Incidence Of Chronic Toxicity Research Articles

Adjuvant radiotherapy treatment for soft tissue sarcoma of extremities and trunk. A retrospective mono-institutional analysis.

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are uncommon, heterogeneous malignant tumors of mesodermal origin. Other than conservative surgery (CS), neoadjuvant or adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) is recommended when the risk of local recurrence is high. The aim of this study is to present our Institutional experience in adjuvant RT for treatment of STS of extremities and trunk (with either brachytherapy (BRT), external beam RT (EBRT), or both) and to provide an insight of toxicity and oncological outcomes for each RT modality. According to the RT treatment approach, patients were divided into three categories: 1) BRT alone; 2) EBRT alone; 3) combined BRT+EBRT. Differences among the three groups were assessed by the Chi-squared test. Patients' follow-up was performed every 6 months for the first two years after the end of RT and then once a year. Data from 90 patients were analyzed. The overall 3-year distant relapse-free survival (DRFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were 84%, 80%, and 97%, respectively. Acute erythema was the most frequent side effect, although severe grade 3 toxicity was present in 5 patients. Chronic toxicity of any grade was reported in 14 patients. The incidence of chronic toxicity did not show any association with treatment modality. Multivariate analysis suggested a significant correlation between acute toxicity and tumor size, RT modality, and RT dose. In conclusion, good local control and toxicity profile were observed, despite negative patients' selection at baseline. Further investigation on wider series is warranted in order to define the optimal combination with systemic therapy.

Detection and Estimation of Arsenic and Lead in Coconut Water-A Kerala Study

Coconut is a popular food ingredient in many parts of the world and the water it contains is believed to be the purest form of natural drink available. The water is rich in potassium, sodium, chloride and many vitamins, and hence is considered the beverage of choice. In medical practice, coconut water is recommended as the preferred oral rehydration fluid in cases of severe dehydration due to diarrhoea. Chronic heavy metal poisoning has been shown to occur from plant products. However there is scanty research work relating to coconuts and heavy metal contamination. Among the various metals, lead is said to be the commonest metal involved. Arsenic is only second to lead in the incidence of chronic toxicity. When plants are exposed to heavy metals, mostly through contaminated water (irrigation), or contaminated soil, they accumulate in edible parts such as the fruits. This study was undertaken to detect the presence of two of the commonest heavy metals - arsenic and lead – in coconut water present in coconuts sold in different parts of Ernakulam district of Kerala state, and to quantitatively assess their levels. It was also decided to detect the differences in the levels of the metals between tender and mature coconut water, and also to detect inter-zonal variations within Ernakulam district in the levels of the two heavy metals, in tender and mature coconut water.