Biomedical subjects

Eric Strom

Publications and source records attributed to Eric Strom.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Ultrasound-based localization.

Ultrasound is a noninvasive, relatively easy, rapid, and real-time imaging technique for organ targeting for radiotherapy. Its application has been developed to a greater extent in prostate cancer than in other sites in which it has been shown to improve the accuracy of daily treatment delivery. With the move toward dose escalation and the need to maximally spare the adjacent critical structures through more conformal therapy and smaller field margins, an innovative technique for accurate and reproducible tumor targeting is mandatory. Basic ultrasound principles and organ location lend themselves well to the application of this modality in prostate cancer. Promising results using daily ultrasound-guided B-mode acquisition and targeting for patients with upper abdominal tumors suggest an area for additional trials and study. For breast cancer radiotherapy, ultrasound serves to define involved primary and nodal sites, especially in patients in whom surgical evaluation will not be the first therapeutic step.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

PubMed2002

Predictors of locoregional recurrence among patients with early-stage breast cancer treated with breast-conserving therapy.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to identify predictors of locoregional recurrence (LRR) in patients with early-stage breast cancer treated with breast-conserving therapy (BCT) and long-term follow-up. METHODS: From 1970 to 1994, 1153 patients with stage I to II breast cancer underwent BCT and radiotherapy at our institution. Patients with prior breast cancer or other primary malignancies were excluded. Clinical and pathologic characteristics evaluated were age, race, tumor size, stage, pathologic tumor margins, axillary nodal involvement, estrogen and progesterone receptor status, Black's nuclear grade, type of surgery, and use of adjuvant therapy. RESULTS: Of 1083 patients, 54% presented with stage I disease and 46% with stage II disease. Median age was 50 years, and median follow-up was 9 years. Axillary nodes were positive in 31% of the patients who underwent axillary dissection. LRR developed in 6%, LRR followed by systemic recurrence in 5%, and systemic recurrence alone in 13%; 76% had no evidence of recurrence at last follow-up. Age, tumor size, positive lymph nodes, and not receiving chemotherapy or hormonal therapy were independent predictors of LRR. Disease-specific survival among patients with LRR was similar to that among patients with no recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Multidisciplinary treatment strategies should be used to accomplish durable locoregional control after BCT.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Evaluation of paclitaxel in adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with operable breast cancer: preliminary data of a prospective randomized trial.

PURPOSE: Paclitaxel has significant antitumor activity in patients with metastaticbreast cancer who have been previously treated with or exposed to anthracycline-containing chemotherapy. In this prospective randomized trial, the role of paclitaxel was evaluated in an adjuvant setting to determine its impact on reducing the risk of recurrence in patients with operable breast cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Five hundred twenty-four patients were randomized to be treated either with 4 cycles of paclitaxel followed by 4 cycles of combination therapy with 5-fluorouracil, Adriamycin, and cyclophosphamide (Pac/FAC) or with 8 cycles of FAC alone. Patients with intact primary breast cancer received the initial 4 cycles of paclitaxel or 4 cycles of FAC in a neoadjuvant setting. Planned duration of therapy was the same in all patients. After completion of 8 cycles of chemotherapy, those patients who were > or =50 years and whose tumors were positive for estrogen receptors received tamoxifen for 5 years. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients have had a recurrence after a median follow-up of 60 months with a range of 5-89 months. Estimated disease-free survival at 48 months was 0.83 for FAC and 0.86 for Pac/FAC group. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.09). The overall estimated hazard ratio for Pac/FAC compared with FAC derived by fitting the Cox regression model and incorporating terms for prognostic factors was 0.66. CONCLUSION: Preliminary results suggest that the addition of paclitaxel to a FAC regimen of adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy may further reduce the risk of disease recurrence; however, differences were not statistically significant. At the time of this analysis, there have been 47 deaths. The survival data are too preliminary to permit meaningful evaluation of the impact of paclitaxel on mortality.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗