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Background and objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of chemotherapy (CT) combined with high-dose extended-field radiotherapy (RT) in stage I extranodal nasal-type natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL). Patients and methods: Between January 2001 and November 2010, 103 stage I extranodal nasal-type NKTCL patients were retrospectively analyzed. Of these patients, 75 patients were treated by RT plus CT and 28 patients were treated by RT alone. CT included cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP), or CHOP-like regimen. Results: The median follow-up time was 42.6 months (range, 7.4-126.7 months). For patients in the RT alone group, the 5-year estimated progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 67.0% and 71.4%, respectively. For patients in the RT + CT group, the 5-year estimated PFS and OS rates were 69.0% and 63.7%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, CT was an independent factor for PFS. Conclusion: The doxorubicin-based CT combined with high-dose extended-field RT yielded promising outcomes for stage I extranodal nasal-type NKTCL, and CT was an independent factor for PFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: The aim of this study was to summarize the clinical characteristics and evaluate the management approaches of primary breast diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the era of rituximab. Patients and methods: A total of 24 female patients with newly diagnosed primary breast DLBCL treated between April 2006 and May 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. Ten patients (41.7%) received rituximab. Results: For the whole group, the median age was 50 years (range 24-69 years). All patients had the disease detected with a palpable mass. The estimated 5-year overall survival and progressionfree survival (PFS) rates of all the patients were 78.9% and 79.2%, respectively. A nonstatistically significant increase in PFS and overall survival was observed when rituximab was administered (5-year PFS: 90% vs 71.4%, P=0.285; 5-year overall survival: 90% vs 71.4%, P=0.239). Conclusion: Primary breast DLBCL appears to be a rare disease. Adding rituximab might improve survival in patients with primary breast DLBCL. Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the role of rituximab for primary breast DLBCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the standard treatment for limitedstage small-cell lung cancer (LD-SCLC). However, the efficacy of consolidation chemotherapy (CCT) in LD-SCLC remains controversial despite several studies that were performed in the early years of CCT use. The aim of this study was to reevaluate the effectiveness and toxicities associated with CCT. Methods: This retrospective analysis evaluated 177 patients with stage IIIA and IIIB small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) who underwent CCRT from January 2001 to December 2013 at Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC). Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze patient prognosis factors. Results: Among the 177 patients, 72 (41%) received CCT and 105 (59%) did not receive CCT. PFS was significantly better for patients in the CCT group compared to that for patients in the non-CCT group (median PFS: 17.0 vs 12.9 months, respectively, P=0.031), whereas the differences in OS were not statistically significant (median OS: 31.6 vs 24.8 months, respectively, P=0.118). The 3- and 5-year OS rates were 33.3% and 20.8% for patients in the CCT group and 27.6% and 6.7% for patients in the non-CCT group, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that having a pretreatment carcinoembryonic antigen level <5 ng/mL (P=0.035), having undergone prophylactic cranial irradiation (P<0.001), and having received CCT (P=0.002) could serve as favorable independent prognostic factors for PFS. Multivariate analysis for OS also showed that having undergone PCI (P<0.001) and having received CCT (P=0.006) were independent significant prognostic factors. Conclusion: CCT can improve PFS for patients with stage IIIA and IIIB SCLC following CCRT without significantly increasing treatment-related toxicities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]