reaction has been used as the indicator of biological effect. Comparison of the doses received on the mucosa on the day of onset of the reaction suggests that the RBE of 8 MV X radiation as compared with γ rays is slightly less than unity. Factors which may affect the reaction other than the energy of the radiation are discussed.

Radiotherapy of the rheumatic diseases

Summary 1. The results of the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis by X rays are discussed and the published results are reviewed. 2. The objective findings after treatment are compared with the improvement in symptoms reported by the patients. 3. A follow-up report is given on 122 patients treated more than three years previously. In 25 per cent of the patients, the disease had progressed since treatment, the advanced disease showing a greater tendency to progress than the early disease. 4. The complications and sequel˦ of X-ray treatment are discussed. The possibility of an increased risk of leuk˦mia is mentioned and its significance discussed in relation to the management of patients in the future. At the time of the follow-up examination, active disease was present in 25 per cent of patients. Eighty-one per cent of the patients were at work and 72 per cent were able to continue with their normal work. The correlation between activity of the disease as assessed clinically and the E.S.R. was poor.