The Utility of Pretreatment and Posttreatment Lymphopenia in Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated With Definitive Chemoradiotherapy

Radiation-induced lymphopenia and the survival of women with cervical cancer: a meta-analysis

The current systematic analysis and meta-analysis was aimed to evaluate the association between radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) and survival of women with cervical cancer (CC). PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant cohort studies comparing survival between women with CC who developed versus not developed RIL after radiotherapy. We pooled the results using a random-effects model that incorporates heterogeneity. In the meta-analysis, 952 women with CC were included from eight cohort studies. Overall, 378 (39.7%) of them had RIL after radiotherapy. During a median follow-up duration of 41.8 months, pooled results showed that RIL was independently associated with poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.81 to 3.94, p < 0.001; I² = 20%) and progression-free survival (HR: 2.17, 95% CI: 1.58 to 2.98, p < 0.001; I² = 0%). Predefined subgroup analyses showed similar results in patients with grade 3-4 and grade 4 RIL, in patients with RIL diagnosed during or after the radiotherapy, and in studies with quality score of seven or eight points (p values for subgroup effect all < 0.05). In conclusion, women with RIL were associated with poor survival after radiotherapy for CC.

Meta-analysis and Critical Review: Association Between Radio-induced Lymphopenia and Overall Survival in Solid Cancers

Purpose

Immune system modulation, with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, has drastically changed the field of oncology. Strong preclinical data indicate that radiation therapy (RT) may enhance the response rate to such drugs via in situ vaccination, although these data do not consider immune radiotoxicity. This meta-analysis investigates whether radio-induced lymphopenia (RIL) is associated with overall survival (OS).

Methods and Materials

A systematic literature search and quantitative analysis were planned, conducted, and reported per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses and Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses checklists. The literature from January 1990 to March 2021 was searched to identify clinical studies with OS data in patients treated with RT and presenting with lymphopenia. A random-effect model was employed for the meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. Publication bias was estimated using a P-curve analysis.

Results

A total of 56 studies with 13 223 patients and 11 types of cancers were selected. The mean follow-up time was 35.9 months. Over a third of patients had RIL (37.25%). After removing outlying studies (n = 14), the between-study heterogeneity variance was estimated at t² = 0.018 (P = .01) with an I² value of 36.0% (95% confidence interval, 6%-56%). The results showed that RIL was significantly associated with worse OS (hazard ratio: 1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.55-1.86; P < .01; 95% prediction interval, 1.27-2.26). A subgroup analysis was performed based on the type of primary tumor, and a difference between the subgroups was found (P < .01). Based on the P-curve analysis, a significant evidential value was found, and no significant publication bias was identified among the studies.

Conclusions

RIL is a significant prognostic factor for mortality in virtually all solid cancers. Pooled-effect estimates indicate a significantly reduced risk of death in patients without RIL. Tailoring RT regimens to spare the immune system and updating dosimetric constraints for new organs at risk, such as major blood vessels, organs with rich blood supplies, bones, and all lymph node areas, may improve prognoses.

Low postoperative lymphocyte count increases risk of progression in human papillomavirus associated oropharyngeal cancer

BACKGROUND

We aim to explore the prognostic role of absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) before, during, and after treatment on oncologic outcomes in human papillomavirus associated oropharyngeal cancer (HPV(+)OPSCC).

METHODS

Retrospective cohort at a tertiary center, 2006-2018. Multivariable Cox regressions were used to determine the effect of ALC on risk of progression. Univariate linear regression was performed to determine clinical factors associated with lower ALC.

RESULTS

All 197 patients underwent primary surgery. Mean (SD) ALC nadirs (×10⁹  cells/L) were: baseline (N = 149): 1.69 (0.56); postoperative (N = 126): 1.58 (0.59); post-RT (N = 141): 0.68 (0.35) and long-term (N = 105): 0.88 (0.37). Lower baseline ALC nadir was associated with worse overall survival (HR 3.85, 95%CI: 1.03-14.29, p = 0.04). Lower postoperative ALC nadir was associated with higher risk of progression (HR 2.63, 95%CI: 1.04-6.67, p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Lower baseline ALC is associated with worse survival, whereas lower postoperative ALC is associated with increased risk of progression in surgically treated HPV(+)OPSCC.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3

Machine Learning of Dose-Volume Histogram Parameters Predicting Overall Survival in Patients with Cervical Cancer Treated with Definitive Radiotherapy

Purpose

To analyze the effects of dosimetric parameters and clinical characteristics on overall survival (OS) by machine learning algorithms.

Methods and Materials

128 patients with cervical cancer were treated with definitive pelvic radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy followed by image-guided brachytherapy. The elastic-net models with integrating DVH parameters and baseline clinical factors, only DVH parameters and only baseline clinical factors were constructed in 5-folds cross-validations for 100 iteration bootstrapping, and then were compared using concordance index (C-index) criteria. Finally, the selected important factors were used to build multivariable Cox-pH models for OS and also shown in nomograms for clinical usage.

Results

The median OS occurred was 25.78 months with 25 (19.53%) deaths. The elastic-net models integrating clinical and DVH factors had the best prediction performances (C-index 0.76 in the train set and C-index 0.74 in the test set). Three important factors were selected, including baseline hemoglobin level as the protective factor, primary tumor volume (GTV_P) volume, and body V5 as the risk factors. The final multivariable Cox-pH models were constructed using these important factors and had prediction performance (C-index: 0.78, 95%CI: 0.73–0.81).

Conclusions

This is the first attempt to establish elastic-net models to study the contributions of DVH parameters for predicting OS in patients with cervical cancer. These results can facilitate individualized tailoring of radiation treatment in cervical cancer patients.

Pretreatment lymphocyte count as independent prognostic factor in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between pretreatment total lymphocyte counts (TLC) and survival outcome in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients treated with definite concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the data of 789 patients diagnosed with cervical cancer stage IIB to IVA treated with CCRT between January 2011 and December 2015. We assessed the association of pretreatment TLC with 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates.

RESULTS

Fifty-two patients had pretreatment TLC < 1000 cells/mm³ . The median pretreatment TLC in TLC groups <1000 cell/mm³ and ≥1000 cell/mm³ were 573.9 cells/mm³ (range, 350.9-827.7 cells/mm³ ) and 2211.3 cells/mm³ (range, 1751.3-2785.8 cells/mm³ ), respectively. Patients in pretreatment TLC < 1000 cell/mm³ group had a lower number of treatment responses. The 5-year DFS and OS rates were significantly higher in patients with pretreatment TLC ≥ 1000 cells/mm³ than their counterparts (67.7% vs. 35.4% [P < 0.0001] and 57.6% vs. 25.7% [P < 0.0001], respectively). In multivariate analysis, pretreatment TLC ≥ 1000 cells/mm³ was an independent predictor of DFS (HR, 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26-0.59, P < 0.001) and OS (HR, 0.59; 95% CI 0.42-0.84, P = 0.006).

CONCLUSION

Pretreatment TLC was associated with treatment response and survival outcome in patients with LACC treated with definite CCRT.

Irradiation immunity interactions

The immune system can influence cancer development by both impeding and/or facilitating tumour growth and spread. A better understanding of this complex relationship is fundamental to optimise current and future cancer therapeutic strategies. Although typically regarded as a localised and immunosuppressive anti‐cancer treatment modality, radiation therapy has been associated with generating profound systemic effects beyond the intended target volume. These systemic effects are immune‐driven suggesting radiation therapy can enhance anti‐tumour immunosurveillance in some instances. In this review, we summarise how radiation therapy can positively and negatively affect local and systemic anti‐tumour immune responses, how co‐administration of immunotherapy with radiation therapy may help promote anti‐tumour immunity, and how the use of immune biomarkers may help steer radiation therapy‐immunotherapy personalisation to optimise clinical outcomes.

Impact of hematologic toxicities during concurrent chemoradiation for cervical cancer

Objective

To evaluate the prognostic significance of hematological toxicities during cervical cancer treatment.

Methods

Patients treated for cervical carcinoma with definitive chemoradiation were identified. Toxicities were assessed during weeks 1 to 6 of concurrent external beam radiation and chemotherapy. Outcomes were analyzed using Cox regression analysis.

Results

One hundred twenty-one patients with Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage I–III disease were eligible for analysis. Median age at diagnosis was 45 years (interquartile range, 40–52) with median follow-up time of 34 months (95% confidence interval, 30.8–37.2). All patients experienced some grade of hematologic toxicity. The most common grade 3+ toxicities were low absolute lymphocyte count (n=115, 95%), low white blood cell count (n=21, 17%), and anemia (n=11, 9%). The most common grade 4 toxicity was lymphopenia, experienced by 36% of patients (n=44). Grade 4 lymphopenia was associated with reduced overall survival (hazard ratio [HR], 4.5; P=0.005), progression-free survival (HR, 3.4; P=0.001), and local control (HR, 4.1; P=0.047). Anemia grade 3, 4 was also associated with reduced overall survival (HR, 4.1; P=0.014). After controlling for disease and treatment variables, grade 4 lymphopenia remained significantly associated with reduced overall survival (HR, 9.85; P=0.007). The association with grade 4 lymphopenia only remained significant in women of Hispanic ethnicity.

Conclusion

Severe lymphopenia was associated with reduced overall survival and progression-free survival in Hispanic women undergoing definitive chemoradiation for cervical cancer, but not associated with outcomes in non-Hispanic women.

The Influence of Severe Radiation-Induced Lymphopenia on Overall Survival in Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PURPOSE

Emerging evidence suggests a detrimental prognostic association between radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) and pathologic response, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS) in patients who undergo radiation therapy for cancer. The aim of this study was to systematically review and meta-analyze the prognostic impact of RIL on OS in patients with solid tumors.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase were systematically searched. The analysis included intervention and prognostic studies that reported on the prognostic relationship between RIL and survival in patients with solid tumors. An overall pooled adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) was calculated using a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses for different patient-, tumor-, treatment-, and study-related characteristics were performed using meta-regression.

RESULTS

Pooling of 21 cohorts within 20 eligible studies demonstrated a statistically significant association between OS and grade ≥3 versus grade 0-2 RIL (n = 16; pooled aHR, 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43-1.90) and grade 4 RIL versus grade 0-3 (n = 5; aHR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.24-1.90). Moderate heterogeneity among aHRs was observed, mostly attributable to overestimated aHRs in 7 studies likely subject to model-overfitting. Subgroup analysis showed significant prognostic impact of grade ≥3 RIL in 4 brain tumor (aHR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.06-2.51), 4 lung cancer (aHR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.01-2.29), and 3 pancreatic cancer (aHR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.10-3.36) cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

This meta-analysis demonstrates a significant detrimental prognostic association between grade ≥3 lymphopenia and OS in patients receiving radiation therapy for solid tumors. This finding appears consistent for tumors of the brain, thorax, and upper abdomen and provides an imperative to further elucidate the potential survival benefit of lymphopenia-mitigating strategies.

Immune correlates of therapy outcomes in women with cervical cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy: A systematic review

Background

Immune markers have been correlated with prognosis in a variety of solid tumors, including cervical cancer.

Objective

To review the literature on hematologic and immune markers and their association with recurrence and survival among patients with cervical cancer treated with chemoradiation.

Evidence review

This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines via searches of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, and the Cochrane Library using keywords regarding cervical cancer, immune markers, and HIV. Studies involving patients treated with cisplatin‐based chemoradiotherapy were selected and reviewed by at least two independent reviewers, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer.

Findings

A total of 737 studies were identified, of which 314 assessed immune biomarkers in immunocompetent patients (30 included in the final analysis) and 327 studies in immunosuppressed patients (5 included in the final analysis). The strongest prognostic indicators were lymphopenia and elevated neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio. Other potential markers included HPV‐specific lymphocyte response, cytokine profile, expression of immune‐blocking antigens on cell surfaces, and tumor‐associated lymphocyte, macrophage, and neutrophil infiltration. Studies of immunosuppressed patients described more severe cytopenic changes overall and concluded that viral suppression led to improved outcomes.

Conclusions

The immunologic interplay at work in cervical cancer development, progression, and treatment is complex. Strong evidence was found in favor of lymphopenia and elevated neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio being prognostic for worse outcomes with other markers showing potential associations as well. Although the interpretation of immune status with regard to treatment approach remains unclear, future studies should aim to tailor treatment that minimizes possible detrimental immune effects.

Immune markers have been correlated with prognosis in a variety of solid tumors, including cervical cancer. In this systematic review of immune markers for cervical cancer patients being treated with chemoradiation, we surveyed the literature for immunologic and hematologic prognostic markers and found the strongest negative prognostic indicators were lymphopenia and elevated neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) as Possible Prognostic Markers for Patients Undergoing Resection of Adrenocortical Carcinoma

AIM

Adrenocortical cancer (ACC) is a rare disease with a poor outcome, and robust prognostic factors remain unclear. High neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as markers of host inflammation have been found to be associated with decreased long-term outcomes in several tumour types, but have been scarcely analysed in ACC.

METHODS

Patients who underwent resection of their ACC between 2000 and 2020 were identified; therapeutic, operative and outcome data were analysed. Pre-operative NLR and PLR were calculated by division of neutrophils and platelets by lymphocytes measured in peripheral blood.

RESULTS

Fifty-seven patients (30F:27 M) with an overall median age of 53 years [range: 18-86] presented with tumours of median size 11.5 cm [range: 3.0-22.0], of whom 26 (46%) were hormonally active. Majority of patients underwent an open resection (n = 48; 84%); more than half (n = 30; 53%) underwent multi-organ excision. Median NLR was 4.63 and median PLR was 186.21; these values were used for median split analyses (low vs. high). There were no differences with regard to age, sex or tumour characteristics and peri-operative data between the two groups (all p > 0.05). Overall, median recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 26 months (3-year: 45%) on Kaplan-Meier analysis. On univariate analyses, a high NLR did not influence RFS [HR = 1.57 (95%-CI: 0.73-2.38); p = 0.25], but patients with a high PLR had an increased risk of developing recurrence [HR = 2.39 (95%-CI: 1.08-5.31); p = 0.03]. The median overall survival (OS) was 33 months (3 years: 79%) on Kaplan-Meier analysis. Both a high NLR [HR = 2.24 (95%-CI: 1.07-4.70); p = 0.03] and a high PLR [HR = 4.02 (95%-CI: 1.80-8.98); p = 0.001] were strongly associated with a shorter OS on unadjusted analyses.

CONCLUSION

Elevated pre-operative NLR and PLR are associated with shorter OS, while higher PLR was also associated with a shorter RFS for patients undergoing curative intent resection of ACC.

Cheadle E, M. Illidge T. Understanding the Effects of Radiotherapy on the Tumour Immune Microenvironment to Identify Potential Prognostic and Predictive Biomarkers of Radiotherapy Response

Radiotherapy (RT) is a highly effective anti-cancer treatment. Immunotherapy using immune checkpoint blockade (ICI) has emerged as a new and robust pillar in cancer therapy; however, the response rate to single agent ICI is low whilst toxicity remains. Radiotherapy has been shown to have local and systemic immunomodulatory effects. Therefore, combining RT and immunotherapy is a rational approach to enhance anti-tumour immune responses. However, the immunomodulatory effects of RT can be both immunostimulatory or immunosuppressive and may be different across different tumour types and patients. Therefore, there is an urgent medical need to establish biomarkers to guide clinical decision making in predicting responses or in patient selection for RT-based combination treatments. In this review, we summarize the immunological effects of RT on the tumour microenvironment and emerging biomarkers to help better understand the implications of these immunological changes, and we provide new insights into the potential for combination therapies with RT and immunotherapy.

Assessing the interactions between radiotherapy and antitumour immunity

Immunotherapy, specifically the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors, has transformed the treatment of cancer, enabling long-term tumour control even in individuals with advanced-stage disease. Unfortunately, only a small subset of patients show a response to currently available immunotherapies. Despite a growing consensus that combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with radiotherapy can increase response rates, this approach might be limited by the development of persistent radiation-induced immunosuppression. The ultimate goal of combining immunotherapy with radiotherapy is to induce a shift from an ineffective, pre-existing immune response to a long-lasting, therapy-induced immune response at all sites of disease. To achieve this goal and enable the adaptation and monitoring of individualized treatment approaches, assessment of the dynamic changes in the immune system at the patient level is essential. In this Review, we summarize the available clinical data, including forthcoming methods to assess the immune response to radiotherapy at the patient level, ranging from serum biomarkers to imaging techniques that enable investigation of immune cell dynamics in patients. Furthermore, we discuss modelling approaches that have been developed to predict the interaction of immunotherapy with radiotherapy, and highlight how they could be combined with biomarkers of antitumour immunity to optimize radiotherapy regimens and maximize their synergy with immunotherapy.

The prognostic value of haematologic parameter changes during treatment in cervical cancer patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy

We retrospectively analysed the prognostic significance of changes in absolute neutrophil count (ANC), absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) during treatment with definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in 104 cervical cancer patients. The absolute white blood cell, ANC and ALC decrease during treatment, NLR increased throughout treatment and reached to a plateau at fifth week. The ANC and NLR after 3rd week of definitive CRT were significantly higher and ALC after 3rd week of treatment was significantly lower in patients with progressive disease compared patients with no evidence of disease. Patients in low-haematological risk (LHR) group had significantly higher number of patients with smaller tumour size, early stage disease and without lymph node metastasis. In multivariate analysis, high-haematological risk (HHR) group and lymph node metastasis were negative prognosticators of overall and disease-free survival (DFS). The presence of lymph node metastasis and HHR could serve as a predicative factor of poor prognosis for cervical cancer patients. IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? The ANC and NLR after 3rd week of definitive CRT were significantly higher and ALC after 3rd week of treatment was significantly lower in patients with progressive disease compared patients with no evidence of disease. Patients in LHR group had significantly higher number of patients with smaller tumour size, early stage disease and without lymph node metastasis. Lymph node metastasis and HHR and were negative prognosticators of overall and disease-free survival (DFS). The presence of lymph node metastasis and HHR could serve as a predicative factor of poor prognosis for cervical cancer patients. What the results of this study add? Weekly changes in ANC, ALC, and NLR, especially after 3rd week of treatment are predictive factors of disease progression, not the high-risk features of disease. Furthermore, in HHR group more patients with extensive stage disease, larger tumour and lymph node metastasis were observed compared to LHR group. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The patients may be stratified according to risk factors. The treatment intensification maybe required for HHR patients compared to LHR patients. Since our findings are preliminary, further studies are required to support these findings.