Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer related death in the Western world. The outcomes of the disease vary depending on early detection, histologic types of malignancy, and staging. Screening tests for early detection of lung cancer including low-dose spiral CT, sputum cytology screening, and autofluorescent bronchoscopy may increase the number of patients […]
The good results in published series have not been without associated morbidity and, at times, mortality. A discussion of complications for a procedure which, in many patients, is largely of palliative intent is essential. In general, the complication rates have varied, with the most common complications being radiation-induced bronchitis, fistulae, and pulmonary hemorrhage. All patients […]
The most common symptoms caused principally by an endobronchial component due to bronchogenic carcinoma include hemoptysis, shortness of breath, cough, and postobstructive pneumonia. Endobronchial irradiation is a relatively simple procedure enabling delivery of an effective tumoral dose to a small volume without exceeding normal tissue tolerance. The value of endobronchial irradiation is especially evident in […]
Of the 32 patients studied, 16 were alive at the time of this evaluation. Two of these patients were subsequently diagnosed and treated for metastasis to the brain, and one was diagnosed and treated for a spinal cord compression. The median follow-up after brachytherapy was 9.3 months, with a range from 6 to 24 months. […]
Between June 1990 and April 1992, there were 32 patients who underwent 80 high dose-rate endobronchial applications. The median age was 59 years, with a range from 49 to 80 years. Thirty had primary malignant neoplasms of the lungs, and two had nonpulmonary tumors, one primary cervical carcinoma and one primary carcinoma of the colon […]
With the escalation of new cases of lung carcinoma in this decade, new approaches to the management of this disease are of utmost importance. In those patients who have previously been treated with external-beam irradiation, repeat treatment is of some value, but palliation is modest and of short duration. Laser debulking has also been used, […]