[Endobronchial brachytherapy: the Saint-Louis Hospital experience].
OBJECTIVE
During the evolution of lung cancer, bronchial obstruction is often noticed and is sometimes responsible for serious symptoms. Several methods of desobstruction can be proposed, including brachytherapy.


METHODS
One hundred forty-nine patients presenting with endobronchial brachytherapy were included into the study. Seventy-three were treated with curative intent, 47 with palliative intent and 29 with a combination of external irradiation and brachytherapy. We usually delivered a series of two 7-Gy fractions (1 cm from the catheter), the treatment being repeated one, two or three times.


RESULTS
When all symptoms were taken into account, respiratory function improvement was present in 79% of the patients. Among the 132 tumors that could be evaluated via a new endoscopy 2 months after treatment, 64 (48.5%) were in complete histological remission. The median survival was 14.4 months for the patients treated with curative intent. Eleven massive hemoptysies and 13 radiation bronchitis were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm the feasibility and good results related to endobronchial brachytherapy, though controlled studies are needed to better define its place in the therapeutic strategy of bronchial carcinomas.
Hennequin
C
C
Service de cancérologie-radiothérapie, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France.
Trédaniel
J
J
Durdux
C
C
Zalcman
G
G
Dray
M
M
Manoux
D
D
Perret
M
M
Housset
M
M
Hirsch
A
A
Maylin
C
C
D000368:Aged; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D001984:Bronchial Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010166:Palliative Care; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome