title: Primary treatment of carcinoma of the anus by combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
abstract: Twenty-four patients with carcinoma of the anus were treated with a combined regimen of external irradiation (50 Gy) and mitomycin C and 5-fluorouracil. A relatively large number of patients with locally advanced disease were included. A local complete response rate of 87.5% was obtained. The major acute toxicity was dermatitis/mucositis, necessitating a split course in 14 cases. After treatment four patients had persistent anal incontinence. After an observation period of 40-70 months 14 of the patients were alive without disease. We conclude that the conservative combined radiotherapy/chemotherapy regimen is an effective treatment also of advanced anal carcinoma, with tolerable toxicity and with promising survival results.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Radium Hospital, Montebello, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Tveit
authors.forename: K O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Karlsen
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Fosså
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Flokkmann
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guldvog
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haffner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001005:Anus Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016685:Mitomycin; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D008937:Mitomycins; D016685:Mitomycin; D005472:Fluorouracil