Conservative surgical treatment has replaced mastectomy in the treatment of many breast cancers in the first clinical stages. This treatment introduces the risk of local recurrences which should always be prevented by radiotherapy. A better local control after conservative treatment or mastectomy might increase the cure rate. However, this is still open to controversy. In the case of more locally advanced tumors, a neoadjuvant chemotherapy decreases the risks of local recurrences but does not improve survival. The benefit of medical adjuvant treatment presented up to 10 and 15 years in the meta-analysis are reserved. The nature of the benefit, short delay in additional survival or cure of some patients is discussed. The effects of chemotherapy are most likely partly secondary to an action on the ovaries since the results are much more apparent in premenopausal patients. Comparative trials with new chemical or biological agents are still necessary. Up to now the benefit brought by the mammographic screening seems to be more important than the therapeutic progress itself.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Epithelioma of the tip of the tongue. Analysis of a series of 1200 cases].

The authors carried out a survey of information proved by 16 institutions on a series of 1200 cases of epithelioma of the tip of the tongue to present before a meeting of European practitioners of curietherapy. They examined indications for curietherapy using radium and iridium alone or in association with external treatment by telecobaltherapy and gives details of the results -- local cures, cures maintained over three and over five years, necroses -- corresponding to the degree of development of the primary tumour. They indicate the possibilites of curietherapy in lesions of varying size and discuss indications for thorough curettage. They draw attention to the fact that lesions at an advanced stage chiefly require external irradiation (Cobalt 60 and gamma photons) or combined irradiation and chemotherapy.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Influence of treatment with ionizing radiations on the immune response of cancer patients].

We report the results of immunological surveillance of 60 patients with advanced ENT, mammary and bronchopulmonary cancers or Hodgkin's disease, treated only by physical agents. These patients were explored by blastic stimulation testing before, during and after radiation therapy. The results confirm an immunodepressive effect of radiotherapy which increase as the irradiated areas increase, thus showing the importance of immunological surveillance of the cancer patients especially after irradiation. In effect the correlation existing between the importance of immunological repair after irradiation and a good short-term prognosis lead us to plan new radio-immunotherapeutic associations in the treatment of advanced cancers or cancers with a poor prognosis.

Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation↗

PubMedDate not supplied