• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.162-170
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• 2013

Purpose: To analyze the outcome of adjuvant postoperative external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC). Materials and Methods: We identified 84 patients treated with EBRT for WDTC from February 1981 to December 2010. Among them, we analyzed 39 patients who received EBRT after initial radical surgery. Twenty-four females and 15 males were included. The median age was 49 years (range, 16 to 72 years). There were 34 papillary thyroid carcinomas and 5 follicular thyroid carcinomas. Most patients showed pathologic T3/T4 stage (54%/26%). Ten patients (25.6%) had gross residual tumors. Five patients (12.8%) had tumor cells at the margin. The median EBRT dose and fraction size were 62.6 Gy and 1.8 to 2.0 Gy, respectively. Results: The median follow-up was 73 months (range, 21 to 372 months). The five-year overall survival (OS) and locoregional recurrence free survival (LRFS) were 97.4% and 86.9%, respectively. Locoregional failures occurred in 5 and all failure sites were the neck node area. In univariate analysis, OS was significantly influenced by invasion of the trachea (p = 0.016) or esophagus (p = 0.006). LRFS was significantly decreased by male (p = 0.020), gross residuum after resection (p = 0.002), close or positive tumor at surgical margin involvement (p = 0.044), and tracheal invasion (p = 0.040). No significant prognostic factor was identified in the multivariate analysis. No patient experienced the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group grade 3 or more toxicity. Conclusion: Our locoregional control rate of 87.2% is comparable to historical controls with surgery alone, even though our study had a large proportion of advanced stage. Adjuvant EBRT may an effective and safe treatment option in patients with WDTC.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.347-354
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• 1993

This is a retrospective analysis of 67 patients with histologically proven invasive carcinoma of uterine cervix treated with surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy at Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital between october 1983 and september 1991, Postoperative radiotherapy was carried out in patients with high risks of locoregional recurrence such as positive pelvic lymph node (38 pts), large tumor size more than 3 cm (22 pts), cervical stromal invasion more than 2/3 (46 pts), parametrial involvement (9 pts), positive resection margin (14 pts), endo/myometrial extension (10 pts), and angiolymphatic invasion (13 pts). Stage I A, I B, and IIA were 2 $(3\%),$ 39 $(58.2\%),\;and\;26\;(38.8\%),$ respectively. Median follow-up period was 48 months with ranges from 13 to 115 months. All 67 patients were treated externally with standard pelvic field with radiation dose ranging from 4080 to 6120 cGy in 4~6 weeks period of time. Of these, 45 patients received intracavitary radiotherapy. The overall survival rate and disease free survival rate at 5-year were $88.0\%\;and\;82.1\%,$ respectively. The survival rates by stage were $87.1\%$ in IB and $88.4\%$ in IIA. Local control rate was $80.6\%(58\;pts).$ The treatment failure was noted in 12 of 67 patients $(17.9\%):$ locoregional failure in $7(10.4\%),$ distant metastasis in 3 $(4.5\%),$ and locoregional and distant metastasis in $2(3\%),$ The univariate analysis of prognostic factors disclosed endo/myometrial extension as a significant factor of survival and recurrence $(70.0\%\;vs\;91.1\%\;P<0.05\;&\;30.0\%\;vs\;15.8\%,\;respectively).$ The complication of postoperative radiothrapy was not significant and all patient were well tolerated. In conclusion, postoperative radiotherapy in patients with high risks of locoreginal recurrence is relatively well tolerated and it gives significantly improved survival rate especially in patients with positive lymph nodes, bulky tumor size $(\geqq3\;cm),$ parametrial involvement, cervical stromal invasion more than 2/3, positive resection margin and angiolymphatic invasion.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.377-386
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• 1994

Purpose: The role of radiotherapy in the management of patients with locoregional recurrent cervix cancer after radical surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Methods and materials: Twenty-eight patients treated with radiotherapy for locoregional recurrence after primary surgery for carcinoma of the cervix between 1989 and 1993 were analyzed. The median follow-up of survivors was 15 months (ranged 7-43 months). Eight patients had their disease confined to the vagina and 19 patients($68\%$) had pelvic mass as part of their locoregional recurrent disease. Within 24 months after the initial surgery, $82\%$ of recurrences manifested themselves. All patients had whole pelvic irradiation with or without intracavitary radiotherapy(ICR). Results: Complete response(CR) was achieved in 18 patients($54\%$). Five of eighteen patients($28\%$) with initial CR developed second locoregional recurrence. Response to radiotherapy correlated strongly with tumor volume, site of recurrence and total radiation dose. The overall 2 year survival rate was $43\%$ and the disease free survival was $31\%$. Survival rate was significantly influenced by the factors of interval from operation to recurrence, size and site of recurrent tumor, radiation dose, response of radiotherapy, lymph node status as initial presentation, The principal cause of death was lung metastasis($36\%$). Conclusion: Radiotherapy is an excellent modality for control of locoregional recurrent cervix cancer. To improve local control and survival rate, whole pelvic external radiotherapy in addition to ICR with more than 75.0Gy at the depth of 1.0cm from vaginal mucosa is needed and frequent follow up and early detection of recurrence is suggested as well.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7309-7313
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• 2015

Background: The organ preservation approach of choice for the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancers is concurrent chemoradiation with three weekly high doses of cisplatin. Although this is an efficacious treatment policy, it has high acute systemic and mucosal toxicities, which lead to frequent treatment breaks and increased overall treatment time. Hence, the current study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiation using 40 mg/m2 weekly cisplatin. Materials and Methods: This is a single institutional retrospective study including the data of 266 locally advanced head and neck cancer patients who were treated with concurrent chemoradiation using 40 mg/m2 weekly cisplatin from January 2012 to January 2014. A p-value of < 0.05 was taken to be significant statistically for all purposes in the study. Results: The mean age of the study patients was 48.8 years. Some 36.1% of the patients had oral cavity primary tumors. The mean overall treatment time was 57.2 days. With a mean follow up of 15.2 months for all study patients and 17.5 months for survivors, 3 year local control, locoregional control and disease free survival were seen in 62.8%, 42.8% and 42.1% of the study patients. Primary tumor site, nodal stage of disease, AJCC stage of the disease and number of cycles of weekly cisplatin demonstrated statistically significant correlations with 3 year local control, locoregional control and disease free survival. Conclusions: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with moderate dose weekly cisplatin is an efficacious treatment regime for locally advanced head and neck cancers with tolerable toxicity which can be used in developing countries with limited resources.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2017

Locoregional failure is the most frequent pattern of failure in locally advanced head and neck cancer patients and it leads to death in most of the patients. Second primary tumors occurring in the other head and neck region reach up to almost 40% of long-term survivors. Recommended and preferred retreatment option in operable patients is salvage surgical resection, reporting a 5-year overall survival of up to 40%. However, because of tumor location, extent, and underlying comorbidities, salvage surgery is often limited and compromised by incomplete resection. Reirradiation with or without combined chemotherapy is an appropriate option for unresectable recurrence. Reirradiation is carefully considered with a case-by-case basis. Reirradiation protocol enrollment is highly encouraged prior to committing patient to an aggressive therapy. Radiation doses greater than 60 Gy are usually recommended for successful salvage. Despite recent technical improvement in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), the use of concurrent chemotherapy, and the emergence of molecularly targeted agents, careful patient selection remain as the most paramount factor in reirradiation. Tumors that recur or persist despite aggressive prior chemoradiation therapy imply the presence of chemoradio-resistant clonogens. Treatment protocols that combine novel targeted radiosensitizing agents with conformal high precision radiation are required to overcome the resistance while minimizing toxicity. Recent large number of data showed that IMRT may provide better locoregional control with acceptable acute or chronic morbidities. However, additional prospective studies are required before a definitive conclusion can be drawn on safety and effectiveness of IMRT.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.69-76
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• 1992

To identify pretreatment prognostic factors in locally advanced carcinoma of the uterine cervix, retrospective analysis was undertaken of 154 patients treated with curative radiation therapy at Seoul National University Hospital, from March 1979 through December 1986. According to FIGO classification, eight patients were stage IIIA, 134 were stage IIIB, and 12 were stage IVA. Five year locoregional control rate was $58\%$, $51\%$, and $27\%$ in stage IIIA, IIIB, and IVA, respectively. Five year disease free survival was $57\%$, $40\%$, and $25\%$ for each stage respectively. Five year overall survival was $67\%$, $51\%$, and $33\%$ in stage IIIA, IIIB, and IVA, respectively. In univariate analysis, fewer than or equal to four of pregnancies, initial hemoglobin of lower than $10\;g\%$, and pelvic sidewall invasion on CT were associated with poor locoregional control. Number of pregnancies, initial hemoglobin level, obstructive uropathy on intavenous pyelography (IVP), pelvic lymph node (LN) status on CT, and pelvic sidewall invasion on CT were significant factors in disease free survival. In terms of overall survival, pelvic sidewall invasion on CT and bladder invasion on CT were prognostically significant. In multivariate analysis, no factor was found to affect locoregional control and pelvic LN status was a sole significant factor affecting disease free survival. in terms of overall survival, the size.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.368-379
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the dosimetric difference between simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), and the clinical outcomes of anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) chemoradiotherapy featuring SIB-IMRT. Materials and Methods: This study included ten patients with ASCC who underwent chemoradiotherapy using SIB-IMRT with 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C. SIB-IMRT delivered 54 Gy to each primary tumor plus metastatic lymph nodes and 45 Gy to regional lymph nodes, in 30 fractions. Four patients received additional boosts to the primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes; the median total dose was 54 Gy (range, 54 to 60 Gy). We additionally created 3DCRT plans following the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 9811 protocol to allow dosimetric comparisons with SIB-IMRT. Locoregional control, overall survival, and toxicity were calculated for the clinical outcome evaluation. Results: Compared to 3DCRT, SIB-IMRT significantly reduced doses to the external genitalia, bladder, and intestine, delivering the doses to target and elective nodal region. At a median follow-up time of 46 months, 3-year locoregional control and overall survival rates were 88.9% and 100%, respectively. Acute toxicities were treated conservatively. All patients completed radiotherapy with brief interruptions (range, 0 to 2 days). No patient experienced ${\geq}grade$ 3 late toxicity during the follow-up period. Conclusion: The dosimetric advantages of SIB-IMRT appeared to reduce the toxicity of chemoradiotherapy for ASCC achieving high locoregional control in the extended period.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.280-289
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• 2016

Purpose: Early hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC) is a rarely diagnosed disease, for which the optimal treatment has not been defined yet. We assessed patterns of failure and outcomes in early HPSCC treated with various therapeutic approaches to identify its optimal treatment. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six patients with stage I (n = 10) and II (n = 26) treated between January 1992 and March 2014 were reviewed. Patients received definitive radiotherapy (RT) (R group, n = 10), surgery only (S group, n = 19), or postoperative RT (PORT group, n = 7). All patients in both the R and PORT groups received elective bilateral neck irradiation. In the S group, 7 patients had ipsilateral and 8 had bilateral dissection, while 4 patients had no elective dissection. Results: At a median follow-up of 48 months, the 5-year locoregional control (LRC) rate was 65%. Six patients had local failure, 1 regional failure (RF), 3 combined locoregional failures, and 2 distant failures. There was no difference in 5-year LRC among the R, S, and PORT groups (p = 0.17). The presence with a pyriform sinus apex extension was a prognosticator related to LRC (p = 0.01) in the multivariate analysis. Patients with a bilaterally treated neck showed a trend toward a lower RF rate (p = 0.08). Conclusion: This study shows that patients with early stage HPSCC involving the pyriform sinus apex might need a tailored approach to improve LRC. Additionally, our study confirms elective neck treatment might have an efficacious role in regional control.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.740-747
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• 2014

Background Autologous fat graft has become a useful technique for correction of acquired contour deformity in reconstructed breasts. However, there remains controversial regarding the efficacy and safety of the practice for reconstructive breast surgery. Methods A retrospective review was performed on 102 patients who had secondary fat grafting after breast reconstruction. Fat harvest, refinement and injection were done by Coleman's technique. All patients were followed up postoperatively within 1 month and after 6 months including physical examination and ultrasonography. In 38 patients, the reabsorption rate was calculated by serial changes of thickness between skin and pectoral fascia in the ultrasonic finding. Locoregional recurrence rate was compared with control group of 449 patients who had breast reconstruction without fat graft in the same time period. Results Average 49.3 mL fat was injected into each breast. The most common location of fat graft was upper pole, followed by axilla, lower and medial breasts. During 28.7 months of average follow-up period, 2.9% of total patients had symptoms of palpable mass on fat graft side and ultrasonography identified fat necrosis and cyst formation in 17.6% of the patients. Calculated fat reabsorption rate was 32.9%. Locoregional recurrence was occurred in 1 patient (0.9%) and the rate was not different significantly with control group (2%). Conclusions Although further studies are required to provide surgeons with definitive guidelines for the implementation of fat grafting, we propose autologous fat graft is an efficient and safe technique for secondary breast reconstruction.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.125-130
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• 2013

Purpose: We investigated the role of radiotherapy (RT) for pancreatobiliary neuroendocrine tumors (PB-NETs). Materials and Methods: We identified 9 patients with PB-NETs who received RT between January 2005 and March 2012. Of these 9 patients, 4 were diagnosed with NETs in the pancreas and 5 were diagnosed with NETs in the gallbladder. All patients received RT to the primary tumor or resection bed with a median total irradiation dose of 50.4 Gy, with or without chemotherapy. Results: The tumor response rate and tumor control rate in the RT field were 60% and 100 %, respectively. All 4 patients who underwent surgery had no evidence of disease in the RT field. Of the 5 patients who received RT to the primary gross tumor, 1 had complete response, 2 had partial response, and 2 had stable disease in the RT field. The median time to progression was 11 months. Of the 9 patients, four patients had no progression, and 5 patients had progression of disease (locoregional, 2; distant, 2; locoregional/distant, 1). Of the 4 patients without progression, 3 were treated with RT in adjuvant or neoadjuvant setting, and one received RT to primary tumor. One patient experienced radiation-induced duodenitis at 3 months after concurrent chemoradiation without treatment-related mortality. Conclusion: RT can yield local control for advanced PB-NETs. RT should be considered an essential part of multimodality treatment in management of advanced PB-NETs.