Objective: Tumours originating from jugular bulb, carotid bifurcation, Vagus nerve are collectively called Paragangliomas. They are slow growing, essentially benign tumours, but can be detrimental if untreated. There ...Objective: Tumours originating from jugular bulb, carotid bifurcation, Vagus nerve are collectively called Paragangliomas. They are slow growing, essentially benign tumours, but can be detrimental if untreated. There is limited evidence on the effectiveness of fractionated radiotherapy in the management ofs Glomus jugulare tumours. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of Linear accelerator based fractionated external beam radiotherapy on unilateral inoperable Glomus jugulare paragangliomas. Method: This is a retrospective analysis of all the 12 cases of inoperable, unilateral Glomus jugulare tumours treated during the period 2011-2016 at a tertiary cancer centre in Kenya. Minimum follow up duration was 3 years. Patient characteristics, disease staging, immediate complications and therapeutic efficacy were analysed from the case files. Results: The 12 patients diagnosed with inoperable Glomus jugulare tumours reported in this period were treated with external beam radiotherapy to a tumour dose of 54 Gy in 30 fractions over a period of 6 weeks using IMRT technique in 6 MV Linear accelerator. 2/3<sup>rd </sup>of the patients were females in 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> decade of life. Onset of first symptom to initiation of treatment was found to be 1.7 years. Headache, earache, and tinnitus were the main complaints. No major side effects were recorded during therapy. Mean length of the tumour in its maximum dimension at the time of diagnosis was 4.5 cm. At the end of one-year post therapy, a mean reduction of 6.5 mm in the tumour length was observed, (Range: 0 - 15 mm). Tumour size remained static for a year and thereafter a slow growth pattern of 1mm per year was observed. Conclusion: Fractionated external beam radiotherapy is an effective and non-invasive treatment for advanced, inoperable Glomus jugulare paragangliomas. Clinical stability through tumour control was observed. Though newer radiation techniques like Cyberknife, Proton therapy offer better tumour control, conventional external beam radiotherapy is an effective tool in disease containment in resource limited countries.展开更多
Early stage cancers of tongue are treated traditionally with a wide local excision or hemiglossectomy, but the preservation of normal speech and swallowing are hampered. Most of the patients are treated with external ...Early stage cancers of tongue are treated traditionally with a wide local excision or hemiglossectomy, but the preservation of normal speech and swallowing are hampered. Most of the patients are treated with external beam irradiation to achieve the best locoregional control as only a limited number of tongue cancers can be excised. Underdeveloped nations with finite resources are still dependent on cobalt based external beam radiotherapy and sometimes a Linear Accelerator with two dimensional planning. This treatment has many limitations, as the large radiation fields irradiate not only the tumor but also normal tissue. The sequalae include mucositis, dry mouth, teeth and gum injury, spinal cord damage and rarely mandibular necrosis. Intensity modulated radiotherapy, which can abrogate these side effects, is not available to these patients. Irradiation using implanted solid radioactive sources into the tumor tissue is a viable option in this context. This kind of treatment is termed as brachytherapy and if the implant is introduced into the tissue then it is interstitial brachytherapy. This report details our experience in interstitial implantation, planning, dosimetry and treatment. Diagnosed cancers of anterior 2/3rd of lateral border of tongue with T1 N0M0 or T2 N0M0 stages were subjected to Iridium implantation under general anesthesia. Orthogonal films were taken and planning done with brachyvision treatment planning system. High dose rate radiotherapy was delivered as per the prescription. Excellent local control of the tumor was achieved with no undue morbidity to the adjacent structures. The patients were asked to undergo regular follow up. Surgical salvage was advised in cases of nodal recurrence. Interstitial implantation is a treatment that can be safely administered in early stage cancers of the tongue. This has remarkable efficacy and is also a patient friendly procedure.展开更多
文摘Objective: Tumours originating from jugular bulb, carotid bifurcation, Vagus nerve are collectively called Paragangliomas. They are slow growing, essentially benign tumours, but can be detrimental if untreated. There is limited evidence on the effectiveness of fractionated radiotherapy in the management ofs Glomus jugulare tumours. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of Linear accelerator based fractionated external beam radiotherapy on unilateral inoperable Glomus jugulare paragangliomas. Method: This is a retrospective analysis of all the 12 cases of inoperable, unilateral Glomus jugulare tumours treated during the period 2011-2016 at a tertiary cancer centre in Kenya. Minimum follow up duration was 3 years. Patient characteristics, disease staging, immediate complications and therapeutic efficacy were analysed from the case files. Results: The 12 patients diagnosed with inoperable Glomus jugulare tumours reported in this period were treated with external beam radiotherapy to a tumour dose of 54 Gy in 30 fractions over a period of 6 weeks using IMRT technique in 6 MV Linear accelerator. 2/3<sup>rd </sup>of the patients were females in 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> decade of life. Onset of first symptom to initiation of treatment was found to be 1.7 years. Headache, earache, and tinnitus were the main complaints. No major side effects were recorded during therapy. Mean length of the tumour in its maximum dimension at the time of diagnosis was 4.5 cm. At the end of one-year post therapy, a mean reduction of 6.5 mm in the tumour length was observed, (Range: 0 - 15 mm). Tumour size remained static for a year and thereafter a slow growth pattern of 1mm per year was observed. Conclusion: Fractionated external beam radiotherapy is an effective and non-invasive treatment for advanced, inoperable Glomus jugulare paragangliomas. Clinical stability through tumour control was observed. Though newer radiation techniques like Cyberknife, Proton therapy offer better tumour control, conventional external beam radiotherapy is an effective tool in disease containment in resource limited countries.
文摘Early stage cancers of tongue are treated traditionally with a wide local excision or hemiglossectomy, but the preservation of normal speech and swallowing are hampered. Most of the patients are treated with external beam irradiation to achieve the best locoregional control as only a limited number of tongue cancers can be excised. Underdeveloped nations with finite resources are still dependent on cobalt based external beam radiotherapy and sometimes a Linear Accelerator with two dimensional planning. This treatment has many limitations, as the large radiation fields irradiate not only the tumor but also normal tissue. The sequalae include mucositis, dry mouth, teeth and gum injury, spinal cord damage and rarely mandibular necrosis. Intensity modulated radiotherapy, which can abrogate these side effects, is not available to these patients. Irradiation using implanted solid radioactive sources into the tumor tissue is a viable option in this context. This kind of treatment is termed as brachytherapy and if the implant is introduced into the tissue then it is interstitial brachytherapy. This report details our experience in interstitial implantation, planning, dosimetry and treatment. Diagnosed cancers of anterior 2/3rd of lateral border of tongue with T1 N0M0 or T2 N0M0 stages were subjected to Iridium implantation under general anesthesia. Orthogonal films were taken and planning done with brachyvision treatment planning system. High dose rate radiotherapy was delivered as per the prescription. Excellent local control of the tumor was achieved with no undue morbidity to the adjacent structures. The patients were asked to undergo regular follow up. Surgical salvage was advised in cases of nodal recurrence. Interstitial implantation is a treatment that can be safely administered in early stage cancers of the tongue. This has remarkable efficacy and is also a patient friendly procedure.
