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Biomedical subjects

F Mornex

Publications and source records attributed to F Mornex.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Concomitant chemoradiotherapy in the therapeutic strategy of adenocarcinoma of the exocrine pancreas and stomach].

The prognosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains poor, with a 5-year survival rate lower than 5%. Resection, the gold standard treatment, can be performed in less than 10% of patients. Following surgery, the median survival is 12 months for the most favorable cancer patients. Concomitant chemoradiation, as an adjuvant treatment is superior to surgery alone, in terms of survival; controlled trials are currently performed. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation is a new approach, potentially able to increase survival and resection rate. This work justifies the role of these schemes, in terms of modalities and potential advantages. A second part is dedicated to gastric carcinoma, with a review of the current results of chemoradiation, whose efficiency, even though a trend can be observed, remains to be proven. Prospective adjuvant combined treatments are ongoing, in France and in the States.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1998

The role of radiotherapy in the conservative treatment of rectal carcinoma--the Lyon experience.

The purpose of this study was to present the Lyon experience using radiotherapy alone or with surgery, with intent to cure rectal cancer and to avoid rectal amputation. Two groups of patients were treated between 1980 and 1996: Group I with radiotherapy alone with contact x-ray for T1 N0 (101 patients) or with a combination of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), contact x-ray and 192 iridium implant in inoperable T2-3 N0-1 patients (43 patients); Group II with preoperative EBRT either as a pilot study (158 patients) or in a randomized trial (210 patients). With contact x-ray alone it was possible to control T1 N0 in 90% of cases, and with the combined approach 70% of the inoperable patients were controlled. In Group II, anterior resection was performed in 60% to 70% of the patients. Local recurrence was seen in 11% of cases. Surgery is the basic treatment used for rectal cancer but radiotherapy is playing an increasing role in the conservative treatment of this cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1998

[Radiotherapy of cancer of the anal canal. 15 years experience at the Lyon civil hospices and brief review of the literature].

AIM: Retrospective analysis of a series of 287 anal canal carcinomas seen during a 15-year period in the Department of Radiotherapy Oncology of Hospices Civils de Lyon. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between 1980 and 1995, 287 patients were managed in the radiotherapy department of Hospices Civils de Lyon. In 25 cases, the patients were referred for recurrence. Post or preoperative irradiation was performed in 12 and 23 cases. Palliative treatment was given to 15 cases and simple follow-up in 7 cases. Radiotherapy was given to 205 patients. In 71 cases irradiation alone and in 134 concomitant radiochemotherapy was given. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival of the group treated by radiotherapy (205 patients) was 71.5% and the 10 year-overall survival was 60.8%. The specific survival at 5 and 10 years was 81.9% and 74.7% respectively. At 5 years the overall survival was 78% for the group treated by concomitant radiochemotherapy and 60% for the group treated by irradiation alone. CONCLUSION: Radiotherapy is the standard treatment for anal canal carcinoma. Radiochemotherapy seems to improve results in advanced cases. The best irradiation of technique has yet to be defined.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Scoring system of late effects of radiations on normal tissues: the SOMA-LENT scale].

Radiation tolerance of normal tissues remains the limiting factor for delivering tumoricidal dose. The late toxicity of normal tissues is the most critical element of an irradiation: somatic, functional and structural alterations occur during the actual treatment itself, but late effects manifest months to years after acute effects heal, and may progress with time. The optimal therapeutic ratio ultimately requires not only complete tumor clearance, but also minimal residual injury to surrounding vital normal tissues. The disparity between the intensity of acute and late effects and the inability to predict the eventual manifestations of late normal tissue injury has made radiation oncologists recognize the importance of careful patient follow-up. There is so far no uniform toxicity scoring system to compare several clinical studies in the absence of a "common toxicity language". This justifies the need to establish a precise evaluation system for the analysis of late effects of radiation on normal tissues. The SOMA/LENT scoring system results from an international collaboration. European Organization Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) have created subcommittees with the aim of addressing the question of standardized toxic effects criteria. This effort appeared as a necessity to standardize and improve the data recording, to then describe and evaluate uniform toxicity at regular time intervals. The current proposed scale is not yet validated, and should be used cautiously.

Humans↗
PubMed1997

[Biological mechanisms of late effects of ionizing radiations].

The daily practice of radiation oncology is increasingly influenced by the late tolerance of normal tissues. The treatment decision must be based on detailed arguments and the physician's duty to extensively inform his patients is emphasised every day. The incidence and severity of radiation-induced sequelae and late complications can be reduced by decreasing the total dose to the normal tissues, and by decreasing the dose protraction, provided that the interval between fractions remains longer than 6 to 8 hours. This approach yields a selective protection of late responding normal tissues, since tumours are less sensitive to the effects of fractionation. Despite its own limitations, the linear- quadratic model is nowadays the standard method to compare the biological effects of different radiation treatments.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

[Late effects of ionizing radiations on central nervous system, spinal cord and peripheral nerves].

Despite the lack of characteristic features, demyelination is the dominant feature of radiation induced late effects observed in cerebral nervous system and spinal cord. Acute, subacute and chronic changes are described in terms of pathological, clinical and radiological observations. Brain necrosis in adults is rarely noted below 60 Gy in conventional fractionation, while imaging changes are observed with lower doses. The most widely observed dose limit for the spinal cord is 45 Gy, in the absence of dose modifying chemotherapy. Tumor progression may be hard to distinguish from radiochemotherapy effects. The potential protective role of hyperfractionation is not yet clearly established. Peripheral nerves late effects, although rare, are described.

Brain↗
PubMed1997

[Late effects of radiations on the liver].

Until recently, the liver was classified as a radioresistant organ, although it is in fact highly radiosensitive. The realization that the whole liver could be treated safely only with low doses of radiation led to the conclusion that radiation therapy had an extremely limited role in the treatment of intrahepatic malignancies. A resurgence of interest has been observed with the advent of conformal radiotherapy and the introduction of bone marrow transplantation with total body irradiation. The radiation-induced liver disease, often called radiation hepatitis, is a syndrome characterized by the development of anicteric ascites, approximately 2 weeks to 4 months after hepatic irradiation. Immediate tolerance is generally surprisingly good, and the subacute radiation injury is followed by a complete asymptomatic healing, although the late lesions may be associated with signs of chronic radiation hepatitis. Radiation hepatitis must be distinguished from chemoradiation-induced-hepatitis occurring in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation and total body irradiation. Both syndromes demonstrate the same pathological lesion: veno-occlusive disease. The main treatment for radiation hepatitis is diuretics, although soma advocate steroids for severe cases.

Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation↗
PubMed1997

[Late effects of radiations on mature and growing bone].

The physiopathology of radiation-induced bone damage is no completely elucidated. Ionizing radiation may induce an inhibition or an impairment of growing bone. This fact is of particular importance in children, and represents one of the most important dose-limiting factors in the radiotherapeutic management of children with malignant diseases. Scoliosis, epiphyseal slippage, avascular necrosis, abnormalities of craniofacial growth may be observed after radiation. Child's age at the time of treatment, location of irradiated bone and irradiation characteristics may influence the radiation-related observed effects. In adults, pathological analysis of mature bone after ionizing radiation exposure are rare, suggesting that it is difficult to draw a clear feature of the action of radiation on the bone. Osteoporosis, medullary fibrosis and cytotoxicity on bone cells lead to fracture or necrosis. Various factors can influence bone tolerance to radiation such as bone involvement by tumor cells or infection, which is frequent is mandibulary osteoradionecrosis. Technical improvements in radiation techniques have also decreased radio-induced bone complications: the volume, fractionation and total dose are essential to consider. The absence of a consistent radiation-induced late effects evaluation scale has hampered efforts to analyze the influence of various therapeutic maneuvers and the comparison of results from different reported series. The currently proposed evaluation scale may help harmonizing the classification of radiation-induced bone late effects.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Radiation tolerance of patients after pneumonectomy for bronchial cancer: role of pulmonary function tests].

Radiation is often necessary after pneumonectomy, either immediately or due to local cancer recurrence. High radiation doses represent a challenge due to the limited tolerance of the lung and the necessity of preserving and protecting the remaining lung parenchyma. The use of CT scan based-treatment planning allows delivery of high radiation doses. To evaluate the radiation tolerance of the lung after high radiation dose, we compared pulmonary function tests performed before surgery and after radiation therapy. Ten male patients (mean age, 56 years old; age range, 45-73) were irradiated after pneumonectomy for lung cancer. All patients had a CT scan-based treatment planning. The mean radiation dose was 56 Gy (45-66 Gy) delivered with a linear accelerator and multiple complex fields. Two or more sets of pulmonary function tests were available (before surgery and 2 to 6 months after radiation). No patient developed clinical radiation pneumonitis and most of the patients had a minimal paramediastinal fibrosis at CT scan. Postirradiation pulmonary lung tests were compared to the theoretical values of the estimated defect observed after pneumonectomy. No significant decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 s/inspiratory vital capacity (FEV1/IVC) was observed in ten evaluable patients; the observed values were comparable to those expected after pneumonectomy without irradiation (FEV1/IVC: 61 to 100%), showing that irradiation did not alter pulmonary function. Computerized tomography-based treatment planning and the use of complex beam positioning allowed optimal lung parenchymal preservation. Through this procedure, high doses of radiation can be delivered to the mediastinum and bed tumor. Comparison of pulmonary function tests performed before surgery and after radiation showed no alteration of lung function, even after high doses. Optimal tools required for the evaluation of radiation on lung parenchyma are still to be defined.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

[Role of radiotherapy in the management of adenocarcinoma of the breast accessible to conservative surgery].

Standard treatment for limited stage adenocarcinoma of the breast includes lumpectomy (or a quadrantectomy), axillary node dissection, regional radiation therapy and, if the prognostic factors are unfavourable, chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy. This is supported by the results of American and European randomised trials. There have been many attempts at improving the modalities of conservative surgery and postoperative radiation therapy in order to maximize local control and minimize late sequellae. It is also likely that induction chemotherapy and external beam radiotherapy applied in selected cases increase the proportion of patients who can be offered conservative surgery.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

[Biological basis of combined chemo-radiotherapy. Applications to lung cancers].

Radiation therapy has been for years the treatment of choice of locally advanced non small cell lung cancer. Improvement due to the combination of radiation and chemotherapy has been shown recently through several randomized trials and a recent meta-analysis. These results may be explained by biological mechanisms, yet uncompletely explored, which are detailed in this review and applied to lung cancer. The optimal combination scheme is not yet defined, even though the concurrent approach is promising, at the expense of an increased toxicity which is the limiting factor of treatment escalation doses. Biological findings and future results of randomized trials will hopefully open new avenues in the therapeutic strategy of this poor prognosis disease.

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung↗
PubMed1997

[Role of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in the therapeutic strategy of exocrine adenocarcinoma of the pancreas].

The prognosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains poor, with a 5-year survival rate lower than 5%. Resection, the gold standard treatment, can be performed in less than 10% of patients. Following surgery, the median survival is 12 months for the most favorable patients. Concomitant chemoradiation, as an adjuvant treatment is superior to surgery alone, in terms of survival, controlled trials are currently performed. Neoadjuvant chemoradiation is a new approach, potentially able to increase survival and resection rate. This work justifies the role of these schemes, in terms of modalities and potential advantages.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

[Locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the pancreas: current therapeutic modalities].

Pancreatic cancer still have bad prognosis. At the time of diagnosis, less than 10% of patients can undergo surgery with an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 2%. For patients with localized pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy has been shown to control symptoms and to enhance patient survival. This treatment should be proposed to all the patients with good performance status and without icterus. Pain management should be optimized and often need morphinic and co-antalgic (anticonvulsivants, steroids) consumption. The celiac plexus block with alcohol gives an excellent pain relief and should be more frequently used.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1997

[Uterine sarcoma treated by surgery and postoperative radiation therapy. Patterns of relapse, prognostic factors and role of radiation therapy].

The objective was to evaluate the results of a combination of surgery and postoperative radiotherapy in patients with uterine sarcoma, to describe the patterns of relapse and to define prognostic factors. From 1980 to 1993, 29 patients (median age: 56 years) presenting with uterine sarcoma have been treated with surgery and postoperative irradiation. The histology was: leiomyosarcoma: 11; carcinosarcoma: 12; stromal sarcoma: 6. The distribution by stage was: pT1: 18; pT2: 5; pT3: 3; pT4: 3; pNO: 27; pN1: 2. Gross residual disease was present in 4 patients. External beam irradiation was performed in all the cases and brachytherapy in 19. Chemotherapy was given in 3 patients. The overall survival rate was 66% at 2 years and 57% at 5 years with a disease free survival of 54% at 2 years and 50% at 5 years. Seven patients relapsed locally and 8 developed metastases. One patient died of ileitis. In a multivariate analysis, the disease free survival was strongly influenced by the menopausal status. The survival in this study is higher than that described in series of patients treated with surgery alone. This study confirms the worse prognosis of uterine sarcoma in postmenopausal women.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[Assessment of procarbazine, vincristine and lomustine association (PCV protocol) in oligodendroglioma and mixed glioma].

Effective chemotherapy using PCV (procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine) has been documented in anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and oligoastrocytomas. A pilot study using PCV was conducted for relapsing patients with anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and oligoastrocytomas. Preliminary results are reported. Fourteen patients were enrolled. All received at least two courses of PCV and were evaluable for response. Eleven patients (78%) responded to chemotherapy with complete responses in 2 patients. Response was more obvious regarding contrast enhanced areas than volumes changes (11 responses versus 7). A story of seizure was the main clinical prognostic factor for response. All toxicities were manageable and no treatment related death occurred. Chemotherapy is an effective treatment in aggressive oligodendrogliomas. Further studies must assess the role of chemotherapy in the multidisciplinary management of oligodendroglioma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

[Radiation- and chemically-induced respiratory manifestations].

There are frequently respiratory complications with cancer particularly in primary lung carcinoma. Among these are bronchopulmonary infections with or without endobronchial obstruction, carcinomatous lymphangitis, thromboembolic disease and haemorrhagic disease as well. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy may induce various respiratory complications which diagnosis can be of varying shades of difficulty. The classical post radiation pneumonitis occurring exclusively in the field of radiation hardly poses any problem unless it could be masking a recurrence. Certain clinical manifestations address very difficult problems of differential diagnosis by their lack of specificity and by their often unforeseeable character (except for bleomycin fibrosis which is perfectly dose dependent). Moreover patients often have multiple treatments and the identification of the single responsible agent becomes very difficult. We will not discuss here the infectious or secondary haemorrhagic complications of radiotherapy or chemotherapy but rather the anaphylactic manifestations, diffuse interstitial pneumonia with lymphocytic alveolitis or fibrosis, eosinophilic pneumonia, non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema, bronchiolitis obliterans with organising pneumonia and the rare pulmonary vascular disorders such as pulmonary veno-occlusive disease.

Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic↗