This study evaluates treatment outcomes and possible prognostic factors of inoperable cervical cancer patients treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and high–dose rate brachytherapy (HDR BRT). Between 1993 and 2000, 183 patients with cervical cancer were treated at our institute. Radiotherapy was the sole treatment modality until January 1997; after the announcement of National Cancer Institute in 1999, 40 mg/m² of cisplatin (49%) was routinely applied every week. Median age was 54 years (32–92 years). Most patients (88%) had advanced-stage disease (IIB–IIIB). With a median follow-up time of 45 months (6–121 months), the 5-year overall survival (OS), local recurrence–free survival, disease-free survival (DFS), and distant metastasis–free survival (DMFS) rates were 55%, 71%, 51%, and 77%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that age, tumor size, lymph node status, and concomitant cisplatin were prognostic factors for OS. The DFS rates were lower in young age group. Patients with tumor greater than 4 cm and age greater than 40 were at greater risk for local recurrence. Distant metastases were more frequent in patients with adenocarcinoma. Concurrent cisplatin use increases DMFS rates (91% vs 78%; P= 0.05). In multivariate analysis, extensive stage, parametrial infiltration, young age, adenocarcinoma histopathology, and lymph node metastasis were negative prognostic factors for OS while concomitant cisplatin increases OS. Likewise, patients with extensive stage, adenocarcinoma, and without concurrent cisplatin administration had more risk for distant metastasis. There was no treatment-related mortality. Grade 3–4 morbidity rates were seen only in eight patients (4%). The combination of EBRT and HDR BRT together with concomitant chemotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced carcinoma of cervix is safe and well tolerated with acceptable morbidity.

Currently, there are no predictive markers of response to abiraterone. We calculated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) at baseline and at 4 and 12 weeks after initiation of abiraterone, and we evaluated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response every 4 weeks in 102 metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with abiraterone either pre- or postchemotherapy. With a median follow-up was 24.0 months (range: 0.3–54.9), median overall survival (OS) was 20.8 months. High-NLR patients who remained high or who returned to low NLR after 4 and 12 weeks showed significantly worse OS than patients with low baseline NLR. NLR and prostate-specific antigen response to abiraterone was a significant predictor of OS and progression-free survival (PFS) in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients treated with abiraterone delivered either pre- or postchemotherapy.

Although secondary renal involvement from systemic lymphoma is very frequent, primary renal lymphoma is a rare entity. It is characterized by aggressive histopathology, very early extra-renal infiltration and poor prognosis. Here, we report 4 cases of primary renal lymphoma presenting with unilateral renal masses, which after radiological and clinical examination were assumed to be renal cell carcinoma. 3 patients were diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma by nephrectomy and one patient was diagnosed by open renal biopsy. Histopathological subtypes were diffuse large B cell lymphoma in 2 cases and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of small B cell type in the others. While 3 of the patients were treated with systemic chemotherapy, the fourth patient refused chemotherapy. 2 patients (no. 2 and 3) were still in complete remission and were followed regularly in the second and first year after diagnosis, respectively. Since it is difficult to diagnose primary renal lymphoma, most patients with this kind of tumor undergo radical nephrectomy, and diagnosis of primary renal lymphoma is delayed. The authors believe that both the delayed diagnosis due to anatomical difficulties and the histological aggressive characteristics of this disease are equally responsible for the poor outcome in the case of primary renal lymphoma.