MRI-identified multidimensional nodal features predict survival and concurrent chemotherapy benefit for stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Reliable predictors are urgently needed to identify stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients who could benefit from concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). We aimed to develop a nomogram integrating MRI-identified multidimensional features of lymph nodes to predict survival and assist the decision-making of CCRT for stage II NPC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This retrospective study enrolled 242 stage II NPC patients treated from January 2007 to December 2017. Overall survival (OS) was the primary endpoint. Performance of nomogram was evaluated using calibration curves, Harrell Concordance Index (C-index), area under the curve (AUC) and decision curves analysis (DCA) and was compared with TNM staging. According to the individualized nomogram score, patients were classified into two risk cohorts and therapeutic efficacy of CCRT were evaluated in each cohort.

RESULTS

Three independent prognostic factors for OS: age, number and location of positive lymph nodes were included into the final nomogram. T stage was also incorporated due to its importance in clinical decision-making. Calibration plots demonstrated a good match between the predicted and our observed OS rates. C-index for nomogram was 0.726 compared with 0.537 for TNM staging (p < 0.001). DCAs confirmed the superior clinical utility of nomograms compared with TNM staging. CCRT compared to intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) delivered OS benefit to patients in the high-risk group (5-year: 89.9% vs. 72.1%; 10-year: 72.5% vs. 34.2%, p = 0.011), but not in the low-risk group.

CONCLUSIONS

This lymph node features-based nomogram demonstrated excellent discrimination and predictive accuracy for stage II patients and could identify patients who can benefit from CCRT.

Lymph Node Metastasis Spread Patterns and the Effectiveness of Prophylactic Neck Irradiation in Sinonasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SNSCC)

Objectives

To analyze the incidence and spread of lymph node metastasis (LNM) and the effectiveness of prophylactic neck irradiation in patients with SNSCC.

Methods

A total of 255 patients with SNSCC were retrospectively reviewed. The LNM spread pattern was revealed. The clinical parameters related to LNM, and the prognostic value of elective neck irradiation (ENI) were assessed. A 1:1 matching with propensity scores was performed between ENI group and observation (OBS) group.

Results

The initial LNM rate was 20.8%, and the regional recurrence (RR) rate was 7.5%. Lymphatic spreading in SNSCC followed the common trajectories: a. level Ib ➔ level II ➔ level Va/level III/IV lymph nodes (LNs); b. retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RPLNs) ➔ level II LNs. The most frequently involved site was level II LNs (16.1%), followed by level Ib LNs (10.2%), RPLNs (4.7%), level III LNs (3.2%), level Va LNs (1.6%), level IVa LNs (1.4%) and level VIII LNs (0.8%). The median follow-up time was 105 months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 55.7% for N0 patients and 38.5% for patients with initial N+ or N- relapse (p = 0.009). After PSM, the 5-year regional recurrence-free survival was 71.6% and 94.7% (p = 0.046) in OBS and ENI group, respectively. The multivariate analysis showed that ENI (p = 0.013) and absence of nasopharynx involvement (p = 0.026) were associated with a significantly lower RR rate.

Conclusions

Patients with LNM had poorer survival than those who never experienced LNM. Lymphatic spread in SNSCC followed predictable patterns. ENI effectively reduced the RR rate in patients at high risk.

Hippocampal avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy with simultaneous integrated boost in lung cancer brain metastases and utility of the Hopkins verbal learning test for testing cognitive impairment in Chinese patients: a prospective phase II study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of hippocampal avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy with a simultaneous integrated boost (HA-WBRT-SIB) treating brain metastases (BM) and utility of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) (Chinese version) in Chinese lung cancer patients.

METHODS

Lung cancer patients with BM undergone HA-WBRT-SIB at our center were enrolled. Brain magnetic resonance imaging, The HVLT total learning score, and side effects were evaluated before radiotherapy and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after radiotherapy. This study analyzed the overall survival rate, progression-free survival rate, and changes in HVLT-R immediate recall scores.

RESULTS

Forty patients were enrolled between Jan 2016 and Jan 2020. The median follow-up time was 14.2 months. The median survival, progression-free survival, and intracranial progression-free survival of all patients were 14.8 months, 6.7 months and 14.8 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that male sex and newly diagnosed stage IV disease were associated with poor overall survival and progression-free survival, respectively. HVLT-R scores at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months after radiotherapy were 21.94 ± 2.99, 20.88 ± 3.12, 20.03 ± 3.14, and 19.78 ± 2.98, respectively. The HVLT-R scores at 6 months after radiotherapy decreased by approximately 9.8% compared with those at baseline. No grade 3 toxicities occurred in the entire cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

HA-WBRT-SIB is of efficiency and cognitive-conserving in treating Chinese lung cancer BM.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study was retrospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov in 24th Feb, 2024. The ClinicalTrials.gov ID is NCT06289023.

[Prognostic value of pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with thoracic radiation]

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of pretreatment Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio(NLR) in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) patients treated with thoracic radiotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively analyze 420 patients who received thoracic radiotherapy alone, sequential chemoraiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced stage NSCLC from January 2007 to December 2010 of our hospital. The patients were divided into two groups (high NLR group and low NLR group) with appropriate cutoff point using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve method. The survival curve was established by Kaplan-Meier method. The Log-rank test was used to compare the survival of the two NLR groups and the multivariate analysis was carried out by Cox regression model. Results: Among the 420 patients, 99 received radiotherapy alone, 139 received sequential chemoradiotherapy and 182 received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. 345 patients died and 75 were still alive. The median follow-up time was 5.2 years and the median overall survival was 22 months. The cut-off value of pretreatment NLR was 2.1. The 5-year PFS and OS rates in high NLR group and low NLR group were 10.6% vs 15.7% (P=0.033) and 15.5% vs 22.7% (P=0.012). Multivariate analysis confirmed that pretreatment NLR (hazard ratio 1.06, P=0.041) was independent prognostic factor of OS. Conclusions: Our study revealed that the pretreatment NLR is the independent prognostic factor of OS in patients with locally advanced stage NSCLC treated with thoracic radiotherapy. However, NLR is still greatly influenced by patient's condition and treatment which needs further research.

Optimizing Cervical Target Volume in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Cancer Based On Nodal Drainage Distance

PURPOSE

To determine the potential nodal drainage distances of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by investigating spatial distribution of metastatic lymph nodes (LN).

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Patients with NPC harboring at least two ipsilateral metastatic LNs were enrolled. LN spreading distances were analyzed in nonrestricted direction, cranial-to-caudal direction, and between the two most caudal LNs. Euclidean distance (ED) and vertical distance (VD) between any two LNs were computed. The nearest-neighbor ED and VD covering 95% of LNs or patients (p95-ED and p95-VD) were considered drainage distances, and were further validated by independent internal and external cohorts with recurrent LNs.

RESULTS

In all, 5,836 metastatic LNs in 948 patients were contoured. Corresponding to the three scenarios, per-LN level, the p95-EDs were 2.83, 3.28, and 3.55 cm, and p95-VDs were 2.17, 2.32, and 2.63 cm, respectively. Per-patient level, the p95-EDs were 3.25, 3.95, and 3.81 cm, and p95-VDs were 2.67, 2.81, and 2.73 cm, respectively. In internal validation, over 95% of recurred LNs occurred within ED of 2.91 cm and VD of 0.82 cm to the neighbor LN, and the corresponding distances in external validation were 2.77 and 0.67 cm, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In NPC, the maximum LN drainage distance was 3.95 cm without considering the direction. Specifically, in cranial-to-caudal direction, the sufficient vertical drainage distance was 2.81 cm, indicating that a 3-cm extension from the most inferior node may be rational as caudal border of the prophylactic clinical target volume (CTV). These findings promote in-depth understanding of nodal spreading patterns, uncovering paramount evidence for individualized CTV.

Phase II study with sorafenib plus radiotherapy for advanced HCC with portal and/or hepatic vein tumor thrombosis

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Portal and hepatic vein tumor thrombosis is associated with inferior outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and systemic treatment alone is often insufficient. This phase II trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of combining sorafenib with radiotherapy in advanced HCC with thrombosis.

METHODS

Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03535259), this phase II single-arm prospective trial targeted patients with HCC with portal or hepatic vein tumor thrombosis, liver minus gross tumor volume >700 ml, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status scores of 0 or 1. Participants underwent 40-66 Gy radiotherapy for the hepatic primary tumor and vein tumor thrombosis, with concurrent oral sorafenib (400 mg twice daily) until disease progression or unacceptable adverse events. The primary endpoint was median overall survival (mOS) and the secondary endpoints included overall response rate (ORR) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1 and Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST), median progression-free survival (mPFS), time to tumor progression (TTP), tumor thrombosis control, and grade ≥3 adverse events.

RESULTS

Between May 2018 and January 2020, 86 patients were enrolled with a median radiotherapy dose of 54 Gy (40-65 Gy). At a median follow-up of 17.2 months, mOS, mPFS, and TTP stood at 16.5, 6.1, and 6.8 months, respectively. ORR reached 47.7% and 52.3% per RECIST and mRECIST, respectively. For the tumor thrombosis, 2-year control rates per mRECIST were 93.1%. No grade 5 adverse events were noted, whereas thrombocytopenia (22.1%) and leukopenia (14.0%) were the main grade 3 adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Concurrent sorafenib and radiotherapy is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for patients with HCC with portal or hepatic vein tumor thrombosis.

IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS

Treatment options for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and vascular tumor thrombus are limited. The efficacy and safety of concurrent sorafenib and radiation for HCC with portal or hepatic vein tumor thrombosis has not been elucidated. This phase II trial shows that concurrent sorafenib and radiotherapy is effective and well-tolerated in the treatment of advanced HCC with portal vein or hepatic vein tumor thrombosis.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION

This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03535259).

Improved Cancer-Specific Risk Stratification by the Lymph Node Ratio-Based Nomogram: A Potential Role in Guiding Postoperative Management Decisions for Oral Cavity Carcinoma

PURPOSE

To develop and validate a nomogram integrating lymph node ratio (LNR) to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) and assist decision making for postoperative management in nonmetastatic oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively retrieved 6,760 patients with OCSCC primarily treated with surgery from surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database between 2010 and 2015. They were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts. Performance of the nomogram was evaluated by calibration curve, consistency index, area under the curve, and decision curve analysis and was compared with that of the LNR, positive lymph nodes (PLN) and tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging. According to the individualized nomogram score, patients were classified into three risk cohorts. The therapeutic efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy was evaluated in each cohort.

RESULTS

The nomogram incorporated six independent variables, including race, tumor site, grade, T stage, PLN, and LNR. Calibration plots demonstrated a good match between the predicted and observed CSS. C-indices for training and validation cohorts were 0.746 (95% CI, 0.740 to 0.752) and 0.726 (95% CI, 0.713 to 0.739), compared with 0.687, 0.695, and 0.669 for LNR, PLN, and TNM staging, respectively (P < .001). Decision curve analyses confirmed that nomogram showed the best performance in clinical utility. Postoperative radiotherapy presented survival benefit in medium-and high-risk groups but showed a negative effect in the low-risk group. Chemotherapy was only beneficial in the high-risk group.

CONCLUSION

The LN status-incorporated nomogram demonstrated good discrimination and predictive accuracy of CSS for patients with OCSCC and could identify those most likely to benefit from adjuvant therapy.

Involved site radiation therapy in stage I-III nasopharyngeal carcinoma with limited lymph node burden (ISRT-NPC) or elective region irradiation: a study protocol for a multicenter non-inferiority randomized controlled phase III clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Current radiotherapy guidelines and consensus statements uniformly recommend elective region irradiation (ERI) as the standard strategy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, given the scarcity of skip-metastasis, the improved assessment accuracy of nodal involvement, and the striking advancements in chemotherapy for NPC, a one-fits-all delineation scheme for clinical target volumes of the nodal region (CTVn) may not be appropriate anymore, and modifications of the CTVn delineation strategy may be warranted. Involved site irradiation (ISI) covering merely the initially involved nodal site and potential extranodal extension has been confirmed to be as effective as ERI with decreased radiation-related toxicities in some malignancies, but has not yet been investigated in NPC. This study aims to compare the regional control, survival outcomes, radiation-related toxicities, and quality of life (QoL) of ISI with conventional ERI in NPC patients with a limited nodal burden.

METHODS

ISRT-NPC is a prospective, multicenter, open-label, noninferiority, phase III randomized controlled trial. A total of 414 patients will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive ISI or ERI. Randomization will be stratified by institution scale and N stage. Generally, in the ISI group, the high-risk CTV1 (dose: 60 Gy) includes a 1-cm expansion of the positive LN as well as the VIIa and the retrostyloid space above the bilateral transverse process of the atlantoaxial spine (C1), regardless of N status. The low-risk CTV2 (dose: 50 Gy) covers the cervical nodal region with a 3-cm caudal expansion below the transverse process of C1 for N0 disease and a 3-cm expansion below the positive LN for positive LNs.

DISCUSSION

The results of this trial are expected to confirm that ISI is a non-inferior strategy to ERI in stage I-III patients with low LN burden, enabling the minimization of treatment-related toxicity and improvement of long-term QoL without compromising regional control.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrails.gov, NCT05145660. Registered December 6, 2021.

Lymph node ratio-based nomogram for prognosis evaluation and treatment optimization of non-metastatic oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

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LNR is an independent prognostic factor over N stage in OCSCC.

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LNR-based nomogram surpasses AJCC TNM staging in predicting outcome of OCSCC.

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LNR-based nomogram is valid in guiding post-operative radiotherapy in OCSCC.

Background

Lymph node ratio (LNR) has been increasingly reported as a prognostic factor in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). This study aimed to develop and validate a prognostic nomogram integrating LNR and to further assess its role in guiding adjuvant therapy for OCSCC.

Methods

A total of 8703 OCSCC patients treated primarily with surgery in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database were retrieved and randomly divided into training and validation cohorts. The nomogram was created based on the factors identified by Cox model. The value of PORT and chemotherapy was respectively evaluated in each prognostic group according to nomogram-deduced individualized score.

Results

The final nomogram included tumor site, grade, T stage, number of positive lymph nodes and LNR. Calibration plots demonstrated a good match between predicted and observed rates of overall survival (OS). The concordance indexes for training and validation cohorts were 0.720 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.708, 0.732) and 0.711 (95% CI: 0.687, 0.735), both significantly higher than did TNM stage (p< 0.001). According to individualized nomogram score, patients were stratified into three subgroups with significantly distinct outcome. PORT presented survival benefit among medium- and high-risk groups whereas a near-detrimental effect in low-risk group. Chemotherapy was found to be beneficial only in high-risk group.

Conclusion

This LNR-incorporated nomogram surpassed the conventional TNM stage in predicting prognosis of patients with non-metastatic OCSCC and identified sub-settings that could gain survival benefit from adjuvant thearpy.