No abstract

Overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor can be found in 80 % of patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and is associated with shorter survival. In this work, we evaluated the feasibility of adding cetuximab to concurrent cisplatin and radiotherapy (RT) in locoregionally advanced NPC. Twenty-eight patients with locoregionally advanced NPC who received the combination therapy were retrospectively reviewed and short-term efficacy was evaluated. Grade 3-4 oral mucositis occurred in 20 (71.4 %) patients. Grade 3 radiotherapy-related dermatitis occurred in seven patients (25 %). Three patients (14.3 %) had grade 3 and one patient (3.6 %) had grade 4 cetuximab-related acneiform rashes. These grade 3-4 skin and mucosal toxic effects were manageable and reversible. At a median follow-up of 33.4 months (95 % CI 29.2-38.1 months), the 2-year progression-free survival was 89.3 % (95 % CI 76.4-98.1 %). In conclusion, concurrent administration of cetuximab, cisplatin and RT is a feasible strategy against locoregionally advanced NPC. Preliminary survival data compare favorably with historic data and further follow-up is warranted.

More than 60% nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving the radical radiotherapy treatment will develop moist desquamation skin reaction at some time during the course of treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Mepilex Lite dressings and the usual care in the healing of postirradiation dermatitis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. This was a randomized controlled trial, and a sample of 88 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who had developed radiation dermatitis was assessed. Comparisons were made regarding parameters related to wound healing, including healing time and wound pain, and also regarding the impact of wound on the patient, including restriction of neck movement, sleep problem, and disturbance in body image. The results showed that radiation-induced dermatitis in the study group (Mepilex Lite, 43 patients) healed in a median of 16 days, which was significantly different from the healing time in the control group (median 23 days, 45 patients; P = 0.009). No statistically significant differences were detected between the 2 groups with respect to neck mobility and appearance disturbance. However, Mepilex significantly improved patients' sleep (P = 0.005). The researchers conclude that Mepilex Lite dressing provides a promising alternative to radiation dermatitis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients and is worthy of further research.

For N2-3 NPC, cycle number of NACT appeared to be an independent factor associated with an improvement of survival.

We investigated the distribution of residual cancer cells (RCCs) within different layers of the bowel wall in surgical specimens and the value of biopsies of primary rectal lesion after preoperative volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with concurrent chemotherapy in patients with rectal cancer. Between April 2011 and April 2013, 178 patients with rectal cancer who received preoperative VMAT, concurrent chemotherapy, and surgery were evaluated; 79 of the patients received a biopsy of the primary lesion after chemoradiotherapy and prior to surgery. The distribution of RCCs in the surgical specimens and the sensitivity and specificity of the biopsy of primary rectal lesions for pathological response were evaluated. Fifty-two patients had a complete pathological response in the bowel wall. Of the 120 patients with ypT2-4, the rate of detection of RCCs in the mucosa, submucosa, and muscularis propria was 20%, 36.7%, 69.2%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of biopsies of primary rectal lesions was 12.9% and 94.1%, respectively. After chemoradiotherapy, the RCCs were primarily located in the deeper layers of the bowel wall, and the biopsy results for primary rectal lesions were unreliable due to poor sensitivity.