Intensity-modulated radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal: Efficacy of a low daily dose to clinically negative regions

Abstract

Abstract Background We aimed to assess outcomes of patients with anal cancer who underwent intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and received less than 1.80 Gy/day. Methods We retrospectively reviewed our experience using a low fractional dose ( Results Thirty-four consecutive patients (median age, 59 years) received IMRT from June 2005 through January 2009. Median follow-up duration was 22 months. Twenty-eight patients had T1 or T2 disease and 6 had T3 or T4 disease. Fourteen patients had nodal metastases. Median treatment dose was 50.40 Gy (range, 48.60-57.60 Gy) in 25 to 32 fractions. The range of fractional doses to clinically negative volumes was 1.28 to 1.80 Gy. Seventeen patients (50%) received a fractional dose of less than 1.60 Gy, 13 (38%) received less than 1.50 Gy, and 9 (26%) received less than 1.40 Gy to at least a portion of the clinically negative volume. Three-year freedom from relapse was 80%, and 3-year overall survival was 87%. No patient had treatment failure in the clinically negative volume that received a low daily dose. Conclusions Our data support using doses between 1.50 and 1.80 Gy/day to clinically uninvolved regions.

Keywords

• anal cancer
• chemotherapy
• intensity-modulated radiotherapy
• squamous cell carcinoma