Watch these interviews on the iPad edition of this issue conducted by Sarah Maxwell
Accelerated Radiotherapy with Carbogen and Nicotinamide (ARCON) in Advanced Laryngeal Cancer
Geert Janssens, MD, a radiation oncologist at Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, discusses his team's Phase III ARCON trial of accelerated radiotherapy with carbogen and nicotinamide, which showed significantly improved regional control compared with the use of accelerated radiotherapy alone in patients with advanced laryngeal cancer (Abstract PD-0049). In addition, a majority of the patients treated with the technique also maintained excellent speech and swallowing.
Quality of Life in ARCON Study
Also for the same study (Abstract PD-0049), Hans Kaanders, MD, PhD, Professor of Translational Radiation Oncology at Radbound University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, discusses the short- and long-term health-related quality-of-life effects, with he and his coauthors concluding: "With ARCON, a high local control (at least 80%) and a significantly improved regional control rate are observed while maintaining excellent speech and swallowing function for the majority of patients, independent of T-stage. Long-term dry mouth, sticky saliva, and changes in taste and smell perception are limited to one quarter of patients and not different between both treatment arms."
Salvage Prostate High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Effective after EBRT
Manuel Galdeano Rubio, MD, of Institut Catala d'Oncologia in Barcelona, discusses the results of his study showing that for patients with previously irradiated locally advanced recurrent prostate cancer, salvage high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDRB) was an effective and safe treatment option. The retrospective analysis with 60 patients showed "acceptable" late genitourinary toxicity after use of external-beam radiotherapy (Abstract OC-0090).
Good Results with Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation for Older Women with Early Breast Cancer
Icro Meattini, MD, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the University of Florence, discusses a subgroup analysis of a Phase III randomized study of women with early breast cancer, which found that patients age 70 and over treated with accelerated partial breast irradiation did significantly better than those who had whole breast irradiation (Abstract PD-0042).
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