Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Nancy Price Mendenhall

Publications and source records attributed to Nancy Price Mendenhall.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Radiation therapy for angiosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Between 1964 and 1998, 19 patients with histologically proven angiosarcoma were treated with curative intent with radiation therapy. METHODS: Median follow-up was 37 months (range, 8-234 months). RESULTS: The actuarial 5-year absolute survival and local control rates were 51% and 50%, respectively. Of 12 patients who relapsed, 8 had isolated local recurrence as the first site of treatment failure, 2 had local (1 patient) or regional recurrence in conjunction with distant metastases, and 2 had distant metastases alone. Two of four patients who underwent further therapy for recurrent disease were successfully salvaged. CONCLUSIONS: Only the location of the primary tumor was a predictor of local control and absolute survival at 5 years. Angiosarcomas located on the scalp imply a dismal prognosis compared with those in other locations with the predominant pattern of failure being local recurrence. Patients should be treated aggressively with surgical resection and preoperative or postoperative radiation therapy.

Adult↗

Management of neurotropic low-grade B-cell lymphoma: report of two cases.

BACKGROUND: Low-grade lymphomas do not commonly involve the central or peripheral nervous system. METHODS: Case report and review of the literature of two cases of B-cell lymphoma of the extranodal marginal zone type involving the head and neck region with evidence of extensive neurotropism are detailed in this report. RESULTS: One patient was initially seen with a mass in the temporalis muscle and the other with a masticator space mass. The clinical course was indolent in both cases, although associated imaging studies suggested a more aggressive tumor. Both patients were treated with moderate-dose radiotherapy only. At the time of writing, one patient has no evidence of disease 6.5 years after treatment and the other at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: This suggests that some marginal zone lymphomas exhibit a low-grade clinical course despite an aggressive radiographic pattern of perineural and neurotropic spread. This type of lymphoma might be effectively treated with moderate-dose radiotherapy.

Aged↗

Angiosarcoma after breast-conserving therapy: experience with hyperfractionated radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To report our promising results of hyperfractionated radiotherapy (RT) in conjunction with surgery for angiosarcoma occurring after breast-conserving therapy for early-stage breast cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Since 1997, 3 cases of angiosarcoma after breast-conserving therapy have been managed at the University of Florida. The histologic specimens in each case were reviewed and graded by one of us (J.D.R.). RESULTS: Explosive growth of discolored skin lesions coincident with histologic evidence of angiosarcoma characterized all 3 cases but was preceded by a fairly indolent period (almost 2 years) of atypical vascular hyperplasia in 2 patients. All 3 patients were treated initially with radical surgery for the angiosarcoma, but extensive recurrences were noted within 1 to 2 months of surgery. Because of the extremely rapid growth noted before and after surgery, hyperfractionated RT was used. Two of the patients underwent planned resection after RT, and neither specimen demonstrated any evidence of high-grade angiosarcoma. All 3 patients were alive without any recurrent disease 22, 38, and 39 months after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperfractionated irradiation appears to be effective treatment for rapidly proliferating angiosarcoma. For previously untreated angiosarcoma, we now recommend hyperfractionated RT followed by surgery to enhance disease control and remove as much reirradiated tissue as possible.

Aged↗

Subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease: the University of Florida experience.

PURPOSE: To assess the long-term outcomes and late effects of patients with subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty-one patients with Stage I and II subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease were treated with curative intent between February 1966 and February 1998 at the University of Florida. Patient characteristics were as follows: mean age, 38.7 years (range, 3-75 years); 20 males and 1 female; 33% lymphocyte predominant, 43% nodular sclerosing, 14% mixed cellularity, 5% lymphocyte depletion, and 5% unclassified Hodgkin's disease. Treatment included inverted Y irradiation (InY) (8 patients), total nodal irradiation (TNI) (7 patients), and combined modality irradiation and chemotherapy (CMT) (6 patients). Median follow-up was 12.3 years (range, 3.1-33.6 years). RESULTS: Progression-free survival and overall survival were 80% and 70%, respectively, at 10 years. There were no deaths from Hodgkin's disease. Treatment failures occurred in 1 of 8 patients after InY, 1 of 7 after TNI, and 1 of 6 after CMT. Two of 3 recurrences were in patients with 3 or more sites of involvement and/or splenic involvement; 1 was in-field. There were 5 second malignant neoplasms and 3 cardiac events, including 4 second malignant neoplasms and 2 cardiac events in the 9 patients > or =40 years old at diagnosis and 1 second malignant neoplasm and 1 cardiac event in the 12 patients <40 years old. All 3 second solid malignancies in this study occurred 7-14 years after treatment in areas receiving 10-20 Gy. CONCLUSIONS: Subdiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease is an uncommon manifestation with excellent disease control achieved with InY, TNI, and CMT. This subgroup of patients with Hodgkin's disease is predominantly male and older than subgroups with other presentations, which may predispose the group to a higher risk for serious adverse events after treatment. We recommend InY with spleen for clinical Stages IA and nodular sclerosis or lymphocyte-predominant clinical Stage IIA, InY alone for pathologic Stages IA and IIA, and CMT for all Stage I/II patients with greater than three involved sites, B symptoms, bulky disease (>6 cm), central (para-aortic) presentation, or splenic involvement.

Adolescent↗

Carcinoma of the skin of the head and neck with perineural invasion.

BACKGROUND: Perineural invasion is observed in a small subset of patients with carcinomas of the skin of the head and neck. METHODS: Review of the patient literature highlighting the University of Florida experience. RESULTS: Patients with early perineural invasion are asymptomatic, and the phenomenon is discovered only on pathologic examination of the excised lesion. These patients are defined as having "incidental" perineural invasion, and treatment with surgery followed by postoperative irradiation results in a cure rate of approximately 80%. Undiagnosed, the perineural carcinoma slowly progresses and eventually results in symptoms, usually facial weakness or numbness. The disease eventually extends to the skull base and becomes incompletely resectable. Symptomatic patients are defined as having "clinical" perineural invasion, and aggressive treatment results in a cure rate of approximately 45%. CONCLUSIONS: Perineural invasion is an uncommon spread pattern observed in patients with skin cancer and is associated with a relatively poor prognosis. The likelihood of cure is inversely related to the proximal extent of the cancer and is lower for symptomatic compared with asymptomatic patients.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

The treatment of Ewing's sarcoma of bone at the University of Florida: 1969 to 1998.

Since 1969, 144 patients with previously untreated Ewing's sarcoma of bone were entered in prospective protocols at the University of Florida. From 1969 through 1981, three institutional protocols were used, and some patients were entered into the First Intergroup Ewing's Sarcoma Study. Starting in 1982, an attempt was made to intensify treatment, with patients divided according to their primary tumor size into standard-risk (< or = 8 cm in maximum diameter) and high-risk groups. Patients with metastases at diagnosis also were considered high risk. The standard-risk protocols (Number 1 and Number 2 specified treatment with chemotherapy considered to be standard for the era; the patients who were high risk had standard chemotherapy followed by end-intensification. Treatment for patients with metastases at diagnosis was intensified additionally in 1993 with a protocol (high-risk protocol Number 5) specifically designed just for these patients. The absolute survival rate of all patients treated before 1982 was 50% at 5 years for patients without metastases at diagnosis and 18% for patients with metastases. Patients with small primary lesions had a better survival rate than patients with large primary lesions. After 1982, the 5-year survival rate for patients treated on the standard-risk protocols was 53% (1985-1998), whereas for high-risk protocols the 5-year survival rate was 63%. Survival rates were better for younger patients at diagnosis and for patients who responded well to induction chemotherapy, indicating that future trials may need to tailor therapy based on the response to induction chemotherapy.

Adolescent↗

Stage IE primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of bone.

The results of treatment of 28 patients with Stage IE primary lymphoma of bone were evaluated. Nine patients were treated with curative intent with irradiation alone and 19 patients received radiotherapy combined with adjuvant chemotherapy. Local control was 100%. The 10-year freedom-from-relapse rate was 53%; all relapses were distant metastases, and the median time to failure was 1 year. All patients with relapses succumbed to their disease. The 10-year cause-specific survival rate was 48%. The 10-year survival rate was 53%. Multivariate analysis of survival suggested that pathologic fracture before treatment, age greater than 60 years, no aggressive chemotherapy, and lesions that were not in long bones may influence these end points. Two patients (7%) sustained moderate or severe late toxicity. Although the likelihood of local control after treatment of Stage IE primary lymphoma of bone is very high with radiotherapy, more effective systemic regimens are needed. A significant proportion of patients with this disease die of distant metastases, despite the use of what are considered standard doxorubicin-based chemotherapy regimens.

Adolescent↗

Solitary plasmacytoma of bone and soft tissues.

PURPOSE: To define the optimal treatment and outcomes for patients with solitary plasmacytoma of bone and soft tissue. METHODS: Review of the literature. RESULTS: Solitary plasmacytomas are uncommon and account for less than 5% of plasma cell neoplasms. Solitary plasmacytomas of bone (SPB) usually occur in the vertebra and skull and are more common than extramedullary plasmacytomas (EMP) that almost always arise in the head and neck and may spread to regional lymph nodes. The optimal treatment is moderate-dose radiotherapy (40-50 Gy) and occasionally surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapy does not improve survival. Patients with EMP have a relatively low risk of progressing to multiple myeloma and have improved survival compared with those who present with SPB. CONCLUSION: Solitary plasmacytoma is an uncommon neoplasm that often arises in the head and neck. Optimal treatment is moderate-dose radiotherapy. Prognosis is relatively good and is better for patients with EMP compared with those presenting with SPB.

Bone Neoplasms↗