title: Radical radiotherapy in the treatment of carcinoma of the anal canal - single center experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Radiotherapy -/+ chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for carcinoma of the anal canal in most oncology institutions. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of radical radiotherapy in the treatment of this carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Definitive radiotherapy was performed in 41 patients with squamous cell anal carcinoma. The majority (51.2%) of them were in T3 stage. Positive inguinal lymph nodes were found in 10 (24.4%) patients. Initially, all patients received external beam radiotherapy with pelvic fields, followed, after a 2-week gap in some patients or in continuity, by local external beam or brachytherapy boost. The total tumor dose ranged from 55-75 Gy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acute complications were noticed in 32 (78%) patients with moist skin perineal desquamation being the most frequent (63.5%). On the first follow-up examination (2 months after the end of radiotherapy) 65.9% of the patients were in complete remission (CR), 31.7% in partial remission (PR), while in one (2.4%) patient locoregional disease progression (PD) was registered. With a mean follow- up time of 38.4 months (range 12-90 months) 75.6% of the patients were disease-free, while local or distant disease progression was diagnosed in 24.4% of them. Local disease control was achieved in 82.9% of the patients. The 5-year overall survival was 76.59%. Late sequelae, which were of low grade (1 and 2), were registered in 22 (53.7%) patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study confirmed good treatment results and acceptable toxicity of definitive radiotherapy in the treatment of anal canal carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Beograd, Serbia and Montenegro.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stojanović
authors.forename: Lj Radosević
authors.initials: LjR
authors.lastname: Jelić