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Thapa A, Cowell A, Peters A, Noble DJ, James A, Lamb C, Grose D, Vohra S, Schipani S, Mactier K, Mackenzie J, Srinivasan D, Laws K, Moleron R, Niblock P, Soh FY, Paterson C, Wilson C. The UK Divide: Does Having a Pembrolizumab-Chemotherapy Option in Head and Neck Cancer Matter? Real-world Experience of First-line Palliative Pembrolizumab Monotherapy and Pembrolizumab-Chemotherapy Combination in Scotland. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2024; 36:287-299. [PMID: 38395634 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2024.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
AIMS The Scottish Medical Consortium recently approved first-line pembrolizumab monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the palliative setting, contrasting with the decision made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, who approved monotherapy alone in England and Wales. The aim of this study was to provide real-world performance data for first-line pembrolizumab-containing treatments for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the palliative setting in Scotland. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analysed the electronic records of patients who started pembrolizumab-containing treatment between 1 March 2020 and 30 September 2021. Outcomes included overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), the duration of response and the disease control rate. Data were compared with the KEYNOTE-048 study and clinical factors were evaluated for association with survival. RESULTS Our cohort included 91 patients (median follow-up 10.8 months). Patient characteristics were similar to those in the KEYNOTE-048 study, although our cohort had a higher proportion of patients with newly diagnosed, non-metastatic disease. For patients receiving monotherapy (n = 76), 12- and 24-month overall survival were 45% and 27%, respectively. For patients receiving pembrolizumab-chemotherapy (n = 15), 12-month overall survival was 60% (24-month overall survival had not yet been reached). Experiencing one or more immune-related adverse event (irAE; versus no irAEs), of any grade, was associated with favourable overall survival and PFS for patients receiving monotherapy in both univariable Log-rank analysis (median overall survival 17.4 months versus 8.6 months, respectively, P = 0.0033; median PFS 10.9 months versus 3.0 months, respectively, P < 0.0001) and multivariable analysis (Cox proportional hazards regression: overall survival hazard ratio 0.31, P = 0.0009; PFS hazard ratio 0.17, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Our real-world data support the KEYNOTE-048 study findings and the value of combination treatment options. Additionally, our data show that irAEs of any grade, as reported in routine clinical records, are associated with better outcomes in this patient group, adding to the growing body of evidence showing that irAEs are generally a positive marker of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor response.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Thapa
- College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - A Cowell
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - A Peters
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - D J Noble
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK; Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A James
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - C Lamb
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - D Grose
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - S Vohra
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - S Schipani
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - K Mactier
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - J Mackenzie
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - D Srinivasan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - K Laws
- Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
| | - R Moleron
- Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK
| | | | - F-Y Soh
- Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, UK
| | - C Paterson
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK.
| | - C Wilson
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK.
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2
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Yang Z, Noble DJ, Shelley L, Berger T, Jena R, McLaren DB, Burnet NG, Nailon WH. Machine-learning with region-level radiomic and dosimetric features for predicting radiotherapy-induced rectal toxicities in prostate cancer patients. Radiother Oncol 2023; 183:109593. [PMID: 36870609 DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2023.109593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This study aims to build machine learning models to predict radiation-induced rectal toxicities for three clinical endpoints and explore whether the inclusion of radiomic features calculated on radiotherapy planning computerised tomography (CT) scans combined with dosimetric features can enhance the prediction performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS 183 patients recruited to the VoxTox study (UK-CRN-ID-13716) were included. Toxicity scores were prospectively collected after 2 years with grade ≥ 1 proctitis, haemorrhage (CTCAEv4.03); and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity (RTOG) recorded as the endpoints of interest. The rectal wall on each slice was divided into 4 regions according to the centroid, and all slices were divided into 4 sections to calculate region-level radiomic and dosimetric features. The patients were split into a training set (75%, N = 137) and a test set (25%, N = 46). Highly correlated features were removed using four feature selection methods. Individual radiomic or dosimetric or combined (radiomic + dosimetric) features were subsequently classified using three machine learning classifiers to explore their association with these radiation-induced rectal toxicities. RESULTS The test set area under the curve (AUC) values were 0.549, 0.741 and 0.669 for proctitis, haemorrhage and GI toxicity prediction using radiomic combined with dosimetric features. The AUC value reached 0.747 for the ensembled radiomic-dosimetric model for haemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS Our preliminary results show that region-level pre-treatment planning CT radiomic features have the potential to predict radiation-induced rectal toxicities for prostate cancer. Moreover, when combined with region-level dosimetric features and using ensemble learning, the model prediction performance slightly improved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuolin Yang
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UK.
| | - David J Noble
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Leila Shelley
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Thomas Berger
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Raj Jena
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Duncan B McLaren
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Neil G Burnet
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester M20 4BX, UK
| | - William H Nailon
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK; School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, The King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UK; School of Science and Engineering, The University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK
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Berger T, Noble DJ, Yang Z, Shelley LE, McMullan T, Bates A, Thomas S, Carruthers LJ, Beckett G, Duffton A, Paterson C, Jena R, McLaren DB, Burnet NG, Nailon WH. Sub-regional analysis of the parotid glands: model development for predicting late xerostomia with radiomics features in head and neck cancer patients. Acta Oncol 2023; 62:166-173. [PMID: 36802351 DOI: 10.1080/0284186x.2023.2179895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The irradiation of sub-regions of the parotid has been linked to xerostomia development in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). In this study, we compared the xerostomia classification performance of radiomics features calculated on clinically relevant and de novo sub-regions of the parotid glands of HNC patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS All patients (N = 117) were treated with TomoTherapy in 30-35 fractions of 2-2.167 Gy per fraction with daily mega-voltage-CT (MVCT) acquisition for image-guidance purposes. Radiomics features (N = 123) were extracted from daily MVCTs for the whole parotid gland and nine sub-regions. The changes in feature values after each complete week of treatment were considered as predictors of xerostomia (CTCAEv4.03, grade ≥ 2) at 6 and 12 months. Combinations of predictors were generated following the removal of statistically redundant information and stepwise selection. The classification performance of the logistic regression models was evaluated on train and test sets of patients using the Area Under the Curve (AUC) associated with the different sub-regions at each week of treatment and benchmarked with the performance of models solely using dose and toxicity at baseline. RESULTS In this study, radiomics-based models predicted xerostomia better than standard clinical predictors. Models combining dose to the parotid and xerostomia scores at baseline yielded an AUCtest of 0.63 and 0.61 for xerostomia prediction at 6 and 12 months after radiotherapy while models based on radiomics features extracted from the whole parotid yielded a maximum AUCtest of 0.67 and 0.75, respectively. Overall, across sub-regions, maximum AUCtest was 0.76 and 0.80 for xerostomia prediction at 6 and 12 months. Within the first two weeks of treatment, the cranial part of the parotid systematically yielded the highest AUCtest. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that variations of radiomics features calculated on sub-regions of the parotid glands can lead to earlier and improved prediction of xerostomia in HNC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Berger
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - David J Noble
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Department of Oncology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Zhuolin Yang
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
- School of Engineering, the University of Edinburgh, the King's Buildings, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Leila Ea Shelley
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Thomas McMullan
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Amy Bates
- Department of Oncology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Simon Thomas
- Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Linda J Carruthers
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - George Beckett
- Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre, Bayes Centre, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | | | - Raj Jena
- Department of Oncology, The University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Duncan B McLaren
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - William H Nailon
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
- School of Engineering, the University of Edinburgh, the King's Buildings, Edinburgh, UK
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Berger T, Noble DJ, Yang Z, Shelley LEA, McMullan T, Bates A, Thomas S, Carruthers LJ, Beckett G, Duffton A, Paterson C, Jena R, McLaren DB, Burnet NG, Nailon WH. Assessing the generalisability of radiomics features previously identified as predictive of radiation-induced sticky saliva and xerostomia. Phys Imaging Radiat Oncol 2023; 25:100404. [PMID: 36660107 PMCID: PMC9843480 DOI: 10.1016/j.phro.2022.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and purpose While core to the scientific approach, reproducibility of experimental results is challenging in radiomics studies. A recent publication identified radiomics features that are predictive of late irradiation-induced toxicity in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. In this study, we assessed the generalisability of these findings. Materials and Methods The procedure described in the publication in question was applied to a cohort of 109 HNC patients treated with 50-70 Gy in 20-35 fractions using helical radiotherapy although there were inherent differences between the two patient populations and methodologies. On each slice of the planning CT with delineated parotid and submandibular glands, the imaging features that were previously identified as predictive of moderate-to-severe xerostomia and sticky saliva 12 months post radiotherapy (Xer12m and SS12m) were calculated. Specifically, Short Run Emphasis (SRE) and maximum CT intensity (maxHU) were evaluated for improvement in prediction of Xer12m and SS12m respectively, compared to models solely using baseline toxicity and mean dose to the salivary glands. Results None of the associations previously identified as statistically significant and involving radiomics features in univariate or multivariate models could be reproduced on our cohort. Conclusion The discrepancies observed between the results of the two studies delineate limits to the generalisability of the previously reported findings. This may be explained by the differences in the approaches, in particular the imaging characteristics and subsequent methodological implementation. This highlights the importance of external validation, high quality reporting guidelines and standardisation protocols to ensure generalisability, replication and ultimately clinical implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Berger
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK.,Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - David J Noble
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,The University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK.,Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Zhuolin Yang
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK.,School of Engineering, the University of Edinburgh, the King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UK
| | - Leila E A Shelley
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Thomas McMullan
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Amy Bates
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Simon Thomas
- Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Linda J Carruthers
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - George Beckett
- Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre, Bayes Centre, 47 Potterrow, Edinburgh EH8 9BT, UK
| | - Aileen Duffton
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Great Western Road, Glasgow G12 0YN, UK
| | - Claire Paterson
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Great Western Road, Glasgow G12 0YN, UK
| | - Raj Jena
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Duncan B McLaren
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Neil G Burnet
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 4BX, UK
| | - William H Nailon
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK.,School of Engineering, the University of Edinburgh, the King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UK
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5
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Berger T, Noble DJ, Shelley LE, McMullan T, Bates A, Thomas S, Carruthers LJ, Beckett G, Duffton A, Paterson C, Jena R, McLaren DB, Burnet NG, Nailon WH. Predicting radiotherapy-induced xerostomia in head and neck cancer patients using day-to-day kinetics of radiomics features. Phys Imaging Radiat Oncol 2022; 24:95-101. [PMID: 36386445 PMCID: PMC9647222 DOI: 10.1016/j.phro.2022.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and purpose The images acquired during radiotherapy for image-guidance purposes could be used to monitor patient-specific response to irradiation and improve treatment personalisation. We investigated whether the kinetics of radiomics features from daily mega-voltage CT image-guidance scans (MVCT) improve prediction of moderate-to-severe xerostomia compared to dose/volume parameters in radiotherapy of head-and-neck cancer (HNC). Materials and Methods All included HNC patients (N = 117) received 30 or more fractions of radiotherapy with daily MVCTs. Radiomics features were calculated on the contra-lateral parotid glands of daily MVCTs. Their variations over time after each complete week of treatment were used to predict moderate-to-severe xerostomia (CTCAEv4.03 grade ≥ 2) at 6, 12 and 24 months post-radiotherapy. After dimensionality reduction, backward/forward selection was used to generate combinations of predictors.Three types of logistic regression model were generated for each follow-up time: 1) a pre-treatment reference model using dose/volume parameters, 2) a combination of dose/volume and radiomics-based predictors, and 3) radiomics-based predictors. The models were internally validated by cross-validation and bootstrapping and their performance evaluated using Area Under the Curve (AUC) on separate training and testing sets. Results Moderate-to-severe xerostomia was reported by 46 %, 33 % and 26 % of the patients at 6, 12 and 24 months respectively. The selected models using radiomics-based features extracted at or before mid-treatment outperformed the dose-based models with an AUCtrain/AUCtest of 0.70/0.69, 0.76/0.74, 0.86/0.86 at 6, 12 and 24 months, respectively. Conclusion Our results suggest that radiomics features calculated on MVCTs from the first half of the radiotherapy course improve prediction of moderate-to-severe xerostomia in HNC patients compared to a dose-based pre-treatment model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Berger
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - David J. Noble
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Leila E.A. Shelley
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Thomas McMullan
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Amy Bates
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Simon Thomas
- Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Linda J. Carruthers
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - George Beckett
- Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre, Bayes Centre, 47 Potterrow, Edinburgh EH8 9BT, UK
| | - Aileen Duffton
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Great Western Road, Glasgow G12 0YN, UK
| | - Claire Paterson
- Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Great Western Road, Glasgow G12 0YN, UK
| | - Raj Jena
- The University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Duncan B. McLaren
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Neil G. Burnet
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
| | - William H. Nailon
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road South, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
- School of Engineering, the University of Edinburgh, the King’s Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UK
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6
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Burnet NG, Mee T, Gaito S, Kirkby NF, Aitkenhead AH, Anandadas CN, Aznar MC, Barraclough LH, Borst G, Charlwood FC, Clarke M, Colaco RJ, Crellin AM, Defourney NN, Hague CJ, Harris M, Henthorn NT, Hopkins KI, Hwang E, Ingram SP, Kirkby KJ, Lee LW, Lines D, Lingard Z, Lowe M, Mackay RI, McBain CA, Merchant MJ, Noble DJ, Pan S, Price JM, Radhakrishna G, Reboredo-Gil D, Salem A, Sashidharan S, Sitch P, Smith E, Smith EAK, Taylor MJ, Thomson DJ, Thorp NJ, Underwood TSA, Warmenhoven JW, Wylie JP, Whitfield G. Estimating the percentage of patients who might benefit from proton beam therapy instead of X-ray radiotherapy. Br J Radiol 2022; 95:20211175. [PMID: 35220723 PMCID: PMC10993980 DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20211175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES High-energy Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) commenced in England in 2018 and NHS England commissions PBT for 1.5% of patients receiving radical radiotherapy. We sought expert opinion on the level of provision. METHODS Invitations were sent to 41 colleagues working in PBT, most at one UK centre, to contribute by completing a spreadsheet. 39 responded: 23 (59%) completed the spreadsheet; 16 (41%) declined, arguing that clinical outcome data are lacking, but joined six additional site-specialist oncologists for two consensus meetings. The spreadsheet was pre-populated with incidence data from Cancer Research UK and radiotherapy use data from the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service. 'Mechanisms of Benefit' of reduced growth impairment, reduced toxicity, dose escalation and reduced second cancer risk were examined. RESULTS The most reliable figure for percentage of radical radiotherapy patients likely to benefit from PBT was that agreed by 95% of the 23 respondents at 4.3%, slightly larger than current provision. The median was 15% (range 4-92%) and consensus median 13%. The biggest estimated potential benefit was from reducing toxicity, median benefit to 15% (range 4-92%), followed by dose escalation median 3% (range 0 to 47%); consensus values were 12 and 3%. Reduced growth impairment and reduced second cancer risk were calculated to benefit 0.5% and 0.1%. CONCLUSIONS The most secure estimate of percentage benefit was 4.3% but insufficient clinical outcome data exist for confident estimates. The study supports the NHS approach of using the evidence base and developing it through randomised trials, non-randomised studies and outcomes tracking. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE Less is known about the percentage of patients who may benefit from PBT than is generally acknowledged. Expert opinion varies widely. Insufficient clinical outcome data exist to provide robust estimates. Considerable further work is needed to address this, including international collaboration; much is already underway but will take time to provide mature data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil G Burnet
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Mee
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Simona Gaito
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Norman F Kirkby
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Adam H Aitkenhead
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Carmel N Anandadas
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Marianne C Aznar
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Lisa H Barraclough
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Gerben Borst
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Frances C Charlwood
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Clarke
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Rovel J Colaco
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Adrian M Crellin
- NHS England National Clinical Lead Proton Beam Therapy, Leeds
Cancer Centre, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds and St James's
Institute of Oncology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Beckett
Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK, Leeds,
United Kingdom
| | - Noemie N Defourney
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Christina J Hague
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Margaret Harris
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas T Henthorn
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Kirsten I Hopkins
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International
Centre, Vienna,
Austria
| | - E Hwang
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sydney West Radiation
Oncology Network, Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre,
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and
Institute of Medical Physics, School of Physics, University of Sydney,
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sam P Ingram
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Karen J Kirkby
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Lip W Lee
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - David Lines
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Zoe Lingard
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Matthew Lowe
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Ranald I Mackay
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine A McBain
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Merchant
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - David J Noble
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre,
Western General Hospital,
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Shermaine Pan
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - James M Price
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | | | - David Reboredo-Gil
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmed Salem
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | | | - Peter Sitch
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Ed Smith
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Proton Clinical Outcomes Unit, The Christie NHS Foundation
Trust, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Edward AK Smith
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS
Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Taylor
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - David J Thomson
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - Nicola J Thorp
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Tracy SA Underwood
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - John W Warmenhoven
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
| | - James P Wylie
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Gillian Whitfield
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Rd,
Manchester, United Kingdom
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester,
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science
Centre, Manchester, United
Kingdom
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Berger T, Noble DJ, Shelley LE, Hopkins KI, McLaren DB, Burnet NG, Nailon WH. Response to letter to the editor of radiotherapy and oncology regarding the paper entitled “50 years of radiotherapy research: Evolution, trends and lessons for the future“ by Berger et al. (December 2021, Volume 165). Radiother Oncol 2022; 172:151-152. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2022.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Noble DJ, Doyle E, Tramonti G, Law AB, Sundaramurthy A, Brush JP, Keanie J, Wood C, Drewell P, Keough W, McLaren DB. Defining Biochemical Cure After Low Dose Rate Prostate Brachytherapy: External Validation of 4-year Prostate-specific Antigen Nadir as a Predictor of 10- and 15-year Disease-free Survival. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2021; 34:42-49. [PMID: 34848134 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2021.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To externally validate a proposed biochemical definition of cure following low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy for prostate cancer - 4-year post-implant prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≤0.2 ng/ml - in a UK population, and report the long-term (10- and 15-year) outcomes for patients stratified by National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk groups, through analysis of a large, prospectively collected, single-centre database. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients treated with LDR brachytherapy for prostate cancer at a single UK centre between 2001 and November 2020 (n = 1142) were eligible; 632 patients met the inclusion criteria for the analysis. The primary end point was disease-free survival (DFS), defined as freedom from clinical, radiological or PSA progression requiring androgen deprivation therapy. Four-year PSA was categorised as ≤0.2, >0.2 to ≤0.5, >0.5 to ≤1.0 and >1.0 ng/ml. Kaplan-Meier analysis to 15 years was undertaken for each group, and sensitivity and specificity of 4-year PSA as a surrogate for long-term cure were calculated. Kaplan-Meier analysis to 15 years was repeated, stratifying patients by NCCN risk groups. RESULTS The median cohort age was 63 years; the median follow-up was 9.1 years (range 3.5-18.7). In total, 248 patients were available for analysis at year 10, 46 at year 15. Sixty-four patients (10.1%) relapsed during the study period. The 10-year DFS for 4-year PSA categories ≤0.2, >0.2 to ≤0.5, >0.5 to ≤1.0 and >1.0 ng/ml (95% confidence intervals) were 97.5% (95.4-99.6), 89.0% (82.4-96.1), 81.5% (70.5-94.2) and 41.8% (29.7-58.9), respectively. The 10-year DFS results for NCCN low, favourable-intermediate and unfavourable-intermediate risk disease were 93.1% (89.6-96.7), 92.1% (87.6-96.9) and 75.9% (67.8-84.9), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Patients with 4-year PSA ≤0.2 ng/ml may be considered cured, and could be discharged to general practitioner follow-up. LDR brachytherapy is an excellent treatment option for patients with low and favourable-intermediate risk prostate cancer, but those with unfavourable-intermediate risk disease should be considered for treatment intensification strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Noble
- Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK; Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, UK
| | - E Doyle
- Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - G Tramonti
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A B Law
- Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A Sundaramurthy
- Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - J P Brush
- Department of Radiology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - J Keanie
- Department of Radiology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - C Wood
- Department of Oncology Physics, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - P Drewell
- Department of Oncology Physics, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - W Keough
- Department of Oncology Physics, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - D B McLaren
- Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK; Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, UK.
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Berger T, Noble DJ, Shelley LEA, Hopkins KI, McLaren DB, Burnet NG, Nailon WH. 50 years of radiotherapy research: Evolution, trends and lessons for the future. Radiother Oncol 2021; 165:75-86. [PMID: 34619236 DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2021.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Rapid and relentless technological advances in an ever-more globalized world have shaped the field of radiation oncology in which we practise today. These developments have drastically modified the habitus1 of health professionals and researchers at an individual and organisational level. In this article we present an analysis of trends in radiation oncology research over the last half a century. To do so, the data from >350,000 scientific publications pertaining to a yearly search of the PubMed database with the keywords cancer radiotherapy was analysed. This analysis revealed that, over the years, radiotherapy research output has declined relative to alternative cancer therapies, representing 64% in 1970 it decreased to 31% in 2019. Also, the pace of research has significantly accelerated with, in the last 15 years, a doubling in the number of articles published by the 10% most productive researchers. Researchers are also facing stronger competition today with a proportion of first authors that will never get to publish as a last author increasing steadily from 58% in 1970 to 84% in 2000. Additionally, radiotherapy research output is extremely unequally distributed in the world, with Africa and South America contributing to ∼3% of radiotherapy articles in 2019 while representing 23% of the world's population. This disparity, reflecting economic situations and radiotherapy capabilities, has a knock-on effect for the provision of routine clinical treatment. Since research activity is inherent to delivery of high quality clinical care, this contributes to the global inequity of radiotherapy services. Learning from these trends is crucial for the future not only of radiation oncology research but also for effective and equitable cancer care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Berger
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
| | - David J Noble
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Leila E A Shelley
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Duncan B McLaren
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Neil G Burnet
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - William H Nailon
- Department of Oncology Physics, Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Shelley LEA, Sutcliffe MPF, Thomas SJ, Noble DJ, Romanchikova M, Harrison K, Bates AM, Burnet NG, Jena R. Associations between voxel-level accumulated dose and rectal toxicity in prostate radiotherapy. Phys Imaging Radiat Oncol 2020; 14:87-94. [PMID: 32582869 PMCID: PMC7301619 DOI: 10.1016/j.phro.2020.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Background and Purpose Associations between dose and rectal toxicity in prostate radiotherapy are generally poorly understood. Evaluating spatial dose distributions to the rectal wall (RW) may lead to improvements in dose-toxicity modelling by incorporating geometric information, masked by dose-volume histograms. Furthermore, predictive power may be strengthened by incorporating the effects of interfraction motion into delivered dose calculations.Here we interrogate 3D dose distributions for patients with and without toxicity to identify rectal subregions at risk (SRR), and compare the discriminatory ability of planned and delivered dose. Material and Methods Daily delivered dose to the rectum was calculated using image guidance scans, and accumulated at the voxel level using biomechanical finite element modelling. SRRs were statistically determined for rectal bleeding, proctitis, faecal incontinence and stool frequency from a training set (n = 139), and tested on a validation set (n = 47). Results SRR patterns differed per endpoint. Analysing dose to SRRs improved discriminative ability with respect to the full RW for three of four endpoints. Training set AUC and OR analysis produced stronger toxicity associations from accumulated dose than planned dose. For rectal bleeding in particular, accumulated dose to the SRR (AUC 0.76) improved upon dose-toxicity associations derived from planned dose to the RW (AUC 0.63). However, validation results could not be considered significant. Conclusions Voxel-level analysis of dose to the RW revealed SRRs associated with rectal toxicity, suggesting non-homogeneous intra-organ radiosensitivity. Incorporating spatial features of accumulated delivered dose improved dose-toxicity associations. This may be an important tool for adaptive radiotherapy in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila E A Shelley
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.,Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, United Kingdom.,Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington St, Cambridge CB21PZ, United Kingdom
| | - Michael P F Sutcliffe
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.,Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Trumpington St, Cambridge CB21PZ, United Kingdom
| | - Simon J Thomas
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.,Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
| | - David J Noble
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.,Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
| | - Marina Romanchikova
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.,National Physical Laboratory, Teddington TW11 0JE, United Kingdom
| | - Karl Harrison
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.,Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J J Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Amy M Bates
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.,Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
| | - Neil G Burnet
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.,University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
| | - Raj Jena
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom.,Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
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Gatfield ER, Noble DJ, Barnett GC, Early NY, Hoole ACF, Kirkby NF, Jefferies SJ, Burnet NG. Tumour Volume and Dose Influence Outcome after Surgery and High-dose Photon Radiotherapy for Chordoma and Chondrosarcoma of the Skull Base and Spine. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2019; 30:243-253. [PMID: 29402600 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2018.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To evaluate the long-term outcomes of patients with chordoma and low-grade chondrosarcoma after surgery and high-dose radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS High-dose photon radiotherapy was delivered to 28 patients at the Neuro-oncology Unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital (Cambridge, UK) between 1996 and 2016. Twenty-four patients were treated with curative intent, 17 with chordoma, seven with low-grade chondrosarcoma, with a median dose of 65 Gy (range 65-70 Gy). Local control and survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS The median follow-up was 83 months (range 7-205 months). The 5 year disease-specific survival for chordoma patients treated with radical intent was 85%; the local control rate was 74%. The 5 year disease-specific survival for chondrosarcoma patients treated with radical intent was 100%; the local control rate was 83%. The mean planning target volume (PTV) was 274.6 ml (median 124.7 ml). A PTV of 110 ml or less was a good predictor of local control, with 100% sensitivity and 63% specificity. For patients treated with radical intent, this threshold of 110 ml or less for the PTV revealed a statistically significant difference when comparing local control with disease recurrence (P = 0.019, Fisher's exact test). Our data also suggest that the probability of disease control may be partly related to both target volume and radiotherapy dose. CONCLUSION Our results show that refined high-dose photon radiotherapy, following tumour resection by a specialist surgical team, is effective in the long-term control of chordoma and low-grade chondrosarcoma, even in the presence of metal reconstruction. The results presented here will provide a useful source for comparison between high-dose photon therapy and proton beam therapy in a UK setting, in order to establish best practice for the management of chordoma and low-grade chondrosarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- E R Gatfield
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
| | - D J Noble
- University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - G C Barnett
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - N Y Early
- Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - A C F Hoole
- Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - N F Kirkby
- Division of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, UK; Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - S J Jefferies
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - N G Burnet
- University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Noble DJ, Yeap PL, Seah SYK, Harrison K, Shelley LEA, Romanchikova M, Bates AM, Zheng Y, Barnett GC, Benson RJ, Jefferies SJ, Thomas SJ, Jena R, Burnet NG. Anatomical change during radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, and its effect on delivered dose to the spinal cord. Radiother Oncol 2018; 130:32-38. [PMID: 30049455 PMCID: PMC6358720 DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2018.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A cohort of 133 head & neck cancer patients treated with TomoTherapy was examined. Differences between planned and delivered maximum spinal cord dose were small. Substantial weight loss and anatomical change during treatment was observed. No link between weight loss or anatomical change, and dose differences was seen.
Background and purpose The impact of weight loss and anatomical change during head and neck (H&N) radiotherapy on spinal cord dosimetry is poorly understood, limiting evidence-based adaptive management strategies. Materials and methods 133 H&N patients treated with daily mega-voltage CT image-guidance (MVCT-IG) on TomoTherapy, were selected. Elastix software was used to deform planning scan SC contours to MVCT-IG scans, and accumulate dose. Planned (DP) and delivered (DA) spinal cord D2% (SCD2%) were compared. Univariate relationships between neck irradiation strategy (unilateral vs bilateral), T-stage, N-stage, weight loss, and changes in lateral separation (LND) and CT slice surface area (SSA) at C1 and the superior thyroid notch (TN), and ΔSCD2% [(DA – DP) D2%] were examined. Results The mean value for (DA – DP) D2% was −0.07 Gy (95%CI −0.28 to 0.14, range −5.7 Gy to 3.8 Gy), and the mean absolute difference between DP and DA (independent of difference direction) was 0.9 Gy (95%CI 0.76–1.04 Gy). Neck treatment strategy (p = 0.39) and T-stage (p = 0.56) did not affect ΔSCD2%. Borderline significance (p = 0.09) was seen for higher N-stage (N2-3) and higher ΔSCD2%. Mean reductions in anatomical metrics were substantial: weight loss 6.8 kg; C1LND 12.9 mm; C1SSA 12.1 cm2; TNLND 5.3 mm; TNSSA 11.2 cm2, but no relationship between weight loss or anatomical change and ΔSCD2% was observed (all r2 < 0.1). Conclusions Differences between delivered and planned spinal cord D2% are small in patients treated with daily IG. Even patients experiencing substantial weight loss or anatomical change during treatment do not require adaptive replanning for spinal cord safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Noble
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
| | - Ping-Lin Yeap
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Shannon Y K Seah
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Karl Harrison
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Leila E A Shelley
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK; Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marina Romanchikova
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Amy M Bates
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit, Box 401, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK
| | - Yaolin Zheng
- University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, UK; Department of Medicine, Cheltenham General Hospital, UK
| | - Gillian C Barnett
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Richard J Benson
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Sarah J Jefferies
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Simon J Thomas
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Raj Jena
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, UK; Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Neil G Burnet
- University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
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Noble DJ, Burnet NG. The future of image-guided radiotherapy-is image everything? Br J Radiol 2018; 91:20170894. [PMID: 29616822 PMCID: PMC6221761 DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20170894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Revised: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
MR-based image-guided (IG) radiotherapy via all-in-one MR treatment units (MR-linacs) is one of the hottest topics in contemporary radiotherapy research. From ingenious engineering solutions to complex physical problems, researchers have developed machines with the promise of superior image quality, and all the advantages this may confer. Benefits include better tumour visualisation, online adaptation and the potential for image biomarker-based personalised RT. However, it is important to remember that the technical challenges are real. In many instances, they are skillfully managed rather than abolished, a point illustrated by the wide variety of MR-linac designs. The proposed benefits also deserve careful inspection. Better visibility of the primary tumour on an IG scan cannot be bad, but does not automatically equate to better IG, which often depends on a more generalised match to daily anatomy. MR-linac will undoubtedly be a rich milieu to search for IMBs, but these will need to be carefully validated, and similar work with CT-based biomarkers using existing, cheaper, and more widely available hardware is currently ongoing. Online adaptation is an attractive concept, but practicalities are complex, and more work is required to understand which patients will benefit from plan adaptation, and when. Finally, the issue of cost cannot be overlooked, nor can the research community's responsibilities to global healthcare inequalities. MR-linac is an exciting and ingenious technology, which merits both investment and research. It may not, however, have the future to itself.
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Laidley HM, Noble DJ, Barnett GC, Forman JR, Bates AM, Benson RJ, Jefferies SJ, Jena R, Burnet NG. Identifying risk factors for L'Hermitte's sign after IMRT for head and neck cancer. Radiat Oncol 2018; 13:84. [PMID: 29728105 PMCID: PMC5936022 DOI: 10.1186/s13014-018-1015-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND L'Hermitte's sign (LS) after chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer appears related to higher spinal cord doses. IMRT plans limit spinal cord dose, but the incidence of LS remains high. METHODS One hundred seventeen patients treated with TomoTherapy™ between 2008 and 2015 prospectively completed a side-effect questionnaire (VoxTox Trial Registration: UK CRN ID 13716). Baseline patient and treatment data were collected. Radiotherapy plans were analysed; mean and maximum spinal cord dose and volumes receiving 10, 20, 30 and 40 Gy were recorded. Dose variation across the cord was examined. These data were included in a logistic regression model. RESULTS Forty two patients (35.9%) reported LS symptoms. Concurrent weekly cisplatin did not increase LS risk (p = 0.70, OR = 1.23 {95% CI 0.51-2.34}). Of 13 diabetic participants (9 taking metformin), only 1 developed LS (p = 0.025, OR = 0.13 {95% CI 0.051-3.27}). A refined binary logistic regression model showed that patients receiving unilateral radiation (p = 0.019, OR = 2.06 {95% CI 0.15-0.84}) were more likely to develop LS. Higher V40Gy (p = 0.047, OR = 1.06 {95% CI 1.00-1.12}), and younger age (mean age 56.6 vs 59.7, p = 0.060, OR = 0.96 {95% CI 0.92-1.00}) were associated with elevated risk of LS, with borderline significance. CONCLUSIONS In this cohort, concomitant cisplatin did not increase risk, and LS incidence was lower in diabetic patients. Patient age and dose gradients across the spinal cord may be important factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah M. Laidley
- 0000 0004 0398 9723grid.416531.4Foundation Doctor, Northampton General Hospital, Cliftonville, Northampton, NN1 5BD UK ,0000000121885934grid.5335.0VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Dept. of Oncology, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197 Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XZ UK
| | - David J. Noble
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Dept. of Oncology, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197 Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XZ UK ,0000 0004 0383 8386grid.24029.3dOncology Centre, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Gill C. Barnett
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Dept. of Oncology, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197 Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XZ UK ,0000 0004 0383 8386grid.24029.3dOncology Centre, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Julia R. Forman
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Dept. of Oncology, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197 Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XZ UK ,0000 0004 0383 8386grid.24029.3dCambridge Clinical Trials Unit, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Amy M. Bates
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Dept. of Oncology, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197 Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XZ UK
| | - Richard J. Benson
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Dept. of Oncology, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197 Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XZ UK
| | - Sarah J. Jefferies
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Dept. of Oncology, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197 Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XZ UK
| | - Rajesh Jena
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Dept. of Oncology, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197 Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XZ UK
| | - Neil G. Burnet
- 0000000121885934grid.5335.0VoxTox Research Group, Cambridge University Dept. of Oncology, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197 Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XZ UK ,Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
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Brochu F, Romanchikova M, Thomas SJ, Hoole ACF, Noble DJ, Simmons MPD, Gurnell M, Parker MA, Burnet NG. Reduction in Total Radiation Exposure Using X-ray Image Guidance Illustrated in a Patient Receiving Pituitary Radiotherapy. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2017; 30:199-200. [PMID: 29254603 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- F Brochu
- University of Cambridge, Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, UK; University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - M Romanchikova
- Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - S J Thomas
- Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - A C F Hoole
- Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - D J Noble
- University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - M P D Simmons
- University of Cambridge, Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, UK
| | - M Gurnell
- Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge and National Institute for Health Research, Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - M A Parker
- University of Cambridge, Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, UK
| | - N G Burnet
- University of Cambridge, Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
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Jackson A, Scott S, Romanchikova M, Noble DJ, Burnet NG. Long-term tumour control in sacral chordoma following high-dose palliative image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IG-IMRT). BJR Case Rep 2017; 3:20160145. [PMID: 30363228 PMCID: PMC6159199 DOI: 10.1259/bjrcr.20160145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Revised: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amy Jackson
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sarah Scott
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marina Romanchikova
- Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - David J Noble
- Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - Neil G Burnet
- Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
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Yeap PL, Noble DJ, Harrison K, Bates AM, Burnet NG, Jena R, Romanchikova M, Sutcliffe MPF, Thomas SJ, Barnett GC, Benson RJ, Jefferies SJ, Parker MA. Automatic contour propagation using deformable image registration to determine delivered dose to spinal cord in head-and-neck cancer radiotherapy. Phys Med Biol 2017; 62:6062-6073. [PMID: 28573978 PMCID: PMC5952263 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aa76aa] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
To determine delivered dose to the spinal cord, a technique has been developed to propagate manual contours from kilovoltage computed-tomography (kVCT) scans for treatment planning to megavoltage computed-tomography (MVCT) guidance scans. The technique uses the Elastix software to perform intensity-based deformable image registration of each kVCT scan to the associated MVCT scans. The registration transform is then applied to contours of the spinal cord drawn manually on the kVCT scan, to obtain contour positions on the MVCT scans. Different registration strategies have been investigated, with performance evaluated by comparing the resulting auto-contours with manual contours, drawn by oncologists. The comparison metrics include the conformity index (CI), and the distance between centres (DBC). With optimised registration, auto-contours generally agree well with manual contours. Considering all 30 MVCT scans for each of three patients, the median CI is \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$0.759 \pm 0.003$ \end{document}0.759±0.003, and the median DBC is (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$0.87 \pm 0.01$ \end{document}0.87±0.01) mm. An intra-observer comparison for the same scans gives a median CI of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$0.820 \pm 0.002$ \end{document}0.820±0.002 and a DBC of (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$0.64 \pm 0.01$ \end{document}0.64±0.01) mm. Good levels of conformity are also obtained when auto-contours are compared with manual contours from one observer for a single MVCT scan for each of 30 patients, and when they are compared with manual contours from six observers for two MVCT scans for each of three patients. Using the auto-contours to estimate organ position at treatment time, a preliminary study of 33 patients who underwent radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancers indicates good agreement between planned and delivered dose to the spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- P L Yeap
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
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Shelley LEA, Scaife JE, Romanchikova M, Harrison K, Forman JR, Bates AM, Noble DJ, Jena R, Parker MA, Sutcliffe MPF, Thomas SJ, Burnet NG. Delivered dose can be a better predictor of rectal toxicity than planned dose in prostate radiotherapy. Radiother Oncol 2017; 123:466-471. [PMID: 28460825 PMCID: PMC5486775 DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2017.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Background and purpose For the first time, delivered dose to the rectum has been calculated and accumulated throughout the course of prostate radiotherapy using megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT) image guidance scans. Dosimetric parameters were linked with toxicity to test the hypothesis that delivered dose is a stronger predictor of toxicity than planned dose. Material and methods Dose–surface maps (DSMs) of the rectal wall were automatically generated from daily MVCT scans for 109 patients within the VoxTox research programme. Accumulated-DSMs, representing total delivered dose, and planned-DSMs, from planning CT data, were parametrised using Equivalent Uniform Dose (EUD) and ‘DSM dose-width’, the lateral dimension of an ellipse fitted to a discrete isodose cluster. Associations with 6 toxicity endpoints were assessed using receiver operator characteristic curve analysis. Results For rectal bleeding, the area under the curve (AUC) was greater for accumulated dose than planned dose for DSM dose-widths up to 70 Gy. Accumulated 65 Gy DSM dose-width produced the strongest spatial correlation (AUC 0.664), while accumulated EUD generated the largest AUC overall (0.682). For proctitis, accumulated EUD was the only reportable predictor (AUC 0.673). Accumulated EUD was systematically lower than planned EUD. Conclusions Dosimetric parameters extracted from accumulated DSMs have demonstrated stronger correlations with rectal bleeding and proctitis, than planned DSMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- L E A Shelley
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom; Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - J E Scaife
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - M Romanchikova
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
| | - K Harrison
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - J R Forman
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
| | - A M Bates
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - D J Noble
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - R Jena
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - M A Parker
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - M P F Sutcliffe
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - S J Thomas
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
| | - N G Burnet
- Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Oncology, United Kingdom; Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Noble DJ, Ajithkumar T, Lambert J, Gleeson I, Williams MV, Jefferies SJ. Highly Conformal Craniospinal Radiotherapy Techniques Can Underdose the Cranial Clinical Target Volume if Leptomeningeal Extension through Skull Base Exit Foramina is not Contoured. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2017; 29:439-447. [PMID: 28318880 PMCID: PMC5479365 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2017.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Craniospinal irradiation (CSI) remains a crucial treatment for patients with medulloblastoma. There is uncertainty about how to manage meningeal surfaces and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that follows cranial nerves exiting skull base foramina. The purpose of this study was to assess plan quality and dose coverage of posterior cranial fossa foramina with both photon and proton therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analysed the radiotherapy plans of seven patients treated with CSI for medulloblastoma and primitive neuro-ectodermal tumours and three with ependymoma (total n = 10). Four had been treated with a field-based technique and six with TomoTherapy™. The internal acoustic meatus (IAM), jugular foramen (JF) and hypoglossal canal (HC) were contoured and added to the original treatment clinical target volume (Plan_CTV) to create a Test_CTV. This was grown to a test planning target volume (Test_PTV) for comparison with a Plan_PTV. Using Plan_CTV and Plan_PTV, proton plans were generated for all 10 cases. The following dosimetry data were recorded: conformity (dice similarity coefficient) and homogeneity index (D2 - D98/D50) as well as median and maximum dose (D2%) to Plan_PTV, V95% and minimum dose (D99.9%) to Plan_CTV and Test_CTV and Plan_PTV and Test_PTV, V95% and minimum dose (D98%) to foramina PTVs. RESULTS Proton and TomoTherapy™ plans were more conformal (0.87, 0.86) and homogeneous (0.07, 0.04) than field-photon plans (0.79, 0.17). However, field-photon plans covered the IAM, JF and HC PTVs better than proton plans (P = 0.002, 0.004, 0.003, respectively). TomoTherapy™ plans covered the IAM and JF better than proton plans (P = 0.000, 0.002, respectively) but the result for the HC was not significant. Adding foramen CTVs/PTVs made no difference for field plans. The mean Dmin dropped 3.4% from Plan_PTV to Test_PTV for TomoTherapy™ (not significant) and 14.8% for protons (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Highly conformal CSI techniques may underdose meninges and CSF in the dural reflections of posterior fossa cranial nerves unless these structures are specifically included in the CTV.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Noble
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK; Department of Oncology, Cambridge University Hospital's NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
| | - T Ajithkumar
- Department of Oncology, Cambridge University Hospital's NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - J Lambert
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - I Gleeson
- Medical Physics Department, Cambridge University Hospital's NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - M V Williams
- Department of Oncology, Cambridge University Hospital's NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - S J Jefferies
- Department of Oncology, Cambridge University Hospital's NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
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Noble DJ, Scoffings D, Ajithkumar T, Williams MV, Jefferies SJ. Fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) MRI to investigate cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within dural reflections of posterior fossa cranial nerves. Br J Radiol 2016; 89:20160392. [PMID: 27636022 DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20160392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE There is no consensus approach to covering skull base meningeal reflections-and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) therein-of the posterior fossa cranial nerves (CNs VII-XII) when planning radiotherapy (RT) for medulloblastoma and ependymoma. We sought to determine whether MRI and specifically fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA) sequences can answer this anatomical question and guide RT planning. METHODS 96 posterior fossa FIESTA sequences were reviewed. Following exclusions, measurements were made on the following scans for each foramen respectively (left, right); internal acoustic meatus (IAM) (86, 84), jugular foramen (JF) (83, 85) and hypoglossal canal (HC) (42, 45). A protocol describes measurement procedure. Two observers measured distances for five cases and agreement was assessed. One observer measured all the remaining cases. RESULTS IAM and JF measurement interobserver variability was compared. Mean measurement difference between observers was -0.275 mm (standard deviation 0.557). IAM and JF measurements were normally distributed. Mean IAM distance was 12.2 mm [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.8-15.6]; JF was 7.3 mm (95% CI 4.0-10.6). The HC was difficult to visualize on many images and data followed a bimodal distribution. CONCLUSION Dural reflections of posterior fossa CNs are well demonstrated by FIESTA MRI. Measuring CSF extension into these structures is feasible and robust; mean CSF extension into IAM and JF was measured. We plan further work to assess coverage of these structures with photon and proton RT plans. Advances in knowledge: We have described CSF extension beyond the internal table of the skull into the IAM, JF and HC. Oncologists planning RT for patients with medulloblastoma and ependymoma may use these data to guide contouring.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Noble
- 1 Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel Scoffings
- 2 Department of Radiology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Thankamma Ajithkumar
- 1 Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael V Williams
- 1 Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sarah J Jefferies
- 1 Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
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Barnett GC, Kerns SL, Noble DJ, Dunning AM, West CML, Burnet NG. Incorporating Genetic Biomarkers into Predictive Models of Normal Tissue Toxicity. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2015; 27:579-87. [PMID: 26166774 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2015.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
There is considerable variation in the level of toxicity patients experience for a given dose of radiotherapy, which is associated with differences in underlying individual normal tissue radiosensitivity. A number of syndromes have a large effect on clinical radiosensitivity, but these are rare. Among non-syndromic patients, variation is less extreme, but equivalent to a ±20% variation in dose. Thus, if individual normal tissue radiosensitivity could be measured, it should be possible to optimise schedules for individual patients. Early investigations of in vitro cellular radiosensitivity supported a link with tissue response, but individual studies were equivocal. A lymphocyte apoptosis assay has potential, and is currently under prospective validation. The investigation of underlying genetic variation also has potential. Although early candidate gene studies were inconclusive, more recent genome-wide association studies are revealing definite associations between genotype and toxicity and highlighting the potential for future genetic testing. Genetic testing and individualised dose prescriptions could reduce toxicity in radiosensitive patients, and permit isotoxic dose escalation to increase local control in radioresistant individuals. The approach could improve outcomes for half the patients requiring radical radiotherapy. As a number of patient- and treatment-related factors also affect the risk of toxicity for a given dose, genetic testing data will need to be incorporated into models that combine patient, treatment and genetic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- G C Barnett
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
| | - S L Kerns
- Rubin Center for Cancer Survivorship, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - D J Noble
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - A M Dunning
- Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, Strangeways Research Laboratory, Cambridge, UK
| | - C M L West
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - N G Burnet
- University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
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Scaife JE, Barnett GC, Noble DJ, Jena R, Thomas SJ, West CML, Burnet NG. Exploiting biological and physical determinants of radiotherapy toxicity to individualize treatment. Br J Radiol 2015; 88:20150172. [PMID: 26084351 PMCID: PMC4628540 DOI: 10.1259/bjr.20150172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Revised: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent advances in radiation delivery can improve tumour control probability (TCP) and reduce treatment-related toxicity. The use of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in particular can reduce normal tissue toxicity, an objective in its own right, and can allow safe dose escalation in selected cases. Ideally, IMRT should be combined with image guidance to verify the position of the target, since patients, target and organs at risk can move day to day. Daily image guidance scans can be used to identify the position of normal tissue structures and potentially to compute the daily delivered dose. Fundamentally, it is still the tolerance of the normal tissues that limits radiotherapy (RT) dose and therefore tumour control. However, the dose-response relationships for both tumour and normal tissues are relatively steep, meaning that small dose differences can translate into clinically relevant improvements. Differences exist between individuals in the severity of toxicity experienced for a given dose of RT. Some of this difference may be the result of differences between the planned dose and the accumulated dose (DA). However, some may be owing to intrinsic differences in radiosensitivity of the normal tissues between individuals. This field has been developing rapidly, with the demonstration of definite associations between genetic polymorphisms and variation in toxicity recently described. It might be possible to identify more resistant patients who would be suitable for dose escalation, as well as more sensitive patients for whom toxicity could be reduced or avoided. Daily differences in delivered dose have been investigated within the VoxTox research programme, using the rectum as an example organ at risk. In patients with prostate cancer receiving curative RT, considerable daily variation in rectal position and dose can be demonstrated, although the median position matches the planning scan well. Overall, in 10 patients, the mean difference between planned and accumulated rectal equivalent uniform doses was -2.7 Gy (5%), and a dose reduction was seen in 7 of the 10 cases. If dose escalation was performed to take rectal dose back to the planned level, this should increase the mean TCP (as biochemical progression-free survival) by 5%. Combining radiogenomics with individual estimates of DA might identify almost half of patients undergoing radical RT who might benefit from either dose escalation, suggesting improved tumour cure or reduced toxicity or both.
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Affiliation(s)
- J E Scaife
- University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - G C Barnett
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - D J Noble
- Oncology Centre, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - R Jena
- University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | - S J Thomas
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Medical Physics Department, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - C M L West
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - N G Burnet
- University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
- Cancer Research UK VoxTox Research Group, University of Cambridge Department of Oncology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
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Noble J, Goodall JR, Noble DJ. Simultaneous bilateral total knee replacement: a persistent controversy. Knee 2009; 16:420-6. [PMID: 19464899 DOI: 10.1016/j.knee.2009.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2008] [Revised: 04/03/2009] [Accepted: 04/21/2009] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The benefits and risks of Simultaneous Bilateral Total Knee Replacement (SBTKR) remain controversial. A review of the English speaking literature was undertaken and found that many papers took staunch positions either for or against the procedure. It was also noted that earlier papers supporting SBTKR suggested cost benefits. There was a huge disparity in the incidence of mortality and morbidity and it was not possible to compare many papers, because in some medically frail patients were excluded from the SBTKR cohorts. In large published series the proportion of patients having a SBTKR varied between 3% and 70%. Many, but not all, series highlighted age and co-morbidity as risk factors. Overall there was no clear case for or against SBTKR. The evidence suggested that careful preoperative assessment and patient selection on a strict protocol were essential. The procedure should be confined to hospitals where high dependency nursing is readily available and the literature indicated that the risk is less in high through-put units. By refining preoperative assessment and preparation it can be a safe and effective procedure in an appropriate clinical setting for postoperative care.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Noble
- University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Abstract
To analyze the ultrasonographic features of bladder tumors during transabdominal ultrasonography. Ultrasonograms of consecutive patients diagnosed to have bladder tumors from August 1992 to May 1999 were reviewed retrospectively and correlated with the final histological diagnoses. Various features, including the location, size, multiplicity, shape, surface and presence of calcification, of the bladder tumors were analyzed. Of 109 patients reviewed, 104 had transitional cell carcinoma, 3 adenocarcinoma, 1 carcinosarcoma and 1 prostatic carcinoma. A total of 130 tumors (including 13 multifocal tumors) were detected with 30 (27.5%) patients having more than one tumor in the bladder. Tumor size ranged from 0.5 to 9.7 cm (mean 2.7 cm). The tumor involved the trigone (63, 48.5%), lateral wall (32, 24.6%), posterior wall (17, 13.1%), anterior wall (5, 3.8%) or was multifocal (13, 10%). Sixty-seven (51.5%) tumors were polypoidal, 47 (36.2%) were sessile and 16 (12.3%) plaque-like. The surface was regular in 50 (38.5%) tumors and irregular in 80 (61.5%) tumors. Calcified foci were noted in 54 (41.5%) tumors. There was no statistically significant correlation between ultrasonographic features. The most common appearance is a polypoid lesion arising from the trigone, but there was much variation in the ultrasonographic features of bladder tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Dibb
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE In magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the shoulder, oblique coronal images are used for evaluating the supraspinatus tendon (SST) of patients with suspected rotator cuff tear or impingement. This study aimed to compare orientation of the SST long axis with planes perpendicular to the glenohumeral joint (GHJ). DESIGN AND PATIENTS The axial scans of 100 consecutive patients referred for MR imaging or MR arthrography of the shoulder were reviewed. Using the electronic cursors of a computer workstation, the angle of the SST long axis was measured and compared with the angle obtained through the GHJ utilizing three different landmarks: perpendicular to the joint (GHJ-90), joint-humeral head center axis (GHJ-H) and joint-scapular body axis (GHJ-S). RESULTS Differences in angulation between axes of the SST and the three GHJ axes averaged only about 5 degree [range of means 4.5-5.3 degrees, range of standard deviation (SD) 3.8-4.6 degrees]. In the majority of shoulders, angular differences measured 4 or less for all SST/GHJ comparisons. Similarly, small angular differences in the three GHJ axes were found: 4.5 degrees (SD 3.3 degrees) for GHJ-90/GHJ-S, 5.0 degree (SD 4.0 degrees) for GHJ-S/GHJ-H and 2.9 degrees (SD 3.0 degrees) for GHJ-90/GHJ-H. Correlation between the GHJ-90 and GHJ-H axes was particularly good, with differences of 4 degree or less in 84% of shoulders. The orientations of the GHJ axes and that of the SST long axis are comparable. CONCLUSION The GHJ may potentially be used as a landmark for obtaining oblique coronal images of the SST.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Dibb
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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