[en] Radiation therapy following excision for keloids has been shown to decrease the recurrence race by about 50%. The authors followed up 75 patients with 113 keloids for a mean time of 9.75 years. Seventy-four percent of the lesions involved the earlobe. The overall control rate was 73% with use of low-dose superficial x-ray therapy. There was no advantage to starting radiation within 1 day of surgery. Keloids larger than 2 cm, those that had been treated previously, and those occurring in men were found to indicate a high likelihood of recurrence. The mean time to recurrence was 12.8 months. There were no complications

[en] This book contains 76 chapters. Some of the titles are: Biologic Basis of Radiation Therapy; Radiation Immunobiology and Immunomoduation; The Staging and Classification of Cancer: A Unified Approach; External Beam Dosimetry and Treatment Planning; Intraoperative Radiation Therapy; Hyperthermia; and Clinical Applications of Electron Beam Therapy

[en] High-dosage irradiation is an important component in the treatment of patients with lung cancer. While most patients tolerate therapy well, certain changes can be expected in their bodies. The authors review these effects and offer suggestions for their management. 34 references

[en] Pretreatment computed tomography (CT) scanning of the pelvis was performed in 100 consecutive patients with carcinoma of the prostate treated with external irradiation (82 patients) or interstitial I¹²⁵ (18 patients). Treatment plan modifications prompted by CT scan findings were most frequent in patients with (clinical) involvement of the seminal vesicles in whom the conventional treatment planning often resulted in an underestimate of tumor volume. Seventeen of 32 (54%) such patients required an enlargement of treatment fields to adequately encompass the target volume. Using skeletal landmarks as reference, the dimensions of the prostate, seminal vesicles and the detectable tumor and their topographic relationships were systematically tabulated. These measurements provide a basis for the definition of the target volume in patients with carcinoma of the prostate in whom CT scans might not be available

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[en] One hundred and two patients with invasive carcinoma of the uterine cervix, stages IB, IIA, and selected IA and IIB, were treated using combined radiation therapy and radical hysterectomy. Of these, 88 received approximately 2000 rad of pelvic external radiation and a single 5000-6000 mgh intracavitary implant. Major complications were observed in 5 patients. These resolved spontaneously in 1, and were surgically managed in satisfactory manner in the other 4. Only two of the complications occurred in patients receiving low dose preoperative irradiation. The likelihood of complications was closely related to the radiation dosage. Preoperative radiation prior to radical hysterectomy can be given safely provided that dosimetric principles are observed, and that the radiation and surgical techniques are integrated closely

[en] The radioresistance of antibody-mediated immune response is lowest when radiation is given before antigen, and rises steadily with time after antigen stimulation to reach a maximum when serum antibody is at a maximum, suggesting that antibody- producing cells are highly resistant. Irradiation affects the antibody-mediated response by (1) lengthening the period between stimulation and production of detectable levels of serum antibody, (2) decreasing the rate of increase in serum antibody levels, and (3) decreasing the maximum concentration of serum antibody. Irradiation affects the cell-mediated response by inhibiting immunization and delayed hypersensitivity reactions when administered before antigen. Because the cell-mediated response involves nonlymphoid cells whose precursors are also radiosensitive, irradiation following stimulation may also produce temporary suppression

[en] In patients with clinically negative necks a lymph node dissection is not warranted, for elective irradiation of the neck (5000 cGy) will control subclinical disease in more than 98% of patients. In patients with small, mobile lymph nodes, it is possible to control the tumor with radiation therapy alone, although a radical neck dissection is equally effective. For multiple lymph nodes larger than 5 cm in diameter or fixed to the soft tissues, the preferred method of treatment is radical neck dissection and postoperative irradiation. In many instances a composite resection of the primary tumor and a neck dissection can be followed by postoperative radiation therapy. The potential benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with irradiation and surgery in the treatment of these advanced lesions should be further evaluated. The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy has not been documented. Advanced tumors of the oropharynx will continue to be a challenge to radiation and medical oncologists and surgeons. Prospective clinical trials should be encouraged to identify the therapeutic approach that will yield the highest survival and local tumor control rates with the lowest morbidity, including anatomical and functional deficits

No abstract available