RADIATION-THERAPY ALONE IN THE TREATMENT OF TUMORS OF THE TRACHEA

A retrospective analysis of 23 patients with tracheal malignancy treat ed with a radiation therapy alone is reported. All patients were irrad iated at Bydgoszcz Cancer Center during the period 1990-1996. To overc ome serious damage to normal tissues, a dose escalation combination of external beam irradiation and brachytherapy was used in most cases. S quamous cell carcinoma was the most common type and was seen in 13 cas es. Adenoid cystic carcinoma occurred in seven, adenocarcinoma in two and carcinoid in one patient. Eight patients were treated with definit ive and 15 with palliative intent. Local control was attained in 8 of 23 patients and was more frequent for patients from curative group tre ated with doses greater than 60 Gy. The mean survival for all patients was 9.5 months, and 26 and 7.2 months for definitive and palliative g roup, respectively. Survival was strongly correlated to histologic typ e and response to radiotherapy. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.