title: Experimental studies on the incidence of metastases after failure of radiation treatment and the effect of salvage surgery.
abstract: FSaII, a spontaneous fibrosarcoma, and SCCVII, a spontaneous squamous carcinoma, were studied as early generation isotransplants in the right leg of C3Hf/Sed mice. Animals successfully treated, in respect to local control by surgery alone for 6 mm diameter tumors, had an incidence of distant metastases of 2.6% for the FSaII, and 8% for the SCCVII. For 12 mm tumors the incidence of metastases was 14.3% and 41%, respectively. Animals successfully treated with radiation alone for 6 mm tumors had an incidence of distant metastases of 3.1% for the FSaII, and 6.9% for the SCCVII. Animals that developed local recurrence after radiation therapy were treated with salvage surgery when the recurrent tumor was either 6 mm or 12 mm. For those successfully treated the incidence of metastases was 12.5% for the FSaII, and 43% for the SCCVII when salvage surgery was performed on 6 mm tumors. When surgery was delayed and performed on 12 mm tumors, the incidence was 46.6% and 70.3%, respectively. The results indicate that after failure of radiation treatment there is a high incidence of metastases from the recurrent tumors. The incidence, however, can be reduced considerably by carrying out early salvage surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Suit
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sedlacek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage