Treatment of squamous cell anal canal carcinoma (SCACC) with pulsed dose rate brachytherapy: A retrospective study

Background and purposeTo evaluate the results of pulsed dose rate brachytherapy (PDR) in SCACC.Material and methodsFrom 1996 to 2002, 71 patients (pts) with SCACC were treated with PDR brachytherapy. The median age was 61.2 years (35–88), with a sex ratio of 1 M/6.5 F. The TNM classification was: 14 T1, 41 T2, 15 T3 and 1 T4, 52 N0, 13 N1, 3 N2 and 3 N3. All the pts were M0. Treatment started with external beam irradiation to the posterior pelvis (mean dose: 45.5 Gy). Forty-seven patients received chemotherapy (neoadjuvant/concomitant or both). After an interval of 2–6 weeks, PDR interstitial brachytherapy was performed. The mean dose was 17.8 Gy to the 85% reference isodose of the Paris system.ResultsTreatment was interrupted in only one pt. With a median follow-up of 28.5 months, 2-year actuarial overall survival was 90%. Fourteen relapses occurred (four distant, three regional, and seven local). Ten patients developed a grade III complication (Lent Soma scale) and two a grade IV complication (colostomy or abdominal perineal resection for necrosis).ConclusionPDR appears to be an effective treatment for SCACC. It is capable of reproducing the results usually observed with continuous LDR.