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Biomedical subjects

Kauko Saarilahti

Publications and source records attributed to Kauko Saarilahti.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Sparing of the submandibular glands by intensity modulated radiotherapy in the treatment of head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The submandibular glands produce most of the unstimulated saliva output and are the key in prevention of radiation-related xerostomia. We investigated whether sparing of the submandibular function is feasible with intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer were treated with IMRT and had at least one parotid gland excluded from the planning target volume. In a subset, of these patients (n=18) where the risk of cancer recurrence in the contralateral submandibular region was judged low, the contralateral submandibular gland was spared from full-dose irradiation. The total unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates and adverse effects were monitored. RESULTS: Twelve months following IMRT mean unstimulated saliva flow was 60% of the baseline value among patients who had one submandibular gland spared and 25% among those who did not (P=0.006). Patients whose contralateral submandibular was spared reported less grade two or three xerostomia (4 vs. 11; P=0.018), and used less saliva substitutes. No cancer recurrences were detected at the vicinity of the spared glands during a median follow-up time of 31 months. CONCLUSIONS: Submandibular gland sparing with IMRT is safe in selected patients treated for head and neck cancer. It is effective in prevention of radiation-associated xerostomia.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Chemoradiotherapy of anal cancer is feasible in elderly patients: treatment results of mitomycin-5-FU combined with radiotherapy at Helsinki University Central Hospital 1992-2003.

The number of elderly patients with cancer is steadily increasing in developed countries and their treatment is a growing challenge for oncological departments. Anal cancer is the first tumour in which chemoradiotherapy with the intent of organ preservation has largely replaced surgery and is an interesting model of modern multimodal oncological treatment. At the Department of Oncology of the Helsinki University Central Hospital we have treated all patients irrespective of age following the same guidelines if there have been no specific contraindications on the basis of intercurrent diseases. The results suggest that the chemoradiotherapy protocol used in the treatment of anal cancer is reasonably well tolerated in elderly patients and the tumour control is comparable to those achieved in younger patients. After successful cancer therapy the life expectancy in these patients can be very long.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Intensity modulated radiotherapy for head and neck cancer: evidence for preserved salivary gland function.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To investigate the salivary gland function following intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for head and neck cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients with oropharyngeal (n=11) or nasopharyngeal (n=6) carcinoma located adjacent to the major salivary glands were treated with IMRT with an emphasis to spare the salivary glands from high-dose irradiation and to reduce the risk of postirradiation xerostomy. Three patients had stage 2, 4 stage III, and 10 stage IVA cancer. The total basal and stimulated saliva flow rates were measured before the treatment, and 6 and 12 months after radiotherapy. RESULTS: The median basal saliva flow rate measured before radiation treatment was 0.13 mL/min, and at 6 and 12 months after the completion of IMRT 0.04 mL/min and 0.07 mL/min, respectively. The corresponding median stimulated saliva flow rates were 0.49 mL/min, 0.33 mL/min, and 0.45 mL, respectively. The D50 for an impaired stimulated parotid gland saliva flow rate was 25.5 Gy. Only two (12%) patients developed grade 3 and none grade 4 xerostomia during a median follow-up of 24 months (range, 12-40 months). No patients had locoregional cancer recurrence following IMRT. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that much of the salivary gland function can be maintained with IMRT without jeopardizing the local control rate in the treatment of locally advanced oropharynx or nasopharynx carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Biweekly escalated, accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy with concomitant single-dose mitomycin C results in a high rate of local control in advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a dose-escalated, accelerated, and hyperfractionated radiotherapy schedule with a concomitant single dose of mitomycin C in the treatment of patients with advanced laryngeal or hypopharyngeal cancer. Twenty-one previously untreated patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma (stage III, n = 6; stage IV, n = 15) were treated with a biweekly dose-escalated, accelerated, and hyperfractionated schedule up to a total dose of 74.4 Gy in 54 fractions over 5 weeks. A single dose of intravenous mitomycin C 10 mg/m2 was given on day 30. The median follow-up after treatment of surviving patients is 48 months (range, 28 to 61 months). All patients showed complete tumor control at the primary site when evaluated 2 months after chemoirradiation by laryngomicroscopy or hypopharyngoscopy and radiologic imaging (CT, MRI). Two laryngectomies were carried out after given therapy: 1 for residual cancer and 1 for suspected residual cancer. After a median follow-up of 43 months (range, 28 to 61 months), a local control rate of 70% and disease-free survival (DFS) rate of 60% were achieved in the laryngeal cancer patients; in patients with hypopharyngeal cancer, the corresponding figures were 64% (82% after salvage surgery) and 36%. The results are promising and warrant comparison with other chemoradiotherapy regimens.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Cyclin A and Ki-67 expression as predictors for locoregional recurrence and outcome in laryngeal cancer patients treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between the cancer cell proliferation fraction and the risk of recurrence in laryngeal cancer patients treated without systemic therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 90 laryngeal cancer patients were stained for cyclin A and the Ki-67 antigen by immunohistochemistry. The patients were treated with partial or total laryngectomy followed by postoperative radiotherapy to a total dose of 50 Gy or greater. The median follow-up time was 91 months (minimum 48 months). RESULTS: High cyclin A expression (>19% positive cancer cell nuclei, the highest tertile) was associated with a high rate of locoregional tumor recurrence and unfavorable disease-free and overall survival as compared with cases with a lower expression (p = 0.025, 0.032, and 0.042, respectively). In a multivariate analysis, high cyclin A expression was an independent predictor of poor disease-free survival (RR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2-4.9, p = 0.013) and overall survival (RR 2.1, 1.2-3.6, p = 0.012), together with a poor Karnofsky's performance status and the presence of positive margins at surgery. Ki-67 expression was not an independent predictor of survival, but cancers with high Ki-67 expression (>34% nuclei positive, the highest tertile) recurred more frequently locoregionally when treated with split-course radiotherapy than when treated with a continuous course of therapy (p = 0.035), whereas the presence of a planned split did not influence the frequency of locoregional recurrences when Ki-67 expression was lower (p = 0.93). CONCLUSION: Cancer cell cyclin A expression is a novel predictive factor for outcome in laryngeal cancer treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. Planned gaps in the radiotherapy course are deleterious in patients with a high proliferative fraction, and immunostaining for the Ki-67 antigen may be useful in identification of such patients.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

Comparison of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and sucralfate mouthwashes in the prevention of radiation-induced mucositis: a double-blind prospective randomized phase III study.

PURPOSE: To compare granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) mouthwashes with sucralfate mouthwashes in the prevention of radiation-induced mucositis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Forty patients with radically operated head-and-neck cancer were randomly allocated to use either GM-CSF (n = 21) or sucralfate (n = 19) mouthwashes during postoperative radiotherapy (RT). All patients received conventionally fractionated RT to a total dose of 50-60 Gy in 2-Gy daily fractions during 5-6 weeks to the primary site and regional lymphatics. A minimum of 50% of the oral cavity and oropharyngeal mucosa was included in the clinical target volume. GM-CSF mouthwashes consisted of 37.5 microg GM-CSF and sucralfate mouthwashes of 1.0 g of sucralfate distilled in water. Both washes were used 4 times daily, beginning after the first week of RT and continued to the end of the RT course. Symptoms related to radiation mucositis and body weight, serum prealbumin level, and blood cell counts were monitored weekly. RESULTS: Oral mucositis tended to be less severe in the GM-CSF group (p = 0.072). Complete (n = 1) or partial (n = 4) healing of mucositis occurred during the RT course in 5 patients (24%) in the GM-CSF group and in none of the patients in the sucralfate group (p = 0.049). Patients who received GM-CSF had less mucosal pain (p = 0.058) and were less often prescribed opioids for pain (p = 0.042). Three patients in the sucralfate group needed hospitalization for mucositis during RT compared with none in the GM-CSF group. Four patients (21%) in the sucralfate group and none in the GM-CSF group required an interruption in the RT course (p = 0.042). No significant differences in weight, prealbumin level, or blood cell count were found between the groups, and both mouthwashes were well tolerated. CONCLUSION: GM-CSF mouthwashes may be moderately more effective than sucralfate mouthwashes in preventing radiation-induced mucositis and mucositis-related pain, and their use may lead to less frequent RT course interruptions from mucositis. The present findings need to be confirmed before adopting GM-CSF mouthwashes in routine clinical use.

Adult↗