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Tang L, Tian G, Li N. Current dilemma and future directions over prophylactic cranial irradiation in SCLC: a systematic review in MRI and immunotherapy era. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1382220. [PMID: 39139283 PMCID: PMC11319250 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1382220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most malignant pathological type of lung cancer with the highest mortality, and the incidence of brain metastasis (BM) is in high frequency. So far, prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) has been suggested as an effective treatment for preventing brain metastasis of SCLC. PCI has long been applied to limited-stage SCLC (LS-SCLC) patients who have achieved complete remission after radiotherapy and chemotherapy as a standard treatment. However, the neurocognitive decline is a major concern surrounding PCI. New therapeutic approaches targeting PCI-induced neurotoxicity, including hippocampal protection or memantine, have been increasingly incorporated into the therapeutic interventions of PCI. Helical tomotherapy, RapidArc, and Volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with a head-tilting baseplate are recommended for hippocampal protection. Besides, in the MRI and immunotherapy era, the significance of PCI in SCLC patients is controversial. SCLC patients with PCI should be recruited in clinical trials since this is the only way to improve the existing standard of care. This review summarizes the current therapeutic strategy and dilemma over PCI for SCLC, providing a theoretical basis for clinical decision-making and suggestions for PCI practice in clinical.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nan Li
- Department of Radiation Oncology, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China
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Gross AJ, Sheikh S, Kharouta M, Chaung K, Choi S, Margevicius S, Fu P, Machtay M, Bruno DS, Dowlati A, Biswas T. The Impact of Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation and Consolidative Thoracic Radiation Therapy for Extensive Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Transition to the Chemo-Immunotherapy Era: A Single Institution Series. Clin Lung Cancer 2023; 24:696-705. [PMID: 37993218 DOI: 10.1016/j.cllc.2023.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) continues to have poor survival due to its aggressive behavior, despite improvements with incorporation of immunotherapy with standard chemotherapy. Controversy exists regarding the role of consolidative thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in ES-SCLC due to high recurrence rates. We report our institutional result of the benefit of PCI and TRT in ES-SCLC. METHODS Patients with ES-SCLC without intracranial metastasis at diagnosis (N = 163) were included. All patients completed systemic therapy with or without immunotherapy based on time of standard of care. Cohorts were divided by systemic therapy use and further subdivided by treatment with PCI and TRT. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test for comparison. The effects of TRT and PCI were estimated by multivariable (MVA) Cox regression. RESULTS Seventy-four patients (45.4%) received TRT, and 33.1% (n = 54) received PCI. The median follow-up was 11 months (3-85 months). PCI improved median OS to 15 months from 10 months, P = .02) and median PFS to 8.5 months from 5 months (P = .02) which remained significant on MVA, P = .02 and P = .02, respectively. TRT improved OS on UVA (P = 0.002) but was not significant on MVA. TRT did not improve PFS. CONCLUSION This study including chemotherapy and chemo-immunotherapy suggests improved outcomes with addition of PCI in patients with ES-SCLC while TRT did not show benefit to either OS or PFS. A future trial is needed to evaluate the role of TRT and PCI in the era of chemo-immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Gross
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH
| | - Saad Sheikh
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH
| | - Michael Kharouta
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital, Chicago, IL
| | - Kevin Chaung
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH
| | - Serah Choi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH
| | - Seunghee Margevicius
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Pingfu Fu
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Mitchell Machtay
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - Debora S Bruno
- Department of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH; Case Western School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
| | - Afshin Dowlati
- Department of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH; Case Western School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
| | - Tithi Biswas
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH; Case Western School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH.
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Wu M, Wu S, Chen Y, Sun L, Zhou J. Immune Activation Effects at Different Irradiated Sites and Optimal Timing of Radioimmunotherapy in Patients with Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer: a Real-World Analysis. Biol Proced Online 2023; 25:24. [PMID: 37710179 PMCID: PMC10503112 DOI: 10.1186/s12575-023-00217-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In view of the limited data on radiotherapy (RT) combined with immunotherapy in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), this study aimed to identify the immune activation effect on different sites and the survival outcomes of radioimmunotherapy at different treatment stages. METHODS Forty-five patients diagnosed with ES-SCLC were included in this retrospective analysis. We collected the overall survival (OS) of the patients,, recorded the blood cell counts before, during, and after RT, and derived blood index ratios such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). The datasets were analyzed using the Spearman rank correlation test, Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test and logistic regression. RESULTS Among the selected blood indices, the delta-NLR/PLR/Sll correlated with different irradiated organs, and the mean ranks of these three indices were the lowest in the brain-irradiated group during immunotherapy. Additionally, adjunct first-line immunotherapy with RT demonstrated a significant improvement compared to second- or third-line therapy and subsequent therapies. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that compared to other organs, the strongest immune activation effect occurs with brain RT, and ES-SCLC patients who received radioimmunotherapy (RIT) earlier achieved higher OS rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Wu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Suzhou Cancer Center Core Laboratory, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Shihao Wu
- Medical School, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, China
| | - Yuetong Chen
- Suzhou Cancer Center Core Laboratory, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Liangchao Sun
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China.
| | - Jundong Zhou
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
- Suzhou Cancer Center Core Laboratory, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.
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Sun A, Abdulkarim B, Blais N, Greenland J, Louie AV, Melosky B, Schellenberg D, Snow S, Liu G. Use of radiation therapy among patients with Extensive-stage Small-cell lung cancer receiving Immunotherapy: Canadian consensus recommendations. Lung Cancer 2023; 179:107166. [PMID: 36944282 DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) are commonly used in the management of extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC); however, Phase III trials of first-line immunotherapy often excluded these options. Guidance is needed regarding appropriate use of TRT, PCI, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) surveillance while new data are awaited. MATERIALS AND METHODS In two web-based meetings, a pan-Canadian expert working group of five radiation oncologists and four medical oncologists addressed eight clinical questions regarding use of radiation therapy (RT) and MRI surveillance among patients with ES-SCLC receiving immunotherapy. A targeted literature review was conducted using PubMed and conference proceedings to identify recent (January 2019-April 2022) publications in this setting. Fifteen recommendations were developed; online voting was conducted to gauge agreement with each recommendation. RESULTS After considering recently available evidence across lung cancer populations and clinical experience, the experts recommended that all patients with a response to chemo-immunotherapy, good performance status (PS), and limited metastases be considered for consolidation TRT (e.g., 30 Gy in 10 fractions). When considered appropriate after multidisciplinary team discussion, TRT can be initiated during maintenance immunotherapy. All patients who respond to concurrent chemo-immunotherapy should undergo restaging with brain MRI to guide decision-making regarding PCI versus MRI surveillance alone. MRI surveillance should be conducted for two years after response to initial therapy. PCI (e.g., 25 Gy in 10 fractions or 20 Gy in 5 fractions) can be considered for patients without central nervous system involvement who have a response to chemo-immunotherapy and good PS. Concurrent treatment with PCI and immunotherapy or with TRT, PCI, and immunotherapy is appropriate after completion of initial therapy. All recommendations were agreed upon unanimously. CONCLUSIONS These consensus recommendations provide practical guidance regarding appropriate use of RT and immunotherapy in ES-SCLC while awaiting new clinical trial data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Sun
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 700 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z5, Canada.
| | - Bassam Abdulkarim
- McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, 1001 Decarie Boulevard, Montréal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada.
| | - Normand Blais
- Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, University of Montréal, 1051 Rue Sanguinet, Montréal, QC H2X 3E4, Canada.
| | - Jonathan Greenland
- Eastern Health, 300 Prince Philip Drive, St. John's, NL A1B 3V6, Canada.
| | - Alexander V Louie
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
| | - Barbara Melosky
- BC Cancer-Vancouver Centre, 600 W 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4E6, Canada.
| | | | - Stephanie Snow
- QEII Health Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, 5788 University Avenue, Halifax, NS B3H 1V8, Canada.
| | - Geoffrey Liu
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada.
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Chu X, Zhu Z. Prophylactic cranial irradiation in small cell lung cancer: an update. Curr Opin Oncol 2023; 35:61-67. [PMID: 36421007 DOI: 10.1097/cco.0000000000000910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The current review presents recent updates in the seminal literature of research on prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). RECENT FINDINGS Brain MRI restaging before the administration of PCI reveals a substantial proportion of brain metastasis in baseline brain metastasis free extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC) and limited-stage SCLC (LS-SCLC). Posthoc analyses from the CASPIAN and IMpower133 trials revealed decreases in brain metastasis rates in ES-SCLC treated with chemoimmunotherapy relative to the brain metastasis rates in ES-SCLC treated with chemotherapy alone. A recent meta-analysis of literature published after the landmark 1999 Auperin meta-analysis confirmed the survival benefit of PCI in LS-SCLC patients. A recent study employing PET before and after PCI demonstrated that hippocampal avoidance -PCI (HA-PCI) preserved the metabolic activity of the hippocampi compared with regular PCI. Two phase III trials evaluating neurocognitive functions after HA-PCI versus PCI have yielded conflicting results. Ongoing clinical trials (MAVERICK, PRIMALung, NRG CC003, NCT04535739, NCT04829708 and NCT03514849) regarding PCI versus MRI surveillance and HA-PCI versus PCI were also discussed. SUMMARY Currently, the indications for PCI in SCLC are under question in the modern MRI era. Result from prospective phase III, MRI staged and MRI monitored RCTs are expected to elucidate the role of PCI in LS-SCLC and ES-SCLC. Preliminary results indicated that adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy may reduce brain metastasis rate in SCLC. Further data to this aspect are warranted to determine the role of PCI in the immuno-chemotherapy era. The future direction for PCI should be the comprehensive integration of personalized patient selection, HA-PCI utilization and potential employment of other neurocognitive preservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Chu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University
- Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Radiation Oncology
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhengfei Zhu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University
- Shanghai Clinical Research Center for Radiation Oncology
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shanghai, China
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Yu NY, Sio TT, Ernani V, Savvides P, Schild SE. Role of Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation in Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2021; 19:1465-1469. [PMID: 34902829 DOI: 10.6004/jnccn.2021.7105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are at significant risk of developing brain metastases during their disease course. Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) has been incorporated into SCLC treatment guidelines to diminish the risk of developing brain metastases. In 2007, a randomized trial suggested that PCI decreases the incidence of brain metastases and prolongs overall survival (OS) in patients with extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC) who have responded to initial therapy. However, this study did not include modern central nervous system imaging with CT or MRI prior to randomization. A more recent Japanese trial with MRI staging and surveillance demonstrated that PCI diminished the incidence of brain metastases but did not improve survival. This review examines the largest clinical studies, controversies, and future directions of PCI in patients with ES-SCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Vinicius Ernani
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Panayiotis Savvides
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona
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Ouchi A, Kim YH, Iwatsubo S, Nishimura Y, Funada Y. Re-thinking about prophylactic cranial irradiation for small cell lung cancer in the MRI era. J Thorac Dis 2021; 13:5115-5116. [PMID: 34527350 PMCID: PMC8411148 DOI: 10.21037/jtd-21-870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Aiko Ouchi
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Young Hak Kim
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shigeaki Iwatsubo
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Nishimura
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Funada
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Takatsuki General Hospital, Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan
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