title: Pulsed dose rate brachytherapy of lip cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To present our experience with pulsed dose rate brachytherapy (PDR BT) of lip cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group included 32 T1-4N0M0 lip cancer patients with a median age of 71 years (ranged 41-87 years), treated with interstitial PDR BT to the planned total dose of 60-70 Gy; 1 Gy/pulse, pulses repeated every hour a day. There were 26 untreated patients, and six patients after previous surgery including five implanted at the time of cancer relapse.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PDR BT was delivered over few days and was well tolerated. After therapy, all patients experienced temporary, usually mild, acute mucositis. Late severe (Grade 3) mucositis of oral vestibule mucosa occurred in one case. Among 31 patients who completed the therapy, local control was achieved in 29 (93.5%). One patient with reccurrent upper lip T2 tumor was susccessfully salvaged surgically, another one died due to persisted T3 lip tumor with lymph node metastases. Overall, four patients developed neck nodal cancer relapse and two - distant metastases. The 5-year local control, and all-cause overall survival probabilities are 94% and 73%, respectively. Good/excellent cosmetic and functional outcome was obtained in all but two patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PDR at the dose of 1 Gy/pulse is effective and well tolerated BT technique in treating lip cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy.
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Serkies
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ziemlewski
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sawicki
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kamińska
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dziadziuszko
keywords: brachytherapy; lip cancer; pulsed dose rate