The role of intensity modulated radiation therapy for favorable stage tumor of the nasal cavity or ethmoid sinus

A format for dosimetry comparison studies

There is no standardized format for presenting and discussing the results of a radiotherapy dosimetry comparison study. The purpose of this report is to describe a format that we have found useful in evaluating plans in our department and in reviewing studies from other groups.

Do selective radiation dose escalation and tumour hypoxia status impact the loco-regional tumour control after radio-chemotherapy of head & neck tumours? The ESCALOX protocol

Background

Standard of care primary treatment of carcinoma of locally advanced squamous cell head and neck cancer (LAHNSCC) consists of platinum-based concomitant chemo-irradiation. Despite progress in the treatment of LAHNSCC using modern radiotherapy techniques the outcome remains still poor. Using IMRT with SIB the escalation of total dose to the GTV is possible with the aim to improve clinical outcome. This study tests the hypothesis if radiation dose escalation to the GTV improves 2-year-LRC and -OS after concomitant chemo-irradiation.

Methods

The ESCALOX trial is a prospective randomized phase III study using cisplatin chemo-irradiation and the SIB-IMRT concept in patients with LAHNSCC of the oral cavity, oropharynx or hypopharynx to escalate the total dose to the GTV up to 80.5 Gy. Chemotherapy is planned either in the 1^st and 5^th week (cisplatin 20 mg/m²/d d 1–5 and d 29–33) or weekly (cisplatin 40 mg/m²/d) during RT. RT is delivered as SIB with total doses of 80.5 Gy/70.0 Gy/56.0 Gy with 2.3 Gy/2.0 Gy and 1.6 Gy in the experimental arm and in the control arm with 70.0 Gy/56.0 Gy with 2.0 Gy and 1.6 Gy. A pre-study with dose escalation up to 77.0 Gy/70.0 Gy/56.0 Gy with 2.2 Gy/2.0 Gy and 1.6 Gy is demanded by the German federal office of radiation protection (BfS). In the translational part of the trial 100 of the randomised patients will be investigated by 18-F-FMiso-PET-CT for the presence and behaviour of tumor hypoxia twice in the week before treatment start.

Discussion

The primary endpoint of the pre-study is acute radiation induced toxicity. Primary endpoint of the main trial is 2-year-LRC. By using the dose escalation up to 80.5 Gy to the GTV of the primary tumor and lymph nodes > 2 cm a LRC benefit of 15% at 2 years should be expected. The ESCALOX trial is supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG); Grant No.: MO-363/4-1.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT 01212354, EudraCT-No.: 2010-021139-15

A dosimetric comparison of IMRT versus helical tomotherapy for brain tumors

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Helical tomotherapy (HT) can deliver highly conformal, uniform doses to the target volume. However, HT can only be delivered in a coplanar mode. The purpose of this study was to perform a dosimetric comparison of HT versus coplanar (cIMRT) and non-coplanar (n-cIMRT) beam arrangements on a conventional linear accelerator in a diverse group of brain tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 45 treatment plans were calculated retrospectively for 15 cases. For each case, 3 different delivery techniques (n-cIMRT, cIMRT and HT) were used. The treatment plans were compared using the parameters of the target coverage (conformity index; CI) and homogeneity (HI) for the planning target volume (PTV) and the maximum and mean doses for organs at risk (OARs).

RESULTS

Median HI and CI were the best for HT plans and the worst for cIMRT. The largest reduction of maximum dose for lenses and mean dose for both eyes was achieved for n-cIMRT plans. Mean dose for chiasm and the ipsilateral optic nerve were the lowest for HT. The contralateral optic nerve was most spared with n-cIMRT. For D1% in the brain stem, there was no significant difference between HT and the IMRT plans.

CONCLUSIONS

Both HT and n-cIMRT are capable of producing conformal and homogeneous treatment plans with a good sparing of OARs. However, due to the non-coplanar capabilities of IMRT, n-cIMRT led to a superior dose reduction to the lenses.

Intensity modulated radiotherapy for sinonasal malignancies with a focus on optic pathway preservation

PURPOSE

To assess if intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) can possibly lead to improved local control and lower incidence of vision impairment/blindness in comparison to non-IMRT techniques when treating sinonasal malignancies; what is the most optimal dose constraints for the optic pathway; and the impact of different IMRT strategies on optic pathway sparing in this setting.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

A literature search in the PubMed databases was conducted in July, 2012.

RESULTS

Clinical studies on IMRT and 2D/3D (2 dimensional/3 dimensional) RT for sinonasal malignancies suggest improved local control and lower incidence of severe vision impairment with IMRT in comparison to non-IMRT techniques. As observed in the non-IMRT studies, blindness due to disease progression may occur despite a lack of severe toxicity possibly due to the difficulty of controlling locally very advanced disease with a dose ≤ 70 Gy. Concurrent chemotherapy's influence on the the risk of severe optic toxicity after radiotherapy is unclear. A maximum dose of ≤ 54 Gy with conventional fractionation to the optic pathway may decrease the risk of blindness. Increased magnitude of intensity modulation through increasing the number of segments, beams, and using a combination of coplanar and non-coplanar arrangements may help increase dose conformality and optic pathway sparing when IMRT is used.

CONCLUSION

IMRT optimized with appropriate strategies may be the treatment of choice for the most optimal local control and optic pathway sparing when treating sinonasal malignancy.

Randomized controlled trial of acupuncture for prevention of radiation-induced xerostomia among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Xerostomia (dry mouth) after head/neck radiation is a common problem among cancer patients, and available treatments are of little benefit. The objective of this trial was to determine whether acupuncture can prevent xerostomia among head/neck patients undergoing radiotherapy.

METHODS

A randomized, controlled trial among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma was conducted comparing acupuncture to standard care. Participants were treated at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China. Forty patients were randomized to acupuncture treatment and 46 to standard care. Patients were treated 3×/wk on the same days they received radiotherapy. Subjective measures included the Xerostomia Questionnaire and MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck (MDASI-HN). Objective measures were unstimulated and stimulated whole salivary flow rates. Patients were followed for 6 months after the end of radiotherapy.

RESULTS

Xerostomia Questionnaire scores for acupuncture were statistically significantly lower than for controls starting in week 3 through the 6 months (P = .003 at week 3, all other P < .0001), with clinically significant differences as follows: week 11, relative risk (RR) 0.63 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45-0.87); 6 months, RR 0.38 (95% CI, 0.19-0.76). Similar findings were seen for MDASI-HN scores. Group differences emerged as early as 3 weeks into treatment for saliva (unstimulated whole salivary flow rate, P = .0004), with greater saliva flow in the acupuncture group at week 7 (unstimulated whole salivary flow rate, P < .0001; stimulated whole salivary flow rate, P = .002) and 11 (unstimulated whole salivary flow rate, P < .02; stimulated whole salivary flow rate, P < .03) and at 6 months (stimulated whole salivary flow rate, P < .003).

CONCLUSIONS

Acupuncture given concurrently with radiotherapy significantly reduced xerostomia and improved quality of life.

Peripheral doses from noncoplanar IMRT for pediatric radiation therapy

The use of noncoplanar intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) might result in better sparing of some critical organs because of a higher degree of freedom in beam angle optimization. However, this can lead to a potential increase in peripheral dose compared with coplanar IMRT. The peripheral dose from noncoplanar IMRT has not been previously quantified. This study examines the peripheral dose from noncoplanar IMRT compared with coplanar IMRT for pediatric radiation therapy. Five cases with different pediatric malignancies in head and neck were planned with both coplanar and noncoplanar IMRT techniques. The plans were performed such that the tumor coverage, conformality, and dose uniformity were comparable for both techniques. To measure the peripheral doses of the 2 techniques, thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) were placed in 10 different organs of a 5-year-old pediatric anthropomorphic phantom. With the use of noncoplanar beams, the peripheral doses to the spinal cord, bone marrow, lung, and breast were found to be 1.8-2.5 times of those using the coplanar technique. This is mainly because of the additional internal scatter dose from the noncoplanar beams. Although the use of noncoplanar technique can result in better sparing of certain organs such as the optic nerves, lens, or inner ears depending on how the beam angles were optimized on each patient, oncologists should be alert of the possibility of significantly increasing the peripheral doses to certain radiation-sensitive organs such as bone marrow and breast. This might increase the secondary cancer risk to patients at young age.

Dosimetric comparison between intensity-modulated with coplanar field and 3D conformal radiotherapy with noncoplanar field for postocular invasion tumor

This study presents a dosimetric optimization effort aiming to compare noncoplanar field (NCF) on 3 dimensions conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and coplanar field (CF) on intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) planning for postocular invasion tumor. We performed a planning study on the computed tomography data of 8 consecutive patients with localized postocular invasion tumor. Four fields NCF 3D-CRT in the transverse plane with gantry angles of 0-10 degrees , 30-45 degrees , 240-270 degrees , and 310-335 degrees degrees were isocentered at the center of gravity of the target volume. The geometry of the beams was determined by beam's eye view. The same constraints were prepared with between CF IMRT optimization and NCF 3D-CRT treatment. The maximum point doses (D max) for the different optic pathway structures (OPS) with NCF 3D-CRT treatment should differ in no more than 3% from those with the NCF IMRT plan. Dose-volume histograms (DVHs) were obtained for all targets and organ at risk (OAR) with both treatment techniques. Plans with NCF 3D-CRT and CF IMRT constraints on target dose in homogeneity were computed, as well as the conformity index (CI) and homogeneity index (HI) in the target volume. The PTV coverage was optimal with both NCF 3D-CRT and CF IMRT plans in the 8 tumor sites. No difference was noted between the two techniques for the average D(max) and D(min) dose. NCF 3D-CRT and CF IMRT will yield similar results on CI. However, HI was a significant difference between NCF 3D-CRT and CF IMRT plan (p < 0.001). Physical endpoints for target showed the mean target dose to be low in the CF IMRT plan, caused by a large target dose in homogeneity (p < 0.001). The impact of NCF 3D-CRT versus CF IMRT set-up is very slight. NCF3D-CRT is one of the treatment options for postocular invasion tumor. However, constraints for OARs are needed.

Salivary gland carcinomas, paranasal sinus cancers and melanoma of the head and neck: an update about rare but challenging tumors

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This is a review about recent clinical developments in rare cancers of the head and neck.

RECENT FINDINGS

Progress in molecular biology techniques has allowed the identification of new prognostic factors, and potential molecular-targeted therapies. This is of importance since chemotherapy continues to play a role but is still limited in this group of malignancies. New techniques of irradiation such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy appear to improve the locoregional control of these tumors. Surgery continues to be the cornerstone of treatment, with a growing interest in the technique of sentinel lymph node biopsy.

SUMMARY

As salivary gland carcinomas, paranasal sinus cancers and melanoma of the head and neck are rare malignancies, these tumors must be treated in specialized anticancer centers with access to the latest surgical and irradiation techniques. Moreover, clinical studies with translational research are needed to identify strong prognostic and predictive factors, and effective molecular-targeted therapies.

Long-term radiotherapy outcomes for nasal cavity and septal cancers

PURPOSE

Carcinoma of the nasal cavity and septum has historically been associated with a poor prognosis. This report updates the long-term outcomes for radiotherapy (RT) of this disease site at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

A retrospective analysis was performed on the data from 68 patients diagnosed with histologically proven carcinoma of the nasal cavity or septum treated with RT for curative intent between 1969 and 2000. The disease histologic type was as follows: 45 (66%) had squamous cell carcinoma, 12 (18%) had adenoid cystic carcinoma, 8 (12%) had adenocarcinoma, and 3 (4%) had poorly/undifferentiated carcinoma. Of the 68 patients, 32 (47%) had received definitive RT. Of these, 23 had received external beam RT and 9 brachytherapy. Of the remaining 36 patients, 3 (4%) underwent preoperative external beam RT and 33 (49%) postoperative external beam RT. Of the 68 patients, 13 (19%) received neck RT. The median dose for patients receiving definitive and postoperative RT was 65 and 58.2 Gy, respectively. The median follow-up for the entire cohort was 11 years (range, 2.4-30.1 years).

RESULTS

Of the 68 patients, 19 (28%) developed a locoregional relapse, 14 (21%) locally and 5 (7%) regionally. The local control rate at 5 and 10 years was 86% and 76%, respectively. The disease-specific survival rate was 86% and 78%, and the overall survival rate was 82% and 62% at 5 and 10 years, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This extended follow-up of our institutional experience has demonstrated that RT can provide durable long-term locoregional control and survival outcomes for patients with carcinoma of the nasal cavity and septum.

Dosimetric comparison between coplanar and non coplanar field radiotherapy for ethmoid sinus cancer

Background

To compare non coplanar field (NCF) with coplanar field (CF) -intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) planning for ethmoid cancer.

Methods

Seven patients treated with NCF IMRT for ethmoid cancer were studied. A CF IMRT optimization was prepared with the same constraints as for the NCF treatment. The maximum point doses (D max) obtained for the different optic pathway structures (OPS) should differ no more than 3% from those achieved with the NCF IMRT plan. The distribution of the dose in the target volume and in the critical structures was compared between the two techniques, as well as the Conformity (CI) and the Homogeneity Indexes (HI) in the target volume.

Results

We noted no difference between the two techniques in the OPS for the D1, D2, and D5%, in the inner ear and controlateral lens for the average Dmax, in the temporo-mandibular joints for the average mean dose, in the cord and brainstem for the average D1%. The dose-volume histograms were slightly better with the NCF treatment plan for the planning target volume (PTV) with a marginally better HI but no impact on CI. We found a great improvement in the PTV coverage with the CF treatment plan for two patients with T4 tumors.

Conclusion

IMRT is one of the treatment options for ethmoid cancer. The PTV coverage is optimal without compromising the protection of the OPS. The impact of non coplanar versus coplanar set up is very slight.

Carcinomas of the Paranasal Sinuses and Nasal Cavity Treated With Radiotherapy at a Single Institution Over Five Decades: Are We Making Improvement?

PURPOSE

To compare clinical outcomes of patients with carcinomas of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity according to decade of radiation treatment.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Between 1960 and 2005, 127 patients with sinonasal carcinoma underwent radiotherapy with planning and delivery techniques available at the time of treatment. Fifty-nine patients were treated by conventional radiotherapy; 45 patients by three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy; and 23 patients by intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Eighty-two patients (65%) were treated with radiotherapy after gross total tumor resection. Nineteen patients (15%) received chemotherapy. The most common histology was squamous cell carcinoma (83 patients).

RESULTS

The 5-year estimates of overall survival, local control, and disease-free survival for the entire patient population were 52%, 62%, and 54%, respectively. There were no significant differences in any of these endpoints with respect to decade of treatment or radiotherapy technique (p > 0.05, for all). The 5-year overall survival rate for patients treated in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s was 46%, 56%, 51%, 53%, and 49%, respectively (p = 0.23). The observed incidence of severe (Grade 3 or 4) late toxicity was 53%, 45%, 39%, 28%, and 16% among patients treated in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, respectively (p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Although we did not detect improvements in disease control or overall survival for patients treated over time, the incidence of complications has significantly declined, thereby resulting in an improved therapeutic ratio for patients with carcinomas of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity.

Malignancies of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses: long-term outcome with conventional or three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy

PURPOSE

To evaluate the long-term clinical outcome and toxicity of conventional and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for malignancies of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Between January 1976 and February 2003, 127 patients with histologically proven cancer of the paranasal sinuses (n = 119) or nasal cavity (n = 8) were treated with preoperative (n = 61), postoperative (n = 51), or primary (n = 15) radiotherapy, using conventional (n = 74) or three-dimensional conformal (n = 53) techniques. No elective neck irradiation of the cervical lymph nodes was performed in N0 patients.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 5.6 years (range, 3-307 months) for all patients, and 7.3 years (range, 47-307 months) for patients still alive at the close-out date. The actuarial 5-year local control, overall survival, and disease-free survival rates were 53%, 54%, and 37%, respectively. Only 6 (5%) of all 127 patients and 4 (3%) of 122 originally N0 patients developed a regional failure in the neck. Distant metastasis occurred in 20% of patients. Both primary tumor extent and lymph node involvement were the most important prognostic factors, together with squamous cell carcinoma histology.

CONCLUSION

Local failure remains the dominant cause of poor outcome for patients with sinonasal cancer, despite aggressive local treatment with combined surgery and radiotherapy in operable patients. Distant metastasis and certainly regional relapse were much less common sites of failure. Overall survival remains poor, suggesting the need for more efficacious local and possibly systemic therapy.

Cancer of the paranasal sinuses

Carcinoma of the paranasal sinuses is a heterogeneous disease that is frequently locally advanced at presentation. Treatment commonly includes radical surgery followed by adjuvant therapy. Despite such aggressive therapy, the likelihood of locoregional failure is significant, resulting in poor survival, particularly with advanced tumors. In this paper, we review the recent literature in search of advances in treatment optimization. These advances include conformal radiotherapy techniques, chemotherapy, image-guided and endoscopic surgery, and surgical approaches for orbital preservation, all of which have a potential to improve the oncologic outcome as well as cosmetic and functional results. We also outline our approach in using these advances in the management of patients with these cancers.

Impact of intensity-modulated radiotherapy on health-related quality of life for head and neck cancer patients: matched-pair comparison with conventional radiotherapy

PURPOSE

To assess the benefit of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) compared with conventional RT for the quality of life (QOL) of head and neck cancer survivors.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Cross-sectional QOL measures (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QOL questionnaire C30 and head and neck cancer module) were used with a French multicenter cohort of patients cured of head and neck cancer (follow-up > or = 1 year) who had received bilateral neck RT (> or = 45 Gy) as a part of their initial treatment. We compared the QOL mean scores regarding RT modality (conventional RT vs. IMRT). The patients of the two groups were matched (one to one) according to the delay between the end of RT and the timing of the QOL evaluation and the T stage. Each QOL item was divided into two relevant levels of severity: "not severe" (responses, "not at all" and "a little") vs. "severe" (responses "quite a bit" and "very much"). The association between the type of RT and the prevalence of severe symptoms was approximated, through multivariate analysis using the prevalence odds ratio.

RESULTS

Two comparable groups (67 pairs) were available. Better scores were observed on the head and neck cancer module QOL questionnaire for the IMRT group, especially for dry mouth and sticky saliva (p < 0.0001). Severe symptoms were more frequent with conventional RT concerning saliva modifications and oral discomfort. The adjusted prevalence odds ratios were 3.17 (p = 0.04) for dry mouth, 3.16 (p = 0.02) for sticky saliva, 3.58 (p = 0.02) for pain in the mouth, 3.35 (p = 0.04) for pain in the jaw, 2.60 (p = 0.02) for difficulties opening the mouth, 2.76 (p = 0.02) for difficulties with swallowing, and 2.68 (p = 0.03) for trouble with eating.

CONCLUSION

The QOL assessment of head and neck cancer survivors demonstrated the benefit of IMRT, particularly in the areas of salivary dysfunction and oral discomfort.

A dosimetric comparison of non-coplanar IMRT versus Helical Tomotherapy for nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer

PURPOSES

To determine if there are clinically significant differences between the dosimetry of sinus tumors delivered by non-coplanar LINAC-based IMRT techniques and Helical Tomotherapy (HT). HT is capable of delivering highly conformal and uniform target dosimetry. However, HT lacks non-coplanar capability, which is commonly used for linear accelerator-based IMRT for nasal cavity and paranasal sinus tumors.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

We selected 10 patients with representative early and advanced nasal cavity and paranasal sinus malignancies treated with a preoperative dose of 50 Gy/25 fractions without coverage of the cervical lymphatics for dosimetric comparison. Each plan was independently optimized using either Corvus inverse treatment planning system, commissioned for a Varian 2300 CD linear accelerator with 1cm multileaf collimator (MLC) leaves, or the HT inverse treatment planning system. A non-coplanar seven field technique was used in all Corvus plans with five mid-sagittal fields and two anterior oblique fields as described by Claus et al. [F. Claus, W. De Gersem, C. De Wagter, et al., An implementation strategy for IMRT of ethmoid sinus cancer and bilateral sparing of the optic pathways, Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 51 (2001) 318-331], whereas only coplanar beamlets were used in HT planning. Dose plans were compared using DVHs, the minimum PTV dose to 1cm3 of the PTV, a uniformity index of planned treatment volume (PTV), and a comprehensive quality index (CQI) based on the maximum dose to optical structures, parotids and the brainstem which were deemed as the most critical adjacent structures.

RESULTS

Both planning systems showed comparable PTV dose coverage, but HT had significantly higher uniformity (p<0.01) inside the PTV. The CQI for all organs at risk were equivalent except ipsilateral lenses and eyes, which received statistically lower dose from HT plans (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Overall HT provided equivalent or slightly better normal structure avoidance with a more uniform PTV dose for nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer treatment than non-coplanar LINAC-based IMRT. The disadvantage of coplanar geometry in HT is apparently counterbalanced by the larger number of fields.