The authors report an unusual clinical phenomenon of head-and-neck radiotherapy-induced thyroiditis presenting with clinical features of hyperthyroidism on immediate clinical follow-up with raised thyroid hormone levels. Conventional technetium thyroid scan showed a discordantly absent thyroid gland uptake instead of expected thyroid avidity in hyperthyroidism. The thyroid gland subsequently reverting to normal uptake in the postrecovery stage confirmed the thyroiditis nature, with prior radiation to the neck being the possible inciting factor.
Background: Quality of life is significantly affected in both radically treated as well as palliative care patients of Head & Neck cancers. Both Surgery as well as Radiation with concurrent chemotherapy affect quality of life with long lasting disabilities. Hence the present study was done to evaluate the role of Metronomic Chemotherapy on Quality of life in Residual, Recurrent and Metastatic Head & Neck cancers. Methods: All patients who met the inclusion criteria in our study were treated with Oral Metronomic Chemotherapy with Methotrexate and Capecitabine. Quality of Life assessment was done at month 0, month 3 and month 6. Results: The predominant problematic domains identified by QOL H&N-35 scale were pain, difficulty in swallowing, dry mouth, mouth opening, sticky saliva, social eating, social contact and less sexuality. There is a significant improvement in QOL of most of the survivors in the present study at the end of 6 months. But there was no significance as far as illness, senses, coughing, feeding tube and weight gain are concerned Conclusion: Oral Metronomic Chemotherapy with Methotrexate and Capecitabine significantly improves the Quality of life in patients with Residual, Recurrent and Metastatic Head & Neck cancers.
Background: Concurrent chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin is the treatment of choice in a case of
carcinoma cervix. Prolonging treatment time is detrimental to disease control. When brachytherapy is
scheduled during external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), treatment time can be shortened signicantly thereby improving
local control. As the delivery of radiation with brachytherapy is uniform and spares normal tissues it reduces the acute
toxicities. In this study, we aimed to study the acute toxicities associated with this unique scheduling of brachytherapy along
with EBRT. Fifty patients with carcinoma cervix between stage IIA to IIIB treated at our institution with chemo-Methods:
radiation were included in the study. Concurrent chemotherapy was delivered using weekly cisplatin (40mg/m2) for 5 cycles.
EBRT was delivered using four eld box technique. HDR brachytherapy was introduced after 3rd week of EBRT. Brachytherapy
was delivered in 3 fractions each 8.5Gy at the end of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th week. Acute RTOG toxicities were assessed during the
treatment and one week post treatment. The median age of the study population is 45 years. Eighty four percent ofResults:
patients received 4 or more cycles of concurrent chemotherapy, whereas 16% of patients received only 3 cycles of concurrent
chemotherapy. Most common toxicity observed in the current study population is diarrhea followed by vomiting. Most toxicities
are of RTOG grade 0 or 1 and none of the patients developed grade 4 toxicity. Only two patients developed grade 3 diarrhea
and one patient developed grade 3 neutropenia. Integrating brachytherapy schedule along with EBRT decreasesConclusion:
overall treatment time with an acceptable acute toxicity prole.
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