Background Pelvic recurrences from previously irradiated gynecological cancer lack solid evidence for recommendation on salvage. Methods A total of 58 patients were included in this clinical analysis. Salvage surgery was performed for locoregional relapse within previously irradiated pelvic area after initial surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy or radical external beam radiotherapy. The primary tumor diagnosis included cervical cancer (n = 47, 81%), uterine cancer (n = 4, 7%), and other types (n = 7, 12%). Thirty-three patients received adjuvant IOERT (1984-2000) at a median dose of 15 Gy (range 10-20 Gy) and 25 patients received adjuvant PHDRB (2001-2016) at a median dose of 32 Gy (range 24-40 Gy) in 6, 8, or 10 b.i.d. fractions. Results The median follow-up was 5.6 years (range 0.5-14.2 years). Twenty-nine (50.0%) patients had positive surgical margins. Grade >= 3 toxic events were recorded in 34 (58.6%) patients. The local control rate at 2 years was 51% and remained stable up to 14 years. Disease-free survival rates at 2, 5, and 10 years were 17.2, 15.5, and 15.5%, respectively. Overall survival rates at 2, 5, and 10 years were 58.1, 17.8, and 17.8%, respectively. Conclusions IOERT and PHDRB account for an effective salvage in oligorecurrent gynecological tumors. Patients with previous pelvic radiation suitable for salvage surgery and at risk of inadequate margins could benefit from adjuvant reirradiation in form of IOERT or PHDRB. However, the rate of severe grade >= 3 toxicity associated with the entire treatment program is relevant and needs to be closely counterbalanced against the expected therapeutic gain.

Background Hypofractionated radiation therapy is a feasible and safe treatment option in elderly and frail patients with glioblastoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of hypofractionated radiation therapy with concurrent temozolomide in terms of feasibility and disease control in primary glioblastoma patients with poor prognostic factors other than advanced age, such as post-surgical neurological complications, high tumor burden, unresectable or multifocal lesions, and potential low treatment compliance due to social factors or rapidly progressive disease. Material and methods GTV included the surgical cavity plus disease visible in T1WI-MRI, FLAIR-MRI and in the MET-uptake. The CTV was defined as the GTV plus 1.5-2 cm margin; the PTV was the CTV+0.3 cm margin. Forty, fourty-five, and fifty grays in 15 fractions were prescribed to 95% of PTV, CTV, and GTV, respectively. Treatment was delivered using IMRT or the VMAT technique. Simultaneously, 75 mg/m(2)/day of temozolomide were administered. Results Between January 2010 and November 2017, we treated a total of 17 patients. The median age at diagnosis was 68-years; median KPS was 50-70%. MGMT-methylation status was negative in 5 patients, and 8 patients were IDH-wildtype. Eight of 18 patients were younger than 65-years. Median tumor volume was 26.95cc; median PTV volume was 322cc. Four lesions were unresectable; 6 patients underwent complete surgical resection. Median residual volume was 1.14cc. Progression-free survival was 60% at 6 months, 33% at 1-year and 13% at 2-years (median OS = 7 months). No acute grade 3-5 toxicities were documented. Symptomatic grade 3 radiation necrosis was observed in one patient. Conclusions Patients with poor clinical factors other than advanced age can be selected for hypofractionated radiotherapy. The OS and PFS rates obtained in our series are similar to those in patients treated with standard fractionation, assuring good treatment adherence, low rates of toxicity and probable improved cost-effectiveness.

Background: To analyze toxicity, patterns of failure, and survival in 106 adult patients with soft tissue sarcomas of the extremity and the superficial trunk treated in a prospective controlled trial of combined Perioperative High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (PHDRB) and external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). Methods: Patients were treated with surgical resection and 16 Gy or 24 Gy of PHDRB for negative or close/positive margins, respectively. EBRT (45 Gy) was added postoperatively. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given to selected patients with high-grade tumors. Results: The median follow-up was 7.1 years (range, 0.6-16.0). Grade >= 3 adverse events were observed in 22 patients (20.8%), and grade >= 4 events in 14 patients (13.2%). No grade 5 events were noted. Multivariate analysis (p = 0.003) found that Grade >= 3 toxic events increased with increasing implant volume (TV100). Local control, locoregional control, and distant control rates at 5 and 10 years were 89% and 87%, 82% and 80% and 75% and 69%, respectively. Multivariate analysis (p = 0.024) found that positive margins correlated with decreased local control. Disease-free survival and overall survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 64% and 59% and 73% and 62%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, disease-free survival rates decreased with increasing tumor size (p = 0.0001) and inadequate margins (p = 0.024), and overall survival decreased with increasing tumor size (p = 0.001) and male gender (p = 0.039). Conclusions: The combination of conservative surgery, high-dose PHDRB, and EBRT produces adequate function and local control in the majority of patients with soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities and the superficial trunk, including a substantial percentage of cases with positive margins. Patients with larger tumors are at a higher risk of complications, treatment failure, and cancer-related death and require an individualized treatment approach. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.