Radiotherapy Results of Midline Malignant Reticulosis (MMR)

Kim, Jae Cheol; Yun, Sang Mo

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate survival, failure patterns, and prognositc factors of MMR patients after radiation therapy. We also discussed the need for chemotherapy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective analysis was done for 23 patients with MMR who were treated with radiation therapy form June 1985 to November 1992. There were 19 male and 4 female patients. The patients' age ranged from 17 to 71 years(median 39 years). Systemic symptoms including fever, weight loss, or malaise were found in 30% of the patients. He nasal cavity was most frequently involved. No patients had nodal involvement at diagnosis. There were 2 patients with distant metastasis at presentation. Radiation therapy was delivered five times a week, 1.8 Gy daily, total 45~54 Gy(median 50.4 Gy) using 6 MV X-ray. No patients received chemotherapy as initial treatment.
RESULTS
Overall 5-year and 10-yar survival rates were 52.4% and 44.1%, respectively. Seventy percent(12/17) of the patients achieved complete response to radiotherapy., and 29.4%(5/17) achieved partial response. The patients with complete response showed a better 5-year survival rate than those with partial response (66.9% vs. 20%, p-0.004). Symptom duration before diagnosis, the presence of systemic symptom, ad the number of primary sites had no influence on survival. The patterns of failure were as flows: local failure(1), failure in adjacent site(1), local and distant failure(1), distant metastasis(2), and conversion to malignant lymphoma(1). W could not find factors associated with the patterns of failure.
CONCLUSION
The most important factor associated with survival was the response to radiotherapy. Seventeen percent of the patients had distant metastasis, and the salvage after distant metastasis was not successful. However, about 50% of the patients could achieve long-term survival with local radiation therapy alone. Therefore, chemotherapy of MMR should be done after a prospective randomized study for the factors associated with distant metastasis.