Fifty patients with residual, unresectable or recurrent rectal cancer were treated with external irradiation using a 6-MV linear accelerator at the Division of Therapeutic Radiology, Department of Radiology, Kangnam St. Mart's Hospital, Catholic University Medical College during the period of April 1983 to December 1987. This paper describes the results of a retrospective analysis of the results of external irradiation for the residual, unresectabel and recurrent rectal cancer in 46 patients. Four patients were lost to follow-up. Of the 46 patients, 18(39%) presented with unresectable primary lesions and 28 (61%) with residual or recurrent rectal cancer. In 93%, the pathologic diagnosis was adenocarcinoma. Resonse to irradiation was observed in 22 (73%) out of 30 patients who were treated for pain, 12 (86%) out of 14 patients who were treated for mass, and 17 (77%) out of 22 patients who were treated for bloody discharge. The actuarial postoperative 2-year and 3-year survival rates in recurrent and unresectable patients were 43% and 22%, respectively. However, the post-RT 2-year survival rate was 13% (6/46).
Adenocarcinoma ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Particle Accelerators ; Radiation Oncology ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

During the period between March 1983 and December 1990, 74 patients with esophageal carcinoma(EC) were treated with radiation therapy(RT) at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University Medical College. Of these, 6 patients were lost to follow-up, and 13 patients were interrupted. So the remaining 55 patients were analyzed, retrospectively. 32 patients were irradiated with curative aim, 12 patients with palliative intent, 10 patients postoperatively, and 1 patient pre- and post-operatively. Among these 55 patients, 28 patients were treated with chemoradiation modality, and 27 patients with RT alone. All patients were followed for a minimum of 20 months or Hntil death. of 32 patients irradiated by curative aim, 22 patients(69%) showed partial remission (PR), 6 patients(19%) complete remission(CR). Overall mean survival and two-year survival rate were 15.6 months and 22%. With respect to sex, age, pathologic differentiation, tumor location, tumor size, stage, RT aim, RT response, RT dose, use of chemotherapy and functional categories(FC) of dysphagia at initiation of RT and at finishing RT : Tumor size, stage, RT response had great influences on prognosis and FC at finishing RT had a slight influence on prognosis. Especially, the mean survival and 2-year survival rate in patients with postoperative RT were 24.7 months and 63%, which could be compared with 29.1 months and 43% in radically treated patients with CR. And the mean survival duration and 2-year survival rate in patients irradiated with doses more than 60 Gy were 22.4 months and 29%, and 50~60 Gy were 12.2 months and 12%, respectively. However, no significant difference was shown statistically. Among 12 patients treated with palliative intent, 9 patients (75%) had good improvement in dysphagia and the mean duration of palliative response was 10.6 months.
Deglutition Disorders ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Prognosis ; Radiation Oncology ; Radiotherapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate