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Biomedical subjects

R Sauer

Publications and source records attributed to R Sauer.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Prognostic value of S-phase fraction in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and nodal negative breast carcinomas.

PURPOSE: The prognostic value of proliferative activity (percentage of S-phase cells = SPF) was determined in head and neck and nodal negative breast carcinomas and correlated with treatment outcome and analysis of recurrence. METHODS AND MATERIAL: SPF of 171 primary squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck and 183 nodal negative breast carcinomas was determined by one-dimensional flow cytometry. RESULTS: For the whole population of head and neck carcinomas slowly proliferating tumors (SPF < median) had a better five-year survival rate (28%) than fast proliferating tumors (S-phase > median; 20% p < 0.05). Failure analysis revealed that the better survival of slowly proliferating tumors was due to the higher loco-regional control rate (62%) compared to fast proliferating tumors (43%; p < 0.05). Stepwise multivariate analysis revealed treatment modality (p = 0.107), SPF (p = 0.026) and UICC stage (p = 0.044) as independent prognostic factors for loco-regional recurrences and SPF (p = 0.0143) for three-year overall survival. In nodal negative breast cancer slowly proliferating tumors (SPF < median) had a better NED survival (92%) compared to fast proliferating tumors (SPF > median; NED survival 63%). The analysis of recurrence revealed a higher rate of distant metastases (15.7%) and of loco-regional recurrences (21%) for fast proliferating tumors as compared to slowly proliferating tumors (distant metastases: 1.1%; loco-regional recurrences 4.5%). Stepwise multivariate analysis showed that SPF (p = 0.001) was the only independent prognostic factor for NED survival; grading (p = 0.022), age (p = 0.003) and SPF (p = 0.007) for freedom from distant metastases; SPF (p = 0.0039), grading (p = 0.0956) and method of surgical treatment (p = 0.0715) for loco-regional recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: SPF has a relevant prognostic power for squamous cell head and neck cancer and nodal negative breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The influence of supportive nutritional therapy via percutaneous endoscopically guided gastrostomy on the quality of life of cancer patients.

Between April 1987 and May 1990 a total of 212 consecutive patients with tumours in the head and neck region were admitted to a prospective study comparing planned prospective enteral nutrition via percutaneous endoscopically guided gastrostomy (PEG; n = 47) and oral nutrition (n = 134). The nutritional status (anthropometric and laboratory chemical parameters) and the quality-of-life index according to Padilla et al. [Res Nurs Health 6:117-126 (1983)] were determined prior to radiotherapy, 2, 4, 6 weeks later during radiotherapy and 6, 12 and 18 weeks after completion of radiotherapy. The quality-of-life score of the orally nourished patients decreased quickly during radiotherapy and improved only slowly afterwards. Although PEG patients had a worse starting score, their quality-of-life index did not deteriorate during therapy (statistically significant difference between the two groups). The same applies to the nutritional status. These results show that an early and constant enteral nutrition by PEG can stabilize the nutritional state and the quality of life of patients with tumours of the head and neck area during radiotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Epidermoid carcinoma of the anal canal: treatment by combined radiation and chemotherapy.

From June 1985 to September 1991, 44 patients with epidermoid carcinoma of the anal canal were treated prospectively by a protocol of combined radiation and chemotherapy (RCT) with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin C (MTC). External radiation was delivered with 10 MV photons and single daily fractions between 1.8 and 2 Gy in an uninterrupted course up to a median total dose of 50 Gy. 5-FU was given by a continuous intravenous infusion (1 g/m2/day) for 96 h on days 1-4 and 29-32, MTC by a single bolus intravenous injection of 10 mg/m2 on days 1 and 29. The actuarial survival rate, no evidence of disease (NED) survival rate and local tumour control rate were 84%, 71% and 83% at 5 years. Anorectal function was retained in 33 of 41 patients (80%). Severe acute toxicity including three fatal outcomes was observed and there was an acceptable late morbidity. The only marginally significant prognostic factor (p = 0.06) for local tumour control was T-stage. RCT can provide good local control and preserve anal function with acceptable morbidity.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Prevention of heterotopic ossification (HO) after total hip replacement: randomized high versus low dose radiotherapy.

In a prospectively randomized study 60 hips at high risk for heterotopic ossification (HO) received prophylactic radiotherapy (RT). Randomization was performed between a low dose (LD-RT) of 5 x 2 Gy (arm A: 32 patients) and a high dose (HD-RT) of either 10 x 2 Gy (arm B1; 8 patients) or 5 x 3.5 Gy (arm B2; 20 patients). Relevant patient and risk factors were equally distributed in both treatment arms. 4 (7%) patients developed treatment failures. A short delay of RT after postoperative day (POD) 4 was significantly correlated with failure (p < 0.001). The results suggest no difference in prophylactic efficacy between LD-RT and HD-RT treatment. 2/19 (11%) patients receiving additional diphosphonates and 2/18 (11%) on no medication failed RT treatment, but none on indomethacin did so. In conclusion, immediate postoperative RT has been shown to be an effective prophylactic treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Clinical experience with interstitial thermoradiotherapy for localized implantable pelvic tumors.

Twenty-six patients (20 females, 6 males) with localized tumors of the pelvis, including 3 primary advanced (PRIM), 7 persistent (PERS), 10 recurrent (REC), and 6 metastatic (MET) tumors, were treated with a combination of low-dose rate (LDR) iridium 192 interstitial radiotherapy (IRT), interstitial 915 MHz microwave hyperthermia (IHT), and external beam radiotherapy (RT). Histological diagnoses were squamous cell carcinoma in 13 (50%), adenocarcinoma in 12 (46%) and soft tissue sarcoma in 1 (4%) lesion. Tumor sites were cervix in 8 (31%), colorectum in 6 (23%), vagina in 4 (15%), anus in 3 (12%), ovary in 2 (8%), and other sites in 3 (12%) lesions. IHT was administered immediately before iridium 192 was placed and after its removal for 45-60 minutes at 41-44 degrees C. On December 31, 1991 median follow-up was 25 months (mean: 23 months; range: 5-65 months). At 3 months follow-up (FU), complete remission (CR) occurred in 17 (65%), partial remission (PR) in 7 (27%), and no change or progressive disease (NC/PD), in 2 (8%) lesions. At 12 months FU, in 16 of 21 patients (76%) local control (LC) was achieved, with 1 (5%) patient exhibiting a slow tumor regression. After combined IRT-IHT locoregional relapse or tumor regrowth occurred in 8/26 (31%): 5 (19%) outside and 3 (12%), inside the previously treated volume; relapses occurred within 8-30 (mean: 18) months of follow-up. Factors influencing initial (3 months FU) and long-term tumor response (12 months FU) included tumor class, tumor volume, total radiation dose, and thermal parameters with "good quality of heating" (TQ 41 degrees C > or = 75%) and high minimum tumor temperature (Tmin(av) > or = 41 degrees C). Treatment toxicity was acceptable: whereas 8 (31%) patients experienced acute side effects, which subsided within weeks, 7 (27%) developed long-term complications. Thermal damage was associated with IHT treatments exceeding maximum average temperatures of > or = 44 degrees C and maximum peak temperatures of > or = 45 degrees C.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1993

Prophylactic radiation therapy for prevention of heterotopic ossification after hip arthroplasty: results in 141 high-risk hips.

In a 4 1/2-year, prospectively randomized study, 137 patients with 141 hips at high risk for heterotopic ossification (HO) received prophylactic radiation therapy (RT). Patients were randomly assigned to a low-dose regimen of five fractions of 2 Gy each (n = 73) or a high-dose regimen of either 10 fractions of 2 Gy each (n = 7) or five fractions of 3.5 Gy each (n = 61). Treatment failure was assessed by comparing immediately postoperative radiographs with radiographs obtained at least 6 months after hip surgery (Brooker grading score). Positive responses (ie, effective prophylaxis of HO) were seen in 129 (91.5%) hips. Treatment failures were observed in 12 (8.5%). Use of a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) lowered the failure rate in both RT groups. High RT dose with a short duration (< or = 9 days) and use of an NSAID was significantly (P = .009) correlated with treatment success. RT delivered within a few days after hip surgery is effective in preventing HO, even in high-risk patients, and provides an excellent alternative for patients with contraindications to long-term medication with either NSAIDs or corticosteroids.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Therapy of Ewing's sarcoma].

Therapy of Ewing's sarcoma requires a qualified clinical, radiological, and pathohistological diagnosis and, in particular, an optimal therapy by an experienced team of oncological specialists. Important prognostic factors are the presence of hematogenous metastases at diagnosis, the initial tumor volume, the response to chemotherapy, and adequate local therapy. Presently, cure rates of more than 60% can be achieved for localized Ewing's sarcoma by combination of local therapy and chemotherapy. The four-drug combination VACA (vincristine, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin) can be considered as cytostatic gold standard. More aggressive regimens (VAIA, EVAIA, autologous bone marrow transplant) may be beneficial in subgroups and are under investigation. Concerning local therapy adequate radiotherapy plays a major role and achieves the same survival rates as radical surgery, comparable patient selection provided. Several factors have impact on radiotherapeutic results, especially total dose (45 Gy large volume, 55 Gy to the primary tumor), target volume (safety margin at least 2 cm according to the pretreatment volume, at least 5 cm in proximal and distal extension of long bones), timing of radiotherapy (as early as possible) and quality of treatment. Radiotherapy as sole local treatment is indicated in inoperable lesions (spine, sacrum, skull) and in small, good-responding tumors. High-risk patients should receive combined radiotherapeutic-surgical treatment, preferably as pre-operative irradiation. The value of hyperfractionation is not yet proven despite theoretical advantages.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1993

Quality control review for radiotherapy of small breast cancer: analysis of 708 patients in the GBSG I trial. German Breast Study Group (GBSG).

Within six years between November 1983 and December 1989 the German Breast Cancer Study Group (GBSG) conducted a prospective multicenter trial on the treatment of pT1 pN0 M0 breast carcinoma. Out of 1036 eligible patients from 69 hospitals, a total of 733 underwent breast preservation surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. A detailed quality control (QC) screening of 708 available radiotherapy records was performed by the radiotherapy reference center. The following quality control scoring system was used for all radiotherapy variables: Radiotherapy treatment "completely according to study protocol" (QC score = 0); "acceptable protocol deviations" (QC score = 1); "unacceptable protocol violations" (QC score = 2); the "overall QC score" was the worst judgement for any single quality control criterion, while the "total QC score" was the summation of all single quality control scores (range: 0 to 14). 292 (41.2%) patients were treated per protocol; 290 (41.0%) had acceptable protocol deviations; and 126 (17.8%) had unacceptable protocol violations. 107 (84.9%) single violations, 15 (11.9%) combinations of two, three (2.4%) combinations of three, and one (0.8%) combination of four unacceptable violations were observed. 564 (79.4%) patients achieved a total QC score of < or = 2, 124 (17.5%) of 3 to 5, and 20 (2.8%) of > or = 6. The criterion "radiotherapy treatment duration" had the highest rate of protocol violations, 67/708 (9.5%); other quality control criteria with protocol violations were "radiotherapy reference dose" (27 = 3.8%), "radiotherapy treatment initiation" (15 = 2.1%) and "other protocol violations" (33 = 4.7%). No protocol violations were observed for the criterion "target volume coverage". The protocol compliance improved slightly during the conduct of the study. Institutional differences in protocol compliance were observed depending upon the accrual rate, the institutional treatment preference and between academic and non-academic hospitals. After a short median follow-up of 48 months, differences in protocol compliance, i.e. protocol violations, have not resulted in a reduced disease-free survival; however, the final prognostic evaluation of the quality control review may require longer follow-up and eventually different treatment endpoints to be analyzed.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1993

[Breast cancer: breast saving therapy].

Breast preservation has become an important option in the treatment of breast cancer patients. The selection of patients should be based upon history, actual clinical situation, mammographic and morphologic parameters. After careful evaluation of all those factors the surgical treatment and eventually an adjuvant postsurgical irradiation can be tailormade according to the associated individual risk-profile.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1993

[The role of radiotherapy in the treatment of desmoid tumors].

Aggressive fibromatoses are benign tumors which derive from connective tissues in muscles, tendons, joints and scars. They are characterized by a low mitotic index and present without major cellular changes. The incidence is low and reaches 0.4 per 100,000. The classification in extra-abdominal, intra-abdominal and abdominal wall tumors has prognostic significance for the therapeutic decision. Extra-abdominal tumors have the highest relapse rate with about two-thirds recurring even after R0 surgical resection. In this meta-analysis, 698 published cases are reviewed and analyzed with respect to the previous surgery and the therapeutic impact of postoperative radiotherapy. After an R1 surgical resection radiotherapy significantly decreases the risk for loco-regional relapse in about 40%. Radiotherapy is also recommended after an R0 surgical resection with safety margins less than 2 cm. A total radiotherapy dose of 50 Gy seems to be sufficient, whereas radiotherapy doses beyond 60 Gy provide no additional control. Following an R2 resection up to 28% of these tumors may not progress or even show a complete remission. A wait-and-see policy is justified for R1-2 resected lesions in the abdominal wall, especially if severe treatment sequelae have to be expected. The role of chemotherapy still remains questionable.

Abdominal Muscles↗
PubMed1993

[The systematics of acute and chronic radiation sequelae].

A classification system in German language is proposed for scoring of acute and chronic treatment sequelae after radiotherapy. It includes all important organs and organ systems. The proposed grading corresponds to the four-scale-system of the WHO and UICC. The system is also compatible to the RTOG and EORTC acute and late radiation morbidity scoring criteria. This facilitates the data transfer for retrospective and prospective analysis of monomodal and multimodal radiotherapy treatment regimens. We recommend to use this scoring system in all German speaking countries for multicentric prospective studies. It is possible, that organ-specific sophistication of the toxicity grading will be developed in the future. These additions should conform with (inter)national standards and apply the same four-scale grading of this classification system.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

[Simultaneous radiochemotherapy].

Simultaneous radiochemotherapy (RCT) means the simultaneous application of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The major objective of this approach is the improvement of local control. On the cellular level, three types of interactions may be distinguished: additivity, synergism, and sensibilization. The main type of interaction seems to be a simple additive effect. The clinical effect of a simultaneous chemotherapy depends mainly on the cytotoxic action of the drug itself and not on radiosensibilization. Therefore, effective chemotherapeutic drugs are to be delivered in cytotoxic dosages in RCT protocols. Compromises in radiotherapy as the main modality should be avoided. Recent clinical data have shown that simultaneous radiochemotherapy may yield high remission rates in a number of tumor entities (e. g. anal cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancer). This seems to improve local control as compared to radiotherapy alone. In some tumors (e. g. head and neck, esophagus), survival may be improved also. However, several questions require future detailed clinical trials. These questions include the value of simultaneous radiochemotherapy compared to optimal fractionation schemes, the clear definition of subgroups of patients with benefit by radiochemotherapy and the optimal dose intensity of cytotoxic drugs.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1992

[Organ-preserving therapy in invasive bladder carcinoma].

With the aim of organ preservation, transurethral resection with subsequent radiotherapy (until 1985) or combined radio- and chemotherapy (since 1986) was undertaken as part of a prospective trial in 175 consecutive patients (137 men, 38 women; mean age 65 [31-90] years) with invasive bladder carcinoma, tumour stage T1-4 N0-3 M0. All patients had a transurethral resection, followed 2-6 weeks later by definitive radiotherapy at a dose of 50.4 Gy to the bladder in 28 fractions. 85 patients simultaneously with the radiotherapy received chemotherapy with cisplatin (25 mg/m2 daily) or carboplatin (65-75 mg/m2 daily) in the first and fifth weeks of radiotherapy. The 5-year survival rate for the whole group (including inoperable cases) was 50%. The survival rate as related to the T category was 53% for T1 (n = 26), 68% for T2 (n = 34), 45% for T3 (n = 94) and 22% for T4 (n = 17). 139 patients (79%) were left with a normally functioning bladder. Cystectomy was performed in 36 patients because of remaining tumour or recurrence after radiotherapy. Combined radio- and chemotherapy improved the histological remission rate, compared with an earlier control group with radiotherapy only, but it did not affect the survival rate. These data indicate that in advanced bladder carcinoma organ-preserving treatment with transurethral resection and definitive radiotherapy or combined radio- and chemotherapy can be successful.

Adult↗