Immunosuppressed oncology patients who develop pulmonary infiltrates during treatment have a mortality rate of the order of 55-90%. Early diagnosis and treatment is associated with increased survival. At present, diagnosis relies on invasive sampling of the respiratory tract using fibre-optic bronchoscopy. We have looked at a 30-month period, from June 1997 to December 1999, where 25 bronchoscopies were performed on patients from the Lymphoma and BMT units at The Royal Marsden Hospital for the further investigation of pulmonary infiltrates. Nine bronchoscopies (36%) yielded a positive result and seven (28%) led to a change in management. Analysis of the data showed that neither a positive result nor a change in management had any impact on overall survival. After reviewing the background literature on the investigation of pulmonary infiltrates in this group and discussion of the respective merits and limitations, we propose a management flowchart, with high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) as the test arm in a future randomised trial of these patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Stereotactic radiotherapy for solitary brain metastases.

PURPOSE: Surgery is considered to be the treatment of choice for patients with solitary brain metastases. We report a single-centre experience of stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT)/radiosurgery as an alternative to surgery and define prognostic parameters that provide for a more rational selection of patients for appropriate treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1990 and 1997, 96 patients with 106 brain metastases received SRT to a dose of 20 Gy in two fractions (range 20-30 Gy in 24 fractions) either alone or in combination with whole brain radiotherapy. RESULTS: After SRT, 51% of patients had improvement in neurological function. The median survival of the 96 patients was 9 months. The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group prognostic grouping for patients with multiple brain metastases (prognostic factors: age, performance status, systemic metastases, status of primary tumour) was applicable to this cohort, with median survivals of 15, 8 and 2 months for favourable, intermediate and poor prognostic groups respectively. CONCLUSION: SRT is a non-invasive method of treatment of solitary brain metastases and the outcome is comparable with the results obtained after surgical excision. Prognosis is determined by factors defined for patients with multiple brain metastases, with performance status being the most important. SRT/radiosurgery should be reserved for patients with favourable prognostic factors, with a Karnofsky performance status >70, who have a reasonable chance of good quality prolonged survival. In future trials, radiosurgery should be compared in terms of survival, quality of life and health economics to whole brain radiotherapy and surgery.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Mitomycin C, vinblastine and carboplatin: effective outpatient chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell carcinoma of the lung (NSCLC).

The majority of patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) present with advanced disease and, as such, are treated with palliative intent. Platinum-based combination chemotherapy plays an important role in the management of these patients, with response rates to most regimens being in the range of 30%-40%. with symptom relief in up to 60%. One of the most commonly utilized combinations is mitomycin C, vinblastine and cisplatin (MVP). Owing to the hydration regimen, and to the age and performance status of many of these patients, in reality this combination often necessitates an overnight stay in hospital. A combination of drugs that could be administered as an outpatient would be beneficial to patients and could result in substantial economic benefits. Forty-three patients with Stage IlIb and IV NSCLC were treated with the MVCarbo regimen, in which the cisplatin in the MVP regimen was replaced with carboplatin. All treatment was administered on an outpatient basis. The overall objective response rate was 30%; the symptomatic response rate was 60%, which was exactly equivalent to the response rate seen in a comparable group of patients treated with MVP in a trial on duration of chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital. There was no difference in progression-free or overall survival between patients treated with the two regimens. The MVCarbo regimen resulted in response rates and survival rates equivalent to those seen with standard MVP and, as such, provides an acceptable outpatient alternative to this treatment.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Progression of peri-aortic fibrosis despite endovascular repair of an inflammatory aneurysm.

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Aged↗

PubMed2001

Predicting axillary lymph node metastases in patients with T1 infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast.

Factors which can predict an increased risk of axillary metastases in cases of T1 breast cancer could help to identify those patients most likely to benefit from axillary surgery. This pragmatic study aimed to examine the ability of commonly reported tumour pathological features to predict axillary metastases. All cases of T1 infiltrating ductal carcinoma excised with ipsilateral axillary nodes over a 7 year period were reviewed retrospectively. Of the 639 cases, 197 (30.8%) had positive nodes. Axillary metastases were found with 66.3% of tumours showing vascular invasion but only 16.0% of those without vascular invasion. Following multivariate analysis, vascular invasion and tumour size were found to be independent predictors of positive nodes but tumour grade was not. The decision to perform axillary dissection in T1 breast cancer could be based on the presence of vascular invasion and the size of the primary tumour.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Advice on hair and scalp care during cranial radiotherapy: a prospective randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: The advice on hair washing during brain irradiation is aimed at minimizing radiation induced skin toxicity. We performed a prospective randomized trial to assess the effect of advice on scalp care on the local skin reaction in patients undergoing cranial radiotherapy. METHODS: One hundred and nine patients undergoing cranial radiotherapy were randomized into two groups. Patients in group 1 were advised not to wash hair during treatment and patients in group 2 to maintain normal pattern of hair washing. They were assessed weekly over a period of 10 weeks from the start of treatment. Symptoms of pain and itching were recorded using a modified RTOG/EORTC acute skin reaction scoring system and skin reaction was assessed clinically using erythema/desquamation score. The frequency of hair washing and the distress of changing the practice of normal hygiene were recorded on a diary card. Skin reaction scores were compared as a summary measure using area under the curve per week (AUC/week) and median scores, and the differences between groups were assessed by means of the t-test. RESULTS: One hundred and nine patients commencing cranial radiotherapy according to standard protocol were randomized into the trial (group 1, 55 patients; group 2, 54 patients). Patients asked to restrict hair washing, washed at a lower average frequency. There were no significant differences between scores of skin reaction in the two groups for each of the variables measured. CONCLUSIONS: The practice of normal hair washing is not associated with increased severity of adverse skin reaction. As a request to change the pattern of normal hygiene may cause distress, the current advice should be to maintain normal hair washing during cranial radiotherapy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Prognostic relevance of cerbB2 expression following neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients in a randomised trial of neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemoendocrine therapy.

Recent advances in the detection and treatment of breast cancer have led to an intensive search for new markers of both prognosis and chemoresponsiveness. The oncogene cerbB2 has proved to be one of the most promising markers currently under study, both as a predictor of chemoresponsiveness and as a marker of poor prognosis. In addition the increasing use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy has led to the loss of standard prognostic criteria. In order to study the potential role of cerbB2 expression as an indicator of chemoendocrine resistance and poor prognosis, both before and after chemotherapy, we obtained tumour sections from 283 women enrolled onto a neoadjuvant trial. In this trial patients were randomised to receive either primary surgery followed by adjuvant chemoendocrine treatment or neoadjuvant chemoendocrine therapy followed by surgery. CerbB2 status was determined immunohistochemically on all of these patients. Thirty-eight percent of the tumours were cerbB2 positive. There was no significant difference in expression between the adjuvant (41%) and neoadjuvant arms (35%). CerbB2 positive patients were much more likely to have shown non-response to chemoendocrine therapy (p < 0.001) and had a worse DES (p < 0.05). The best prognosis was seen in cerbB2 negative patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoendocrine therapy who showed a significantly better DFS (p < 0.05), than the cerbB2 negative patients receiving adjuvant therapy.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Multimodality therapy in inflammatory breast cancer: is there a place for surgery?

BACKGROUND: In many centres surgery is used as part of a combined modality approach to the treatment of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). Nevertheless, its value is controversial given the high risk of metastatic relapse and poor overall prognosis. We have reviewed patients with true IBC prospectively treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in chemotherapy trials to assess further the role of surgery as part of combined modality treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-four patients who had responsive or stable disease to primary chemotherapy went on to have either radiotherapy alone (n = 35) or surgery plus radiotherapy (n = 19); the decision on surgery was based partly on clinician preference and partly on clinical response. RESULTS: The 35 patients undergoing radiotherapy alone had a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 16 months and median overall survival (OS) of 35 months. Twenty-four patients (69%) have relapsed with a total of twelve (34%) relapsing locally. In comparison, the 19 patients receiving both surgery and radiotherapy had a PFS of 20 months, and a median OS of 35 months. Fifteen patients (79%) have relapsed, eight (42%) of these locally. None of these differences were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: These results do not suggest a clinical advantage for surgery in addition to chemotherapy and radiotherapy for patients with IBC. They support the need for a prospective randomised trial to address this question.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Short-term results of femoropopliteal subintimal angioplasty.

BACKGROUND: Subintimal angioplasty may be more successful than conventional (intraluminal) angioplasty for treatment of long femoropopliteal occlusions. This study assessed the clinical and haemodynamic outcome of subintimal angioplasty. METHODS: All patients with femoropopliteal occlusions treated by subintimal angioplasty over a 3-year period at two centres were reviewed. Clinical assessment and colour duplex imaging were carried out. RESULTS: Sixty-nine procedures were performed in 33 men and 33 women of median age 74 (range 47-92) years. Indications for treatment were intermittent claudication in 26 (38 per cent) and critical limb ischaemia in 43 (62 per cent). Median occlusion length was 10 (range 2-50) cm. Primary technical success was achieved in 51 occlusions (74 per cent). There were 11 complications (16 per cent); the majority were minor but surgical intervention was required in two patients (3 per cent). At 6 months the cumulative symptomatic and haemodynamic primary patency rates were 60 and 51 per cent respectively, analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. The symptomatic and haemodynamic patency rates for technically successful procedures were 80 and 77 per cent respectively. CONCLUSION: In this series the short-term clinical success of subintimal angioplasty was poor because of a high incidence of reocclusion and restenosis, despite a relatively high initial technical success rate.

Aged↗

PubMed2000

Evaluation of a nurse-led telephone clinic in the follow-up of patients with malignant glioma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate nurse-led telephone follow-up (NTF) for patients with high-grade glioma as an alternative to conventional clinic follow-up (CCF) and to assess patient satisfaction with this approach. Patients who were completing primary therapy for high-grade glioma and were suitable for CCF were offered the alternative of nurse-led telephone follow-up. NTF was arranged by the nurse at mutually agreed times. Assessment was by open discussion and a semistructured questionnaire, together with the Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index. Formal medical assessment in the clinic was arranged at 4-month intervals or earlier if indicated. Twenty-two patients were asked to complete a satisfaction questionnaire. Between February 1996 and October 1997, 43 patients with high-grade glioma, one with primitive neuroectodermal tumour and one with oligoastrocytoma agreed to be monitored by NTF. Their median survival from diagnosis was 16 months (95% confidence interval 13-23 months). At the time of analysis, the median time of follow-up by the telephone clinic was 6 months (range 2-21), with symptomatic progressive disease the reason for discontinuation of NTF in all patients. Two-hundred and fifty-four telephone calls were made, of which 234 were routine and 20 non-routine, being initiated by the patients or their carers. NTF was considered as a sufficient replacement for CCF during the stable phase of the disease. There were 41 unscheduled clinic visits, of which 31 were at the time of progression and usually initiated at NTF. The majority of unplanned visits were due to a change in symptoms and would not have been avoided with CCF carried out at the same time intervals. Patient satisfaction was high, with a median satisfaction score of 9, (range 3.6-10 ) on a scale of 0-10. NTF provides an alternative approach to conventional hospital attendance and moves the emphasis away from cancer surveillance to a more patient centred supportive model. It can be carried out without apparent detriment to the patient and is associated with high satisfaction rating.

Adult↗