Current first-line treatment regimens combine surgical resection and chemoradiation for Glioblastoma that provides a slight increase in overall survival. Age on its own should not be used as an exclusion criterion of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treatment, but performance should be factored heavily into the decision-making process for treatment planning. Despite aggressive initial treatment, most patients develop recurrent diseases which can be treated with re-resection, systemic treatment with targeted agents or cytotoxic chemotherapy, reirradiation, or radiosurgery. Research into novel therapies is investigating alternative temozolomide regimens, convection-enhanced delivery, immunotherapy, gene therapy, antiangiogenic agents, poly ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors, or cancer stem cell signaling pathways. Given the aggressive and resilient nature of GBM, continued efforts to better understand GBM pathophysiology are required to discover novel targets for future therapy.

Context:Sequential induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (PF) along with interferon-alpha2b and concurrent chemoradiation offers superior loco-regional control for locally advanced carcinoma of oral tongue.Aims:The study was designed to evaluate the beneficial role of induction PF chemotherapy and interferon-alpha2b followed by chemoradiation over definitive chemoradiation only for patients with locally advanced carcinoma of oral tongue.Settings and Design:Phase II randomized, prospective, open-labeled, single-institutional study.Methods and Material:Fifty patients were randomized into 2 arms. Arm A patients were treated with induction chemotherapy with PF regimen for 3 cycles and interferon alpha 2b, 3MU biweekly for 6 such followed by chemoradiation with cisplatin 30 mg/ m2/ week and external radiotherapy. Arm B patients received chemoradiation only, in the same dose schedule as in Arm A. Statistical analysis used: Chi-square test was done to find out the statistical correlation between the two arms. For plotting the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for the two arms, Kaplan-Meier method was used.Results:The loco-regional response rate of patients treated with interferon containing induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation was superior to concurrent chemoradiation only. However the toxicities and treatment interruption were more in patients treated with induction chemotherapy.Conclusions:In locally advanced carcinoma of oral tongue, induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (PF) along with interferon alpha 2b followed by concurrent chemoradiation may produce superior loco-regional control with manageable toxicities that needs to be validated by more randomized trials with adequate number of patients.

Background:The prospective study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Electron beam or HDR 192Ir Interstitial Implant used as a boost in breast Conservation cases after completion of EBRT. The two therapeutic modalities were compared in terms of the following parameters; i.e. cosmesis, optimization of tumor bed boost, local control, toxicity, and DFS.Materials and Methods:The EBRT dose used was 50 Gy in 25 fractions over 5 weeks time. Target delineation of boost treatment was done by CT scan or by high resolution USG. EBRT will be immediately followed by local boost at the primary tumor bearing site of breast with 8 to12 MeV electron beam to a dose of 15 Gy in 6 fractions (Arm A) or with HDR 192Ir interstitial brachytherapy to a dose of 15 Gy in 3 fractions at 6 hours apart (Arm B).Results:The excellent cosmesis achieved with electron beam therapy in Arm A was found to be statistically significant (P = 0.025). Local relapse was absent in both the arms. One distant metastasis occurred in Arm A within 10 months of initiation of treatment and one distant metastasis in Arm B came out within 3 months of starting of therapy.Conclusion:The study has shown good cosmetic result with electron boost and 100% local control with both the technique. However if there is a more number of patients with longer period of follow up we could have got the actual picture to verify our results and assess long term survival data.

Background:The concurrent chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer treatment is well accepted since 1999. This randomized, phase III trial aimed to observe if any improved outcome could be obtained capitalizing on the synergistic activity of gemcitabine, cisplatin, XRT.Materials and Methods:Stage IIB-IIIB, 18-70 years of age, KPS score ≥70, were randomized to control group and study group. Control group received cisplatin 40 mg/m2 weekly with concurrent XRT, followed by brachytherapy and study group received gemcitabine 125 mg/m2 weekly top of the same control group treatment. The primary end point was pathological response and toxicities along with patient compliance to treatment, late reactions, DFS and OS. Fifty patients were randomized between two arms.Results:The complete response in study and control arm was 96% and 88% respectively. Toxicities was significantly high in the study group compared to control group [leucopenia (P=0.015), skin reaction (P=0.03) and bleeding (P=0.019)]. Local recurrence rate: 8% in study arm, none in control arm. The distant failure prevailed in control arm (20% vs. 8%). On a median follow up of 21 months in control arm, the DFS was 73% whereas 83% in study arm in 16 months (P=0.69). OS in the study arm was 100% and 84.5% in the control arm (P=0.14).Conclusions:If the toxicity can be managed adequately in the combination chemo radiation group, it may produce an improvement in response. Survival benefit can also be obtained by introducing gemcitabine to cisplatin as radio sensitizer.

Introduction: For patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer, two main treatment options are either up-front surgery [total laryngectomy (TL)] followed by postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) or definitive concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) with surgery retained as salvage. The objectives were to study the feasibility of CCRT using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in locally advanced laryngeal cancer with respect to response, toxicities, and quality of life (QoL) and comparison with other modality—TL with post-operative RT. Material and Methods: The records of 48 patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer (T3/T4aN0-2), registered between years 2014 and 2017, treated with IMRT (definitive or adjuvant postoperative IMRT) were analysed from the hospital database. The patients received RT either as definitive CCRT or as adjuvant treatment after TL. RT in all patients was delivered with IMRT-SIB(simultaneous integrated boost) technique and concurrent chemotherapy with weekly cisplatin. The response was assessed at 12 weeks. Toxicities and QoL were assessed and compared between patients receiving definitive CCRT and adjuvant RT. Results: 92·3% patients who received definitive CCRT achieved complete response. Toxicities were of low grade in patients receiving both definitive and adjuvant treatments. All the patients (except two partial responders of CCRT) remained disease-free at the last follow-up. At 2 years of follow-up of each patient—Global QoL, emotional and social functioning were better in definitive CCRT patients. Laryngectomy patients had more dyspnoea, insomnia and financial difficulties. Although the problems of dry mouth, sticky saliva and swallowing were comparable, laryngectomy patients faced more problems with speech, senses, social eating, social contact and cough. Conclusions: Definitive CCRT using IMRT-SIB with weekly cisplatin is a feasible option for patients of locally advanced laryngeal cancer with acceptable response rate. IMRT yields better toxicity outcomes with sparing of organs at risk. CCRT patients have better QoL than laryngectomy patients in several parameters.