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Biomedical subjects

R D Lindberg

Publications and source records attributed to R D Lindberg.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Biteblock-head immobilizer system.

To accurately deliver high doses of radiation to the head and neck region one must be able to achieve three primary goals: reproduce the patient set-up or position, immobilize the patient, and most importantly, position the treatment field on the patient in the same exact location on a daily basis. Many patient positioning devices are available commercially but none address the concept of positioning the treatment field on the patient. The system presented in this paper accomplishes all 3 goals. Using a biteblock and a coordinate system, it has decreased the daily set-up time and improved the accuracy of the treatment field placement on the patient. Five hundred port films were reviewed retrospectively from previously treated patients who were treated without this new system (66% of those films were approved, and 34% needed some sort of adjustment). Using the new system the accuracy of 107 port films was determined (91% were approved, while only 9% needed any type of adjustment). This newly developed system provides the extra step, treatment accuracy, that no other device has done.

Dental Impression Technique↗

Evaluation of unplanned interruptions in radiotherapy treatment schedules.

One of the major radiobiological interests has been to maximize the effectiveness of the time-dose relationship in the clinical setting. Current explorations include altered fractionation schedules, multiple daily fractions and hypofractionation. Patient compliance to standard radiotherapy treatment schedules is taken for granted. To evaluate the true rate of compliance, the charts of all new patients treated from July 1, 1984 through June 30, 1985 were reviewed. The overall incidence of unplanned interruptions was 54% (361/668). The frequency of interruptions is significantly higher in patients treated to the primary site as compared to those treated for metastasis (59.8% and 35.6% respectively). The duration of the interruptions varied: 12.7% of the patients missed only 1 day, 25% missed 2 to 5 days, 38% had interruptions totalling 6-15 days, and in 24% the total exceeded 15 days. The most frequent cause of the unplanned interruptions was a rest resulting from unusually adverse tissue reactions (46.8%-169/361). Although this study has documented that unplanned interruptions are a major problem, the impact on local control and survival cannot be determined from our data. A retrospective review of multi-institutional studies such as those conducted by the Patterns of Care or RTOG might show that one of the major causes of failure is unplanned interruptions.

Humans↗

Primary gastric lymphoma and pseudolymphoma.

Eighteen patients with primary gastric lymphomas and two with pseudolymphomas treated at the University of Louisville affiliated hospitals were analyzed in order to develop a more precise understanding of these rare diseases. Abdominal pain and weight loss were the most common initial symptoms. Only one patient presented with an abdominal mass. Upper GI series were helpful but failed to show a definite abnormality in two of 18 cases. Endoscopic examinations in all 18 were compatible with malignancy on gross finding, but six out of 15 endoscopic biopsies were not conclusive. All four cases, which proved fatal in less than two years, showed serosal invasion and diffuse histological pattern. On the basis of our analysis, we suggest that in patients with abdominal pain and weight loss of more than two months duration an aggressive course of evaluation should include upper gastrointestinal x ray and repeated endoscopic biopsy. If symptoms persist, laparotomy and biopsy may be warranted even if endoscopic biopsy shows no neoplasm. Curative surgery is the treatment of choice, but radiation therapy should be added in patients with serosal involvement. Very careful histological assessment of pseudolymphomas is necessary, because they may contain malignant lymphoma.

Adult↗

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the biliary tree in childhood. A report from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study.

Ten cases of rhabdomyosarcoma of the biliary tree (RMS/BT) in children are reported in this review of the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS) I and II. RMS/BT constitutes 0.8% of evaluable tumors on IRS I and II. Intermittent obstructive jaundice with or without abdominal distention, fever, and loss of appetite is the typical presentation. Attribution of these symptoms to hepatitis commonly delayed definitive treatment. Demonstration of a mass in the porta hepatitis by ultrasound led quickly to surgical consultation and an exploratory laparotomy. Intraoperative cholangiography was a valuable technique in establishing the level of biliary tree obstruction and verifying a functioning drainage procedure. Resection of the mass with only microscopic or minimal gross residual disease was possible at the initial surgery in six of the ten patients. Included in this group are all four of the surviving patients. The continuity of bile flow was usually maintained by variations of a Roux-en-Y jejunostomy. Histology was embryonal RMS with some botryoid elements. Consultation with a surgical pathologist during the course of the surgery was of invaluable assistance. Multi-drug chemotherapy and radiotherapy consistent with the IRS protocols were given postoperatively. A second-look surgery was useful in evaluating residual or recurrent disease. Four patients are surviving free of disease at 6 months, 3, 6 1/4, and 6 1/2 years from diagnosis, respectively. This review demonstrates that a multidisciplinary approach in RMS/BT can lead to long-term survival.

Bile Duct Neoplasms↗

Soft tissue sarcoma of the head and neck in childhood: nonorbital and nonparameningeal sites. A report of the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS)-I.

Seventy-two patients with soft tissue sarcoma arising in the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, parotid region, cheek, scalp, and neck, were entered on the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS)-I, and could be analyzed for survival. Sixty-three (88%) attained complete remission (CR), of whom 13 subsequently relapsed (78% actuarial 5-year retained CR rate). The patients with primary tumor arising in sites other than the neck had a retained CR rate exceeding 90%. In contrast, 11 relapses occurred in the 26 patients with neck primaries (54% retained CR rate). Females, and infants younger than age 24 months were more likely to relapse. Prognostic factors with little or no influence on relapse included tumor size, histology, regional lymph node status, clinical group, and treatment arm. Five of the 6 patients with failure at the primary site had either no radiotherapy (2 patients) or an insufficient dose (less than 3000 rad). No patient required major organ sacrifice such as laryngectomy or pharyngectomy. Isolated failure in regional nodes did not occur. Children with nonorbital, nonparameningeal head and neck soft tissue sarcoma treated in accordance with the IRS protocol have an excellent rate of local control and survival. Primary tumors arising in the neck are more likely to relapse locally or distantly.

Adolescent↗

Perineural invasion in squamous cell skin carcinoma of the head and neck.

On review of 520 patients with 967 squamous cell carcinomas of the skin of the face treated at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute at Houston during a 10 year period, 14 percent of the patients were noted to have perineural extension of tumor. Study of the patients with perineural tumor demonstrated an increased incidence of spindle cell and adenosquamous cell types, an increased incidence of cervical lymphadenopathy and distant metastasis, and significantly reduced survival curves compared with those of patients with squamous cell skin carcinoma without perineural invasion. Tabulation confirmed that the maxillary and mandibular branches of the trigeminal nerve and the facial nerve were most commonly involved. For patients with squamous cell skin carcinomas with perineural invasion, aggressive therapy is recommended, specifically, resection of involved tissues and nerves and appropriate regional lymphadenectomy followed by postoperative radiotherapy. This plan affords the best opportunity for tumor control. The indications for exploration of the middle fossa of the intracranial portion of the trigeminal nerve deserve further study.

Adult↗

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the ear in childhood. A report from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study-I.

Twenty-four children with rhabdomyosarcoma of the middle (22 patients) or external ear (two patients) were entered on the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study-I protocol from 1972 to 1978. After surgery, treatment consisted of radiotherapy plus vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide, with or without Adriamycin. Nine of 19 patients (47%) who presented with localized sarcoma are free of disease at 2.2 to 6.5 years after diagnosis (median, 3.6 years). One is alive with regional recurrence at 6.7 years; another developed a contralateral cerebellar astrocytoma 4.4 years from diagnosis and died without evidence of rhabdomyosarcoma 2 months later. The other 13 children died of recurrent rhabdomyosarcoma at 5 to 25 months after diagnosis (median duration of survival, 10 months). Outcome was influenced by the presence of diagnosis of signs indicating meningeal extension; death rates were 5 of 5 patients with intracranial tumor, 3 of 4 with petrous bone erosion, 2 of 6 with facial nerve palsy, and 3 of 9 with no initial evidence of meningeal extension.

Child↗

Malignant salivary gland tumors of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity.

Of a total of 122 patients with minor salivary gland tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses, 66 patients were identified who had had their therapy at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston. Adenoid cystic carcinomas and adenocarcinomas were the most frequent tumors. Eighty percent of the patients were treated for relatively advanced (T3 and T4) cancers. Low-grade and high-grade carcinomas could be identified in the two groups studied, and the pathologic grading influenced prognosis in addition to the amount of local extent and degree of invasion of the neoplasm. The adequate preoperative documentation of tumor extension is mandatory, and a team effort in the surgical resection is worthwhile. Radiation therapy remains an important adjuvant in this treatment and occasionally has been used effectively as the only modality of treatment.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Major complications of radiotherapy in cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx. A 10 year retrospective study.

In an attempt to determine the late effects and associated morbidity of radiotherapy on normal tissue, patients with squamous carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx were retrospectively reviewed. Between 1964 and 1975, 569 patients with cancer of the floor of the mouth, oral tongue, tonsil, and retromolar trigone region of the anterior faucial pillar had their primary lesions treated by radiotherapy alone for cure. One hundred twenty-eight of the patients were evaluable for this study. Bone and soft tissue morbidity were graded according to the late radiation scoring scheme of the radiation therapy oncology group of the European Organization on Research and Treatment of Cancer, tallying only grade 4 changes. Patients were further classified according to site of tumor, age, sex, tumor stage, histologic grade, and dental status--none of which had a positive correlation with complications. Of 31 evaluable patients with cancer of the floor of the mouth (median follow-up 136 months), 71 percent (22 of 31 patients) had at least one complication involving bone (osteonecrosis, pathologic fracture) or mucus membrane (ulcer). Sixty-one percent (25 of 41 patients) with primary cancer of the oral tongue had grade 4 sequelae (median follow-up 112 months). In 26 patients with cancer of the tonsil, 13 (50 percent) had grade 4 sequelae (median follow-up 113 months). This included 11 patients with clinical and radiographic evidence of osteonecrosis, 6 of whom required mandibulectomy. Patients with cancer of the retromolar trigone region of the anterior faucial pillar fared the best (median follow-up 122 months). Late sequelae were noted in 40 percent (12 of 30 patients). The morbidity attendant to cure by radiotherapy included at least one significant complication of bone or soft tissue in 40 to 70 percent of the patients, depending on the location of the primary tumor. There was also a positive correlation with dose of radiation received.

Adolescent↗

Soft-tissue sarcoma of the trunk in childhood. Results of the intergroup rhabdomyosarcoma study.

Disease-free survival data were obtained on 30 children with soft-tissue sarcoma of the trunk. The children were clinically grouped and treated in accord with the IRS protocol (Cancer 1977; 40:2015) from November 1972 through December 1976. Histologically, 40% of the tumors were alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), 20% were embryonal RMS, 20% were extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma, 17% were undifferentiated sarcoma, and 3% were pleomorphic RMS. In 13 patients with primary tumors of the chest wall, the male-to-female (M:F) ratio was 3:11, and the median age was 12.5 yr. Five of the ten patients (50%) with localized tumor (Groups I-III) were disease-free at a median of 4.7 yrs. after diagnosis; two died of locally recurrent tumor, two died of metastases to lungs or bones, and 1 died of intracranial hemorrhage. None of the four with chest wall tumors and distant metastases (Group IV) survived. In ten patients with localized paraspinal primary tumors, the M:F ratio was 8:2, and the median age was 3.5 yrs. None had metastases. Seven of ten (70%) were disease-free at a median of 4.7 yrs. after diagnosis. Two died after regional recurrence developed (one retroperitoneal, one meningeal), and one died of lung metastases. In six patients with primary tumors of the abdominal wall, the M:F ratio was 3:3 and the median age was 9.5 yrs. Three of five with localized tumor (Groups I-III) were disease-free at a median of 5 yr. after diagnosis; one died after regional recurrence, and one died from accidental trauma. The one Group IV patient died of tumor. Overall, 15 of 30 patients (50%) are alive and free of recurrent disease at a median of 5+ yr. after initiation of treatment. The authors conclude that prognosis is most favorable for patients with paraspinal tumors, least favorable for those with chest wall tumors, and intermediate in patients with abdominal wall tumors. Prognostic differences appeared to be influenced by extent of disease at diagnosis and histologic subtype of the sarcoma.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Three-year relapse-free survival rates in childhood rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck: report from the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study.

In 202 patients with rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck who registered in the first Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study, the primary lesions arose about the eye and orbit in 26%, in parameningeal sites in 46%, and in other head and neck areas in 28%. Histopathologically, 78% were embryonal-botryoid, 9% alveolar, 10% undifferentiated, and 3% extraosseous Ewing's types. Actual three-year relapse-free survival rates were calculated from data on 103 of these patients who were free of distant metastases at diagnosis and in whom follow-up had been completed for a three-year period. The actual relapse-free survival rates were 91% (21/23) for those with eye/orbit primaries, 46% (20/44) for those with parameningeal primaries, and 75% (27/36) for those with other head and neck sites affected. Among those with no clinical evidence of tumor activity at two years, 8% (6/75) had subsequent relapses.

Child↗

Anatomical coverage in elective irradiation of the neck for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue.

From January 1954 through December 1978, 146 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue and clinically negative neck had their primary lesion controlled with irradiation. Metastases to the neck developed later in: 27 of 76 patients (36%) treated by interstitial implantation; nine of 27 patients (33%) who received 2,000 rad in five fractions to the upper neck prior to the implant; eight of 19 (42%) patients who received 5,000 rad through an upper ipsilateral neck field prior to the implant; four of 24 patients (16.6%) who received 5,000 rad through bilateral portals to the upper neck with or without irradiation of the lower neck. In the 43 ipsilateral neck failures, 23 were in the upper jugular chain, (posterior subdigastric nodes), 12 in the mid-jugular, three in the lower jugular, and four in the more anterior part of the subdigastric area. There was one failure in the posterior cervical chain, and five contralateral neck failures. A review of the treatment charts showed that the patients who had an ipsilateral upper neck field only, had smaller portals because the irradiation was tailored to produce shrinkage of the primary tumor prior to needling. To include adequate coverage of the posterior subdigastric nodes (upper jugular), the bodies of the vertebrae must be seen on the simulator films. Also the junction of the subdigastric and the mid-jugular lymphatics must be covered. Although there were only three failures in the lower jugular nodes, it is technically easier to treat the upper mid-jugular nodes through an anterior appositional portal to the lower neck. A dose of 5,000 rad must be given since 2,000 rad, even if delivered in five fractions, gives a failure rate as if there had been no irradiation to the neck.

Brachytherapy↗

Fifteen year radiotherapy experience with chondrosarcoma of bone.

A retrospective analysis of 20 patients with chondrosarcoma of bone treated for cure between 1961 and 1976 using supervoltage radiotherapy and/or neutrons is presented. Radiotherapy was used alone or in combination with other modalities. The 20 patients were divided into four groups: 1) 11 patients who received radiotherapy alone, 2) three patients who received postoperative radiotherapy following less than radical local excision, 3) three patients who received radiotherapy with chemotherapy but without surgery, and 4) three patients who received radiotherapy for tumor recurrent after surgery. Typical tumor doses ranged from 4000 to 7000 rad at 1000 rad/week using parallel-opposed fields. Failure of radiotherapy was indicated by progression of symptoms and increasing tumor size. At 53 months, the average follow-up, the survival rate is 65% (13/20), including one patient with distant metastases, and two patients who developed local recurrent disease after radiotherapy and were surgically salvaged. Seven patients died with uncontrolled local disease; six of them also had distant metastases. Five patients developed severe complications. All four patients treated with a combination of neutron and photon beam alone show no evidence of local failure, compared with only one of the seven patients treated with conventional radiotherapy alone.

Adult↗

Conservative surgery and postoperative radiotherapy in 300 adults with soft-tissue sarcomas.

From January 1963 through December 1977, 300 adults with soft-tissue sarcomas were treated by a conservative surgical excision and postoperative radiotherapy. The absolute two- and five-year disease-free survival rates are 74% (222/300) and 61.3% (103/168), respectively. The five-year survival rate varies with: (1) anatomic site, e.g., 69.4% (75/108) for extremity lesions vs. 33% (5/15) for abdominal lesions; (2) histopathologic diagnosis, e.g., 86.4% (19/22) for fibrosarcoma vs. 50% (15/30) for neurofibrosarcoma; and (3) stage of the lesion. The overall local recurrence rate was 22.3% (67/300) and 27% (81/300) of the patients developed distant metastases. The incidence of lymph node metastases as an initial site of spread was only 2.7% (8/300); therefore, elective treatment of the regional lymphatics is not indicated. The 6.5% incidence of significant complications in extremities is low and might be further diminished by careful treatment planning. The combination of conservative surgery and postoperative radiation therapy maintains a functional limb in 84.5% (169/200) of patients with extremity lesions. This rate is comparable to the five-year survival rate attained with radical surgery.

Abdomen↗

Carotid artery disease following external cervical irradiation.

A retrospective study of 910 patients surviving at least five years after cervical irradiation for Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, or primary head an neck neoplasms showed the incidence of stroke following cervical irradiation was 63 of 910 patients (6.3%) during a mean period of observation of nine years. This represents a trend toward an increased risk for this population observed over the same period of time (p = 0.39). A prospective study of 118 similar patients currently living five years after cervical radiotherapy was performed to determine the incidence of carotid artery disease occurring as a consequence of neck irradiation. Abnormal carotid phonangiograms (CPA) were found in 25% of the patients and abnormal oculoplethysmographs (OPG) were found in 17%. These studies represent significant carotid lesions that are not expected in such a population. It is concluded that the carotid stenoses demonstrated are most likely a consequence of prior irradiation. Patients that are five-year survivors of cervical irradiation should have noninvasive vascular laboratory studies performed as part of their routine follow-up examinations in order to detect these carotid lesions while they are occult.

Adolescent↗