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Smith J, Margalit D, Golledge J, Nastasi D, Nohria A, McDowell L. Carotid Artery Stenosis and Ischemic Stroke in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Treated With Radiation Therapy: A Critical Review. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2024; 119:1437-1454. [PMID: 38583496 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2024.03.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature on carotid artery stenosis (CAS) and ischemic stroke (IS) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with radiation therapy (RT) to guide assessment, screening, and management strategies. Patients treated with RT for HNC are at an elevated risk of developing CAS, with published meta-analyses demonstrating that CAS >50% occurs in approximately 25% of patients. Previous research suggests a 10-year cumulative incidence of stroke between 5.7% and 12.5%. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction tools such as Qstroke, QRISK-2, and Framingham risk score perform poorly for predicting IS for patients with HNC who received RT. Duplex ultrasound is the most common imaging modality to assess CAS, but controversy remains as to the utility of screening asymptomatic individuals. Only 3 of the 5 major HNC survivorship guidelines acknowledge RT as a risk factor for CAS or IS, while only 1 makes a specific recommendation on screening for CAS (American Head and Neck Society). Within the general population, only 1 CVD guideline discusses RT as a risk factor for CAS (Society for Vascular Surgery). Clinicians involved in the care of patients with HNC treated with RT should be aware of the increased risk of CAS and IS and the challenges in risk prediction. Although there is a lack of evidence to make firm recommendations, HNC survivorship recommendations should ensure HNC survivors and primary care providers are informed of these risks and the importance of assessment and management of CVD risk factors. Future studies are required to refine risk prediction models in patients with HNC and to determine those most likely to benefit from targeted screening and initiation of early preventative strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Smith
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
| | - Danielle Margalit
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jonathan Golledge
- Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease, College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia; The Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Townsville University Hospital, Townsville, Australia; The Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, Townsville, Australia
| | - Domenico Nastasi
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Gold Coast University Hospital, Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Anju Nohria
- Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Adult Survivorship Program, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lachlan McDowell
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia
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Yip PL, You R, Chen MY, Chua MLK. Embracing Personalized Strategies in Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Beyond the Conventional Bounds of Fields and Borders. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:383. [PMID: 38254872 PMCID: PMC10814653 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020383] [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: 10/08/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Radiotherapy is the primary treatment modality for non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) across all TN-stages. Locoregional control rates have been impressive even from the 2D radiotherapy (RT) era, except when the ability to deliver optimal dose coverage to the tumor is compromised. However, short- and long-term complications following head and neck RT are potentially debilitating, and thus, there has been much research investigating technological advances in RT delivery over the past decades, with the primary goal of limiting normal tissue damage. On this note, with a plateau in gains of therapeutic ratio by modern RT techniques, future advances have to be focused on individualization of RT, both in terms of dose prescription and the delineation of target volumes. In this review, we analyzed the guidelines and evidence related to contouring methods, and dose prescription for early and locoregionally advanced (LA-) NPC. Next, with the preference for induction chemotherapy (IC) in patients with LA-NPC, we assessed the evidence concerning radiotherapy adaptations guided by IC response, as well as functional imaging and contour changes during treatment. Finally, we discussed on RT individualization that is guided by EBV DNA assessment, and its importance in the era of combinatorial immune checkpoint blockade therapy with RT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pui Lam Yip
- Department of Radiation Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, National University Hospital, Singapore 119074, Singapore;
| | - Rui You
- Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China; (R.Y.); (M.-Y.C.)
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Ming-Yuan Chen
- Department of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China; (R.Y.); (M.-Y.C.)
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Guangzhou 510060, China
- Cooperative Surgical Ward of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Faifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510700, China
| | - Melvin L. K. Chua
- Division of Medical Sciences, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 30 Hospital Blvd, Singapore 168583, Singapore
- Division of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 30 Hospital Blvd, Singapore 168583, Singapore
- Oncology Academic Clinical Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
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