Radiation therapy alone in the treatment of tumours of the trachea.

A retrospective analysis of 23 patients with tracheal malignancy treated with a radiation therapy alone is reported. All patients were irradiated at Bydgoszcz Cancer Center during the period 1990-1996. To overcome serious damage to normal tissues, a dose escalation combination of external beam irradiation and brachytherapy was used in most cases. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common type and was seen in 13 cases. Adenoid cystic carcinoma occurred in seven, adenocarcinoma in two and carcinoid in one patient. Eight patients were treated with definitive and 15 with palliative intent. Local control was attained in 8 of 23 patients and was more frequent for patients from curative group treated with doses greater than 60 Gy. The mean survival for all patients was 9.5 months, and 26 and 7.2 months for definitive and palliative group, respectively. Survival was strongly correlated to histologic type and response to radiotherapy.