Management of radiation-induced oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients: a real-life survey among 25 Italian radiation oncology centers

AIM

Radiation-induced oral mucositis (RIOM) is the most frequent side effect in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients treated with curative radiotherapy (RT). A standardized strategy for preventing and treating RIOM has not been defined. Aim of this study was to perform a real-life survey on RIOM management among Italian RT centers.

METHODS

A 40-question survey was administered to 25 radiation oncologists working in 25 different RT centers across Italy.

RESULTS

A total of 1554 HNC patients have been treated in the participating centers in 2021, the majority (median across the centers 91%) with curative intent. Median treatment time was 41 days, with a mean percentage of interruption due to toxicity of 14.5%. Eighty percent of responders provide written oral cavity hygiene recommendations. Regarding RIOM prevention, sodium bicarbonate mouthwashes, oral mucosa barrier agents, and hyaluronic acid-based mouthwashes were the most frequent topic agents used. Regarding RIOM treatment, 14 (56%) centers relied on literature evidence, while internal guidelines were available in 13 centers (44%). Grade (G)1 mucositis is mostly treated with sodium bicarbonate mouthwashes, oral mucosa barrier agents, and steroids, while hyaluronic acid-based agents, local anesthetics, and benzydamine were the most used in mucositis G2/G3. Steroids, painkillers, and anti-inflammatory drugs were the most frequent systemic agents used independently from the RIOM severity.

CONCLUSION

Great variety of strategies exist among Italian centers in RIOM management for HNC patients. Whether different strategies could impact patients' compliance and overall treatment time of the radiation course is still unclear and needs further investigation.

Patient-reported persistent symptoms after radiotherapy and association with quality of life for prostate cancer survivors

PURPOSE

To evaluate the persistence of symptoms after radiotherapy (RT) for localised prostate cancer (PCa) and the association with quality of life (QOL).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Prospective patient-reported outcome (PRO) from a multi-institutional study on PCa treated with radical RT (2010-2014) was analysed. Data was collected at baseline (BL) and follow-ups (FUPs) up to 5 years. Patients with BL and ≥3 late FUPs (≥6 months) were analysed. PRO was scored by means of the IPSS and ICIQ-SF (urinary), LENT-SOMA (gastrointestinal [GI]), and EORTC-C30 (pain, insomnia, fatigue, and QOL) questionnaires. Symptoms were defined 'persistent' if the median score over FUPs was ≥3 (urinary) or ≥2 (GI, pain, insomnia, and fatigue), and worse than BL. Different thresholds were chosen to have enough events for each symptom. QOL was linearly transformed on a continuous scale (0-100). Linear-mixed models were used to identify significant differences between groups with and without persistent symptoms including age, smoking status, previous abdominal surgery, and diabetes as confounders. Mean QOL differences between groups were evaluated longitudinally over FUPs.

RESULTS

The analysis included 293 patients. Persistent urinary symptoms ranged from 2% (straining) to 12% (weak stream, and nocturia). Gastrointestinal symptoms ranged from 7% (rectal pain, and incontinence) to 30% (urgency). Proportions of pain, insomnia, and fatigue were 6, 13, and 18%. Significant QOL differences of small-to-medium clinical relevance were found for urinary incontinence, frequency, urgency, and nocturia. Among GI symptoms, rectal pain and incontinence showed small-to-medium differences. Fatigue was associated with the largest differences.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis showed that symptoms after RT for PCa occur with different persistence and their association with QOL varies in magnitude. A number of persistent urinary and GI symptoms showed differences in a comparable range. Urinary incontinence and frequency, rectal pain, and faecal incontinence more often had significant associations. Fatigue was also prevalent and associated with largely deteriorated QOL.

Splenic irradiation prior to allogeneic transplant conditioning in myelofibrosis: A pilot experience

INTRODUCTION

In the era of JAK inhibitors, allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the only curative treatment for patients with Myelofibrosis (MF). Splenic irradiation (SI) may be used to reduce spleen size and related symptoms.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective analysis on 14 patients with MF who underwent HSCT with SI from any donor source at our center between June 2016 and March 2021. All patients received a conditioning backbone based on treosulfan and fludarabine, with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and sirolimus as graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis. Patients received SI with 10 Gy involved-field radiotherapy in five 2-Gy fractions over the course of a week prior to the beginning of conditioning.

RESULTS

At transplant all patients were transfusion-dependent and had splenomegaly (median bipolar diameter by ultrasound: 20.75 cm). Overall, 12 patients had received ruxolitinib prior to transplant. Re-evaluation of spleen dimensions was available for 13 patients: median splenic bipolar diameter after at least 3 months from transplant decreased by a median of 25%. With a median post-transplant follow-up of 25 months, 6 patients remain in CR with full-donor chimerism, 3 patients died due to NRM. Overall, 4 patients relapsed. At last follow-up, nine patients are currently alive and achieved transfusion-independence.

CONCLUSIONS

In a small cohort of mostly ruxolitinib pre-treated patients, SI and treosulfan-based conditioning appeared a safe and effective tool to reduce spleen dimensions and ameliorate symptoms. Future prospective studies with adequate sample size are warranted to further investigate the usefulness and safety of this approach in MF.

Salvage Stereotactic Reirradiation for Local Recurrence in the Prostatic Bed After Prostatectomy: A Retrospective Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND

Management of local recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) in the prostatic bed after radical prostatectomy (RP) and radiotherapy remains challenging.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy and safety of salvage stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) reirradiation in this setting and evaluate prognostic factors.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

We conducted a large multicenter retrospective series that included 117 patients who were treated with salvage SBRT for local recurrence in the prostatic bed after RP and radiotherapy in 11 centers across three countries.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Progression-free survival (PFS; biochemical, clinical, or both) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Biochemical recurrence was defined as prostate-specific antigen nadir +0.2 ng/ml, confirmed by a second increasing measure. The cumulative incidence of late toxicities was estimated using the Kalbfleisch-Prentice method by considering recurrence or death as a competing event.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

The median follow-up was 19.5 mo. The median SBRT dose was 35 Gy. The median PFS was 23.5 mo (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 17.6-33.2). In the multivariable models, the volume of the recurrence and its contact with the urethrovesical anastomosis were significantly associated with PFS (hazard ratio [HR]/10 cm3 = 1.46; 95% CI, 1.08-1.96; p = 0.01 and HR = 3.35; 95% CI, 1.38-8.16; p = 0.008, respectively). The 3-yr cumulative incidence of grade ≥2 late GU or GI toxicity was 18% (95% CI, 10-26). In the multivariable analysis, a recurrence in contact with the urethrovesical anastomosis and D2% of the bladder were significantly associated with late toxicities of any grade (HR = 3.65; 95% CI, 1.61-8.24; p = 0.002 and HR/10 Gy = 1.88; 95% CI, 1.12-3.16; p = 0.02, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Salvage SBRT for local recurrence in the prostate bed may offer encouraging control and acceptable toxicity. Therefore, further prospective studies are warranted.

PATIENT SUMMARY

We found that salvage stereotactic body radiotherapy after surgery and radiotherapy allows for encouraging control and acceptable toxicity in locally relapsed prostate cancer.

Patients with Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Undergoing Radiation Therapy: Insights from a Ten-Year Tertiary Center Experience

Background: The number of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) receiving radiotherapy (RT) is increasing. The management of CIED-carriers undergoing RT is challenging and requires a collaborative multidisciplinary approach. Aim: The aim of the study is to report the real-world, ten-year experience of a tertiary multidisciplinary teaching hospital. Methods: We conducted an observational, real-world, retrospective, single-center study, enrolling all CIED-carriers who underwent RT at the San Raffaele University Hospital, between June 2010 and December 2021. All devices were MRI-conditional. The devices were programmed to an asynchronous pacing mode for patients who had an intrinsic heart rate of less than 40 beats per minute. An inhibited pacing mode was used for all other patients. All tachyarrhythmia device functions were temporarily disabled. After each RT session, the CIED were reprogrammed to the original settings. Outcomes included adverse events and changes in the variables that indicate lead and device functions. Results: Between June 2010 and December 2021, 107 patients were enrolled, among which 63 (58.9%) were pacemaker carriers and 44 (41.1%) were ICD carriers. Patients were subjected to a mean of 16.4 (±10.7) RT sessions. The most represented tumors in our cohort were prostate cancer (12; 11%), breast cancer (10; 9%) and lung cancer (28; 26%). No statistically significant changes in device parameters were recorded before and after radiotherapy. Generator failures, power-on resets, changes in pacing threshold or sensing requiring system revision or programming changes, battery depletions, pacing inhibitions and inappropriate therapies did not occur in our cohort of patients during a ten-year time span period. Atrial arrhythmias were recorded during RT session in 14 patients (13.1%) and ventricular arrhythmias were observed at device interrogation in 10 patients (9.9%). Conclusions: Changes in device parameters and arrhythmia occurrence were infrequent, and none resulted in a clinically significant adverse event.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery as primary treatment of low-grade brainstem gliomas: A systematic review and metanalysis of current evidence and predictive factors

The current standard of care for surgically inaccessible low-grade brainstem gliomas (BS-LLGs) is external-beam radiotherapy (RT). Developments toward more innovative conformal techniques have focused on decreasing morbidity, by limiting radiation to surrounding tissues. Among these Gamma Knife radiosurgery (SRS-GK) has recently gained an increasingly important role in the treatment of these tumors. Although SRS-GK has not yet been compared with conventional RT in patients harboring focal BS-LGGs, clinical practice has been deeply influenced by trials performed on other tumors. This is the first meta-analysis on the topic, systematically reviewing the most relevant available evidence, comparing RT and SRS-GK as primary treatments of BS-LGGs, focusing on survival, clinical outcome, oncological control, and complications. Predictive factors have been systematically evaluated and analyzed according to statistical significance and clinical relevance.

Almost one year of COVID-19 pandemic: how radiotherapy centers have counteracted its impact on cancer treatment in Lombardy, Italy. CODRAL/AIRO-L study

Lombardy has represented the Italian and European epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Although most clinical efforts within hospitals were diverted towards the care of virally infected patients, therapies for patients with cancer, including radiotherapy (RT), have continued. During both the first and second pandemic waves, several national and regional organizations provided Italian and Lombardian RT departments with detailed guidelines aimed at ensuring safe treatments during the pandemic. The spread of infection among patients and personnel was limited by adopting strict measures, including triage procedures, interpersonal distance, and adequate implementation of personal protective equipment (PPE). Screening procedures addressed to both the healthcare workforce and patients, such as periodic nasopharyngeal swabs, have allowed the early identification of asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic COVID-19 cases, thus reducing the spread of the infection. Prevention of infection was deemed of paramount importance to protect both patients and personnel and to ensure the availability of a minimum number of staff members to maintain clinical activity. The choice of treating COVID-19-positive patients has represented a matter of debate, and the risk of oncologic progression has been weighted against the risk of infection of personnel and other patients. Such risk was minimized by creating dedicated paths, reserving time slots, applying intensified cleaning procedures, and supplying personnel and staff with appropriate PPE. Remote working of research staff, medical physicists, and, in some cases, radiation oncologists has prevented overcrowding of shared spaces, reducing infection spread.

OLIGO-AIRO: a national survey on the role of radiation oncologist in the management of OLIGO-metastatic patients on the behalf of AIRO

In the last years, several evidences demonstrated the role of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in the oligometastatic disease and the possibility to increase survival in selected patients. In 2020 the study group "biology and treatment of the oligometastatic disease" of the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) conducted a survey evaluating the attitude of physicians in treating the oligometastatic disease and the definition of it. An electronic questionnaire was administered online to the society members. 105 questionnaires were returned. 78% responders considered as oligometastatic a disease with ≤ 5 metastases. The majority of the responders (77%) treated > 50 patients in the last year, and 89% responders agreed in considering every oligometastatic tumor susceptible to local treatments. Regarding the clinical management of the oligometastatic disease, the majority of the responders (66%) suggested an interdisciplinary discussion. When choosing a treatment option for fit patients with a single oligometastatic focus, 52% of the responders agreed in proposing only SBRT. In the case of unfit patients with a single oligometastatic lesion the agreement was in favor of the SBRT alone (89%). In the oligoprogressive setting, 41% responders opted to continue the current systemic treatment and to add SBRT, while in the case of oligoresidual disease, 70% responders was in favor of adding SBRT and continuing the current systemic treatment. In conclusions, the survey illustrated the current agreement and prescribing attitude for oligometastatic patients in Italy. The non-homogenous agreement in some clinical scenarios suggest the need of more robust evidence.

Acute patient-reported intestinal toxicity in whole pelvis IMRT for prostate cancer: Bowel dose-volume effect quantification in a multicentric cohort study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To assess bowel dose-volume relationships for acute patient-reported intestinal symptoms of patients treated with whole-pelvis intensity-modulated radiotherapy (WPRT) for prostate cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Complete data of 415 patients enrolled in a multi institute, prospective trial (#NCT02803086) treated with radical (31%), adjuvant (33%) and salvage (36%) intent at a median dose to pelvic nodes/lymph-nodal area of 53 Gy were available. The most severe changes between baseline and radiotherapy mid-point/end toxicity assessed by Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (only Bowel Domain) were considered (ΔIBDQ). The 25th percentile values of these score variations were set as endpoints. DVHs of bowel loops for patients with/without toxicity were compared for each endpoint, having excluded patients with baseline scores <5 (rate ranging between 2% and 7% according to the endpoint): the resulting best dosimetric predictors were combined with selected clinical parameters through multivariate logistic regression (MVA) to derive predictive models.

RESULTS

ΔIBDQ ranged between 0.2-1.5 points considering separately each IBDQ symptom. Only four symptoms (IBDQ1 = frequency, IBDQ5 = diarrhea, IBDQ17 = gas passage, IBDQ24 = urgency) showed a median worsening ≥ 1; DVH predicted the risk of worse symptoms for IBDQ5, IBDQ24 and overall Bowel Domain. At multivariable analysis DVHs (best cut-off: V46Gy ≥80 cc) and baseline scores (Odd-Ratio:0.35-0.65) were independently associated to the three end-points. The resulting models were reliable (H&L test: 0.453-0.956), well calibrated (calibration plot: slope = 0.922-1.069, R² = 0.725-0.875) and moderately discriminative (Area Under the Curve:0.628-0.669). A bootstrap-based validation confirmed their robustness.

CONCLUSION

Constraining the bowel loops (V46 < 80 cc) may reduce the risk of several moderate intestinal symptoms, with a much greater impact for patients with lower IBDQ baseline scores.

Pre-clinical Research on Bladder Toxicity After Radiotherapy for Pelvic Cancers: State-of-the Art and Challenges

Despite the dramatic advancements in pelvic radiotherapy, urinary toxicity remains a significant side-effect. The assessment of clinico-dosimetric predictors of radiation cystitis (RC) based on clinical data has improved substantially over the last decade; however, a thorough understanding of the physiopathogenetic mechanisms underlying the onset of RC, with its variegated acute and late urinary symptoms, is still largely lacking, and data from pre-clinical research is still limited. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the main open issues and, ideally, to help investigators in orienting future research. First, anatomy and physiology of bladder, as well as the current knowledge of dose and dose-volume effects in humans, are briefly summarized. Subsequently, pre-clinical radiobiology aspects of RC are discussed. The findings suggest that pre-clinical research on RC in animal models is a lively field of research with growing interest in the development of new radioprotective agents. The availability of new high precision micro-irradiators and the rapid advances in small animal imaging might lead to big improvement into this field. In particular, studies focusing on the definition of dose and fractionation are warranted, especially considering the growing interest in hypo-fractionation and ablative therapies for prostate cancer treatment. Moreover, improvement in radiotherapy plans optimization by selectively reducing radiation dose to more radiosensitive substructures close to the bladder would be of paramount importance. Finally, thanks to new pre-clinical imaging platforms, reliable and reproducible methods to assess the severity of RC in animal models are expected to be developed.

Impact of sentinel lymph-node biopsy and FDG-PET in staging and radiation treatment of anal cancer patients

To assess the role of sentinel lymph-node biopsy (SLNB) and FDG-PET in staging and radiation treatment (RT) of anal cancer patients. This retrospective study was performed on 80 patients (male: 32, female: 48) with a median age of 60 years (39-89 years) with anal squamous cell carcinoma who were treated from March 2008 to March 2018 at the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital. Patients without clinical evidence of inguinal LNs metastases and/or with discordance between clinical evidence and imaging features were considered for SLNB. FDG-PET was performed in 69/80 patients. Patients with negative imaging in inguinal region and negative SLNB could avoid RT on groin to spare inguinal toxicity. CTV included GTV (primary tumour and positive LNs) and pelvic ± inguinal LNs. PTV1 and PTV2 corresponded to GTV and CTV, respectively, adding 0.5 cm. RT dose was 50.4 Gy/28 fractions to PTV2 and 64.8 Gy/36 fractions to PTV1, delivered with 3DCRT (n = 24) or IMRT (n = 56), concomitant to Mitomycin-C and 5-FU chemotherapy. FDG-PET showed inguinal uptake in 21/69 patients (30%) and was negative in 48/69 patients (70%). Lymphoscintigraphy was performed in 11/21 positive patients (4 patients SLNB confirmed inguinal metastases, 6 patients false positive and 1 patient SLN not found), and in 29/48 negative patients (5/29 showed metastases, 23/29 true negative and 1 SLN not found). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of FDG-PET were 62%, 79%, 40% and 82%, respectively. Median follow-up time from diagnosis was 40.3 months (range: 4.6-136.4 months): 69 patients (86%) showed a complete response, 10 patients (13%) a partial response, 1 patient (1%) a stable disease. Patients treated on groin (n = 54) versus not treated (n = 26) showed more inguinal dermatitis (G1-G2: 50% vs. 12%; G3-G4: 17% vs. 0%, p < 0.05). For patients treated on groin, G3-G4 inguinal dermatitis, stomatitis and neutropenia were significantly reduced with IMRT against 3DCRT techniques (13% vs. 36%, p = 0.10; 3% vs. 36%, p = 0.003; 8% vs. 29%, p = 0.02, respectively). SLNB improves the FDG-PET inguinal LNs staging in guiding the decision to treat inguinal nodes. IMRT technique significantly reduced G3-G4 toxicities when patients are treated on groin.

Predictors of 2-Year Incidence of Patient-Reported Urinary Incontinence After Post-prostatectomy Radiotherapy: Evidence of Dose and Fractionation Effects

Objective: To investigate predictors of patient-reported urinary incontinence (PRUI) in the first 2 years after post-prostatectomy radiotherapy (PORT) with particular emphasis on possible dose-effect relationships.

Patients and Methods: Two-hundred-thirteen patients, whose clinical and dosimetric data were prospectively collected within a registered multi-institutional cohort study, underwent PORT with adjuvant (n = 106) or salvage (n = 107) intent with conventional (n = 123, prescribed dose to the prostatic bed: 66.6–79.8Gy in 1.8–2.0Gy/fr) or moderately hypo- (n = 90, 65.8–76.8Gy in 2.1–2.7Gy/fr) fractionation during the period 2011–2017. PRUI was evaluated through the ICIQ-SF questionnaire filled in at baseline and every 6 months thereafter. The analysis focused on three ICIQ-based clinically relevant endpoints: (a) very frequent leakage (FREQUENCY, ICIQ3 score >3), (b) moderate to severe amount of urine loss (AMOUNT, ICIQ4>2) (c) objective severe symptoms (OBJECTIVE, ICIQ3+4>5). Predictors of the incidence within 2 years for the three endpoints were investigated focusing only on patients without endpoint symptoms at baseline. A uni-variable logistic regression analysis was performed in order to determine the best dose metrics describing PRUI risk in terms of 2-Gy equivalent dose (EQD2) calculated with different α/β values reported in the literature (0.8, 3, 5Gy), and to identify the most significant clinical variables. Variables showing p < 0.20 at uni-variable analysis were entered into a backward stepwise multi-variable logistic regression analysis. Lastly, the goodness of fit and model calibration were evaluated and internally validated.

Results: Patients without symptoms at baseline experienced (a), (b), and/or (c) within 2 years in 41/130 (32%), 40/192 (21%), and 41/129 (32%) of the cases, respectively. EQD2 for α/β = 0.8Gy was the best dose metric associated with PRUI. Multi-variable analysis identified baseline incontinence levels as the strongest predictor for all endpoints (p < 0.006). Both FREQUENCY and OBJECTIVE were significantly influenced also by EQD2(α/β = 0.8Gy). The goodness of fit was excellent, as was the calibration; internal calibration confirmed apparent performance.

Conclusion: Baseline mild urinary incontinence symptoms strongly modulate the 2-year risk of PRUI. In addition, FREQUENCY is characterized by a marked dose-effect relationship also influencing the trend of OBJECTIVE, with results more reliable than AMOUNT as an objective index. A strong impact of fractionation on severe PRUI after post-prostatectomy radiotherapy also emerged.

Personalized Risk-Benefit Ratio Adaptation of Breast Cancer Care at the Epicenter of COVID-19 Outbreak

Northern Italy has been one of the European regions reporting the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. The pandemic spread has challenged the National Health System, requiring reallocation of most of the available health care resources to treat COVID-19-positive patients, generating a competition with other health care needs, including cancer. Patients with cancer are at higher risk of developing critical illness after COVID-19 infection. Thus, mitigation strategies should be adopted to reduce the likelihood of infection in all patients with cancer. At the same time, suboptimal care and treatments may result in worse cancer-related outcome. In this article, we attempt to estimate the individual risk-benefit balance to define personalized strategies for optimal breast cancer management, avoiding as much as possible a general untailored approach. We discuss and report the strategies our Breast Unit adopted from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure the continuum of the best possible cancer care for our patients while mitigating the risk of infection, despite limited health care resources. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Managing patients with breast cancer during the COVID-19 outbreak is challenging. The present work highlights the need to estimate the individual patient risk of infection, which depends on both epidemiological considerations and individual clinical characteristics. The management of patients with breast cancer should be adapted and personalized according to the balance between COVID-19-related risk and the expected benefit of treatments. This work also provides useful suggestions on the modality of patient triage, the conduct of clinical trials, the management of an oncologic team, and the approach to patients' and health workers' psychological distress.

Prostate cancer with low burden skeletal disease at diagnosis: outcome of concomitant radiotherapy on primary tumor and metastases

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate toxicity and clinical outcome in synchronous bone only oligometastatic (≤2 lesions) prostate cancer patients, simultaneously irradiated to prostate/prostatic bed, lymph nodes and bone metastases.

METHODS

From 2/2009 to 6/2015, 39 bone only prostate cancer patients underwent radiotherapy (RT) at "radical" doses to bone metastases (median 2 Gy equivalent dose, EQD2>40Gy, α/β = 1,5), nodes, and prostate/prostatic bed, within the same RT course, in association with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).Biochemical relapse-free survival, clinical relapse-free survival, freedom from distant metastases and overall survival were evaluated.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 46.5 (1.2-103.6) months, 5 patients died from disease progression, 10 experienced biochemical relapse, 19, still in ADT, presented undetectable prostate-specific antigen (PSA) at the last follow-up. Five patients who discontinued ADT after a median of 34 months (5.8-41) are free from biochemical relapse.The 4 year Kaplan-Meier estimates of biochemical relapse-free survival, clinical relapse-free survival, freedom from distant metastases and overall survival were 53.3%, 65.7%, 73.4% and 82.4% respectively.No Grade > 2 acute events and only two severe late urinary events were recorded, not due to the concomitant treatment of primary and metastatic disease.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that "radical" and synchronous irradiation of primitive tumor and metastatic disease may be a valid approach in synchronous bone only prostate cancer patients, showing mild toxicity profile and promising survival results.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first analysis of clinical outcome in synchronous bone-only metastasis (neither nodal nor visceral) patients at diagnosis, treated with radical RT to all disease, associated to ADT.

Defining the Most Informative Intermediate Clinical Endpoints for Patients Treated with Salvage Radiotherapy for Prostate-specific Antigen Rise After Radical Prostatectomy

Intermediate clinical endpoints (ICEs) might aid in trial design and potentially expedite study results. However, little is known about the most informative ICE for patients receiving salvage radiation therapy (sRT) after radical prostatectomy. To investigate the most informative ICE for patients receiving sRT, we used a multi-institutional database encompassing patients treated at eight tertiary centers. Overall, 1301 men with node-negative disease who had not received any form of androgen deprivation therapy were identified. Associations of biochemical (BCR) and clinical recurrence (CR) within 1, 3, 5, and 7yr after surgery with the risk of overall mortality were evaluated using multivariable Cox regression analyses fitted at the landmark points of 1, 3, 5, and 7yr after sRT. The discriminative ability of each model for predicting overall survival (OS) was assessed using Harrell's c index. Median follow-up for survivors was 5.6yr (interquartile range 2.0-8.8). On multivariable analysis, progression to CR within 3yr from sRT (hazard ratio 4.19, 95% confidence interval 1.44-11.2; p= 0.008) was the most informative ICE for predicting OS (c index 0.78) compared to CR within 1, 5, and 7yr (c index 0.72, 0.75, and 0.71). In conclusion, progression to CR within 3yr after sRT, irrespective of the time of surgery, was the most informative ICE for prediction of OS. Our study is hypothesis-generating. If these results are confirmed in future prospective studies and surrogacy is met, this information could be applied for study design and could potentially expedite earlier release of results from ongoing randomized controlled trials. PATIENT SUMMARY: Clinical recurrence of prostate cancer within 3yr after salvage radiation therapy, irrespective of the time of radical prostatectomy, represents the most informative intermediate clinical endpoint for the prediction of overall survival. This information could be applied in the design of future studies and could potentially expedite earlier release of results from ongoing randomized controlled trials.

Early variation of 18-fluorine-labelled fluorodeoxyglucose PET-derived parameters after chemoradiotherapy as predictors of survival in locally advanced pancreatic carcinoma patients

OBJECTIVE

To investigate if early variation of PET-derived parameters after concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) predicts overall survival (OS), local relapse free survival (LRFS), distant relapse free survival (DRFS) and progression free survival (PFS) in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) patients.

METHODS

Fifty-two LAPC patients (median age: 61 years; range: 35-85) with available FDG PET/CT before and after RT (2-6 months, median: 2) were enrolled from May 2005 to June 2015. The predictive value of the percentage variation of mean/maximum standard uptake value (ΔSUVmean/max), metabolic tumour volume (ΔMTV) and total lesion glycolysis (ΔTLG), estimated considering different uptake thresholds (40-50-60%), was investigated between pre- and post-RT PET. The percentage difference between gastrointestinal cancer-associated antigen (ΔGICA) levels measured at the time of PET was also considered. Log-rank test and Cox regression analysis were performed to assess the prognostic value of considered PET-derived parameters on survival outcomes.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 13 months (range: 4-130). At univariate analysis, ΔTLG50 showed borderline significance in predicting OS (P = 0.05) and was the most significant parameter correlated to LRFS and PFS (P = 0.001). Median LRFS was 4 and 33 months if ΔTLG50 was below or above 35% respectively (P = 0.0003); similarly, median PFS was 3 vs 6 months (P = 0.0009). No significant correlation was found between PET-derived parameters and DRFS, while the ΔGICA was the only borderline significant prognostic value for this endpoint (P = 0.05).

CONCLUSION

PET-derived parameters predict survival in LAPC patients; in particular, ΔTLG50 is the strongest predictor. The combination of these biochemical and imaging biomarkers is promising in identifying patients at higher risk of earlier relapse.

Sentinel node biopsy after primary systemic therapy in node positive breast cancer patients: Time trend, imaging staging power and nodal downstaging according to molecular subtype

BACKGROUND

The management of axilla after Primary Systemic Therapy (PST) for breast cancer is a highly debated field. Despite the proven axillary downstaging occurring after PST, there is still some degree of reluctance in applying sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in the neoadjuvant setting.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis on 181 PST patients with axillary positive nodes at presentation treated between 2005 and 2017 at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. The aim was to observe the application time trend of SNB, to determine the imaging staging power and the axillary downstaging according to molecular subtypes.

RESULTS

Median follow-up after surgery was 32.5(IQR: 12-59) months. After PST, 119 (65.7%) patients had no clinically palpable nodes, 72 (39.7%) converted to N0 on final imaging and 34 (18.8%) underwent SNB with an increasing application trend. Axillary-US showed the highest accuracy (69.3%) in re-staging axilla after PST. Staging power of preoperative testing varied with tumour biology: Positive Predictive Value was higher in Luminal A (80% for clinical examination and 100% for axillary-US) and Luminal B (72% and 70.5%) tumours, whilst Negative Predictive Value was higher in HER2 positive (100% and 93.3%), and triple negative (71.4% and 93.3%) tumours. Ninety five (52.5%) patients experienced axillary downstaging after PST, by molecular subtype 15% (3/20) in Luminal A, 46.4% (45/97) in Luminal B, 90.9% (20/22) in HER2+ and 70.3% (26/37) in triple negative breast tumours.

CONCLUSION

SNB application after PST for breast cancer in node positive patients at presentation is increasing. Pre-operative axillary imaging and tumour biology help identify patients who might be candidates for SNB as a single staging procedure.

Magnetic Resonance, Vendor-independent, Intensity Histogram Analysis Predicting Pathologic Complete Response After Radiochemotherapy of Rectal Cancer

PURPOSE

The objective of this study is finding an intensity based histogram (IBH) signature to predict pathologic complete response (pCR) probability using only pre-treatment magnetic resonance (MR) and validate it externally in order to create a workflow for the external validation of an MR IBH signature and to apply the model out of the environment where it has been tuned. The impact of pCR and the final predictors on the survival outcome were also evaluated.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Three centers using different MR scanners were involved in this retrospective study. The first center recruited 162 patients for model training, and the second and third centers provided 34 plus 25 patients for external validation. Patients provided written consent. Accrual period was from May 2008 to December 2014. After surgery pathologic response was defined. T2-weighted MR scans acquired before chemoradiation therapy (CRT) were used for analysis addressed on primary lesions. Images were pre-processed using Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) filter with multiple σ, and first order intensity histogram-based features (kurtosis, skewness, and entropy) were extracted. Features selection was performed using Mann-Whitney test. Tumor staging (cT, cN) was added to build a logistic regression model and predict pCR. Model performance was evaluated with internal and external validation using area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) and calibration with Hosmer-Lemeshow test. The linear cross-correlation matrix (Pearson's coefficient) and the variance inflation factor (VIF) were used to check the correlation and the co-linearity among the final predictors. The amount of the information added through the radiomics features was estimated by using the DeLong's test, and the impact of pCR and the final predictors on survival outcomes were evaluated through the Kaplan-Meier curves by using the log-rank test and the multivariate Cox model.

RESULTS

Candidate-to-analysis features were skewness (σ = 0.485, P value = .01) and entropy (σ = 0.344, P value < .05). Logistic regression analysis showed as significant covariates cT (P value < .01), skewness-σ = 0.485 (P value = .01), and entropy-σ = 0.344 (P value < .05). Model AUCs were 0.73 (internal) and 0.75 (external).

CONCLUSIONS

This MR-based, vendor-independent model can be helpful for predicting pCR probability in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients only using pre-treatment imaging.

Moderately Hypofractionated Helical IMRT, FDG-PET/CT-guided, for Progressive Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in Patients With Intact Lungs

INTRODUCTION

The objective of this study was to present the outcomes of moderately hypofractionated helical intensity-modulated radiation therapy (HT) with/without simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) on fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) positive areas (gross tumor volume [GTV]-PET) for patients with progressive malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) after previous treatments.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

From May 2006 to April 2014, 51 patients with a median age of 68.8 years (range, 38.6-82 years) were treated. There were 41 men and 10 women; 43 epithelioid MPM and 8 sarcomatoid, involving the left pleura in 25 patients and the right pleura in 26 patients. The initial stage was: I, 11 patients; II, 14 patients; III, 17 patients; and IV, 9 patients. Chemotherapy was prescribed for 46 patients, for 6 cycles (range, 0-18 cycles). Eighteen patients had pleurectomy/decortication, and 33 had talc pleurodesis. FDG-PET was used for target identification. A median dose of 56 Gy/25 fractions was prescribed to the involved pleura, and SIB to 62.5 Gy to GTV-PET was added in 38 patients.

RESULTS

The median survival from diagnosis was 25.8 months (range, 8.4-99.0 months). One patient, treated with SIB, was alive at the October 2017 follow-up. Two cases of grade 5 radiation pneumonitis were registered. A GTV-PET ≤ 205 cc was predictive of late ≥ grade 2 lung toxicity, but also of better survival in stage III and IV disease: 5.9 versus 11.7 months (P = .04). A GTV-PET ≥ 473 cc was predictive of early death (P = .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Moderately hypofractionated, FDG-PET guided salvage HT in patients with progressive MPM after previous treatments showed acceptable toxicity and outcome results similar to adjuvant radiotherapy after pleurectomy/decortication, suggesting that the delay of radiotherapy is not detrimental to survival, and has the associated benefit of postponing inherent toxicity.

Equipment, staffing, and provision of radiotherapy in Lombardy, Italy: Results of three surveys performed between 2012 and 2016

INTRODUCTION:

Several efforts are being implemented at the European level to measure provision of up-to-date radiation treatments across the continent.

METHODS:

A snapshot survey involving all radiation oncology centers within Lombardy, Italy, was performed in 2012 and repeated in 2014 and 2016, in cooperation with regional governmental officers. Centers were asked to provide detailed information concerning all individual patients being treated on the index day, and to report data on available local resources.

RESULTS:

We observed an increase in the number of centers and of megavoltage units (MVU) (from 76 to 87, i.e., 8.7 MVU per million inhabitants in 2016). Mean number of MVU per center was 2.5. Average age of MVU increased from 5.3 to 7.5 years and patients on the waiting list also increased. Conformal 3D radiotherapy (RT) treatments decreased from 56% to 42% and were progressively replaced by intensity-modulated RT treatments (from 39% to 49%). Waiting times were overall satisfactory. Radiation oncologists treated on average 152 and radiation therapists 100 RT courses per year. Average reimbursement per course was €4,879 (range €2,476-€8,014).

CONCLUSIONS:

The methodology of snapshot survey proved feasible and provided valuable information about radiation oncology provision and accessibility in Lombardy.

PET Evaluation of Late Cerebral Effect in Advanced Radiation Therapy Techniques for Cranial Base Tumors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Even though the benefits of radiation therapy are well established, it is important to recognize the broad spectrum of radiation-induced changes, particularly in the central nervous system. The possible damage to the brain parenchyma may have clinical consequences and in particular cognitive impairment might be one of the major complications of radiotherapy. To date, no studies have investigated the effects of focal radiation therapy on brain structure and function together with the assessment of their clinical outcomes at a long follow-up.

METHODS

In this prospective study, we evaluated in six patients the possible brain late effects after radiation therapy, using a standardized neuropsychological battery, MRI and 18F-FDG PET using SPM and semi-quantitative methods, in patients affected by cranial base tumors who underwent gamma knife or tomotherapy.

RESULTS

Neuropsychological examinations showed no cognitive impairment after the treatment. In all patients, both MRI assessment and 18F-FDG-PET did not reveal any local or distant anatomical and metabolic late effects.

CONCLUSION

The present study support the safety of advanced radiation therapy techniques. 18F-FDGPET, using SPM and semi-quantitative methods, might be a valuable tool to evaluate the cerebral radiotoxicity in patients treated for brain neoplasms.

Quantifying the robustness of [ 18 F]FDG-PET/CT radiomic features with respect to tumor delineation in head and neck and pancreatic cancer patients

PURPOSE

To investigate the robustness of PET radiomic features (RF) against tumour delineation uncertainty in two clinically relevant situations.

METHODS

Twenty-five head-and-neck (HN) and 25 pancreatic cancer patients previously treated with ¹⁸F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)-based planning optimization were considered. Seven FDG-based contours were delineated for tumour (T) and positive lymph nodes (N, for HN patients only) following manual (2 observers), semi-automatic (based on SUV maximum gradient: PET_Edge) and automatic (40%, 50%, 60%, 70% SUV_max thresholds) methods. Seventy-three RF (14 of first order and 59 of higher order) were extracted using the CGITA software (v.1.4). The impact of delineation on volume agreement and RF was assessed by DICE and Intra-class Correlation Coefficients (ICC).

RESULTS

A large disagreement between manual and SUV_max method was found for thresholds  ≥50%. Inter-observer variability showed median DICE values between 0.81 (HN-T) and 0.73 (pancreas). Volumes defined by PET_Edge were better consistent with the manual ones compared to SUV40%. Regarding RF, 19%/19%/47% of the features showed ICC < 0.80 between observers for HN-N/HN-T/pancreas, mostly in the Voxel-alignment matrix and in the intensity-size zone matrix families. RFs with ICC < 0.80 against manual delineation (taking the worst value) increased to 44%/36%/61% for PET_Edge and to 69%/53%/75% for SUV40%.

CONCLUSIONS

About 80%/50% of 72 RF were consistent between observers for HN/pancreas patients. PET_edge was sufficiently robust against manual delineation while SUV40% showed a worse performance. This result suggests the possibility to replace manual with semi-automatic delineation of HN and pancreas tumours in studies including PET radiomic analyses.

Consolidation Radiotherapy for a Rare Case of Extranodal Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Synchronous with Prostate Adenocarcinoma

Nongastric primary extranodal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas are uncommon, with around 0.1% occurring in the prostate. Even less frequent is the presence of MALT lymphoma synchronous with another type of neoplasm in the same organ, especially the prostate. Only a single case of concurrent adenocarcinoma and MALT lymphoma of the prostate has been reported in the literature. We report a rare case of primary extranodal marginal zone MALT lymphoma incidentally diagnosed during radical prostatectomy for an adenocarcinoma of the prostate in a 53-year-old patient. Fourteen months later a recurrence of the MALT lymphoma involving both sides of the diaphragm was found and was treated with chemoimmunotherapy. High-dose radiotherapy was delivered to residual bulky disease in the pelvic region. At 18 months from the end of radiation treatment the patient was without signs of relapse of MALT lymphoma. This preliminary result confirms that rare cases of MALT lymphoma of the prostate should be discussed and treated under the collaborative supervision of hematologists and medical and radiation oncologists. In fact, at an advanced stage of the disease, a chemotherapy regimen with additional consolidation radiotherapy could be an effective strategy, as in all other lymphomas.

Megavoltage CT Images of Helical Tomotherapy Unit for Radiation Treatment Simulation: Impact on Feasibility of Treatment Planning in a Prostate Cancer Patient with Bilateral Femoral Prostheses

Metal prosthesis artefacts on CT images can be a significant problem in the definition of volumes of interest, dose calculation and patient setup in modern radiotherapy. We experienced considerable difficulties in defining the organs at risk and treatment volumes on kVCT images of standard CT simulation in a prostate cancer patient due to the presence of bilateral femoral prostheses causing artefacts. As shown in the current case, MVCT images of the patient in the treatment position obtained using a helical tomotherapy unit can provide sufficient morphological information to define the pelvic anatomic structures for radical prostate treatment planning. The patient completed the planned treatment and at 90 days after the end of treatment no severe side effects were recorded. Since there have been few reports on the use of MVCT images to overcome the problem of hip prosthesis artefacts, a brief literature review was also carried out.

Helical Tomotherapy for Scalp Recurrence of Primary Eccrine Mucinous Adenocarcinoma

Primary cutaneous mucinous carcinomas originating from sweat glands are rare tumors with patterns of spread that are difficult to predict. We present a case of a five times recurring eccrine mucinous adenocarcinoma of the scalp, previously treated with surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy. After magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (18FDG-PET/CT), which documented local recurrence, the patient was considered eligible for salvage irradiation of the scalp. We decided to use helical tomotherapy, which combines conformity of dose delivery with the possibility of daily control of the setup accuracy. Forty gray (2Gy/fraction) to the planning target volume and 50 Gy (2.5Gy/fraction) to the biological target volume defined on the basis of 18FDGPET/CT was prescribed with a simultaneous integrated boost technique. After 12 fractions the patient was submitted to intermediate evaluation by 18FDG-PET/CT, which showed a partial response to the treatment. After 2, 4, 8, and 12 months, 18FDG-PET/CT showed a complete metabolic local response. This experience suggests a possible role of 18FDG-PET/CT-guided helical tomotherapy as an alternative to repeated and frequently demolitive surgery approaches.

[11C]choline-PET-guided Helical Tomotherapy and Estramustine in a Patient with Pelvic-Recurrent Prostate Cancer: Local Control and Toxicity Profile after 24 Months

[11C]choline positron emission tomograhy can be useful to detect metastatic disease and to localize isolated lymph node relapse after primary treatment in case of prostate-specific antigen failure. In case of lymph node failure in prostate cancer patients, surgery or radiotherapy can be proposed with a curative intent. Some reports have suggested that radiotherapy could have a role in local control of oligometastatic lymph node disease. This is the first reported case of [11C]choline positron emission tomography-guided helical tomotherapy concomitant with estramustine for the treatment of pelvic-recurrent prostate cancer. At 24 months after the end of helical tomotherapy, prostate-specific antigen was undetectable and no late toxicities were recorded. A disease-free survival of 24 months, in the absence of any type of systemic therapy, is uncommon in metastatic prostate cancer. The therapeutic approach of the case report is discussed and a literature review on the issue is presented.

Changes in Glucose Metabolism during and after Radiotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Aims and background

Evaluation of the metabolic response to radiotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer patients is commonly performed about three months after the end of radiotherapy. The aim of the present study was to assess with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose changes in glucose metabolism during and after radiotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Methods and study design

In 6 patients, PET/CT scans with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose were performed before (PET0), during (PET1; at a median of 14 days before the end of radiotherapy) and after the end of radiotherapy (PET2 and PET3, at a median of 28 and 93 days, respectively). The metabolic response was scored according to visual and semiquantitative criteria.

Results

Standardize maximum uptake at PET1 (7.9 ± 4.8), PET2 (5.1 ± 4.1) and PET3 (2.7 ± 3.1) were all significantly (P <0.05; ANOVA repeated measures) lower than at PET0 (16.1 ± 10.1). Standardized maximum uptake at PET1 was significantly higher than at both PET2 and PET3. There were no significant differences in SUVmax between PET2 and PET3. PET3 identified 4 complete and 2 partial metabolic responses, whereas PET1 identified 6 partial metabolic responses. Radiotherapy-induced increased [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose uptake could be visually distinguished from tumor uptake based on PET/CT integration and was less frequent at PET1 (n = 2) than at PET3 (n = 6).

Conclusions

In non-small cell lung cancer, radiotherapy induces a progressive decrease in glucose metabolism that is greater 3 months after the end of treatment but can be detected during the treatment itself. Glucose avid, radiotherapy-induced inflammation is more evident after the end of radiotherapy than during radiotherapy and does not preclude the interpretation of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose images, particularly when using PET/CT.

Postoperative Radiotherapy in Prostate Cancer: Acquired Certainties and Still Open Issues. A Review of Recent Literature

It is recognized that radiation therapy can eradicate microscopic tumor disease, even in postoperative prostate cancer patients, when extracapsular extension, positive surgical margins or increased prostate-specific antigen is found in surgical specimens. This review of recent literature analyzes and discusses acquired certainties and still open questions regarding type, timing, doses, techniques, toxicities, and associated hormonal therapies of radiotherapy prescribed after radical prostatectomy. Free full text available at www.tumorionline.it

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of Trachea Treated with Adjuvant Hypofractionated Tomotherapy. Case Report and Literature Review

Adenoid cystic carcinoma, also called cylindroma, is the second most common histological type of tracheal malignancy but represents 1% of all respiratory tract cancers. We report a case of a 59-year-old patient submitted to an incomplete resection of the trachea and subsequently treated with adjuvant tomotherapy. There have been no reports in the literature regarding intensity-modulated radiation therapy with linac or tomotherapy systems in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the trachea.

The present clinical case demonstrates the feasibility of adjuvant intensity-modulated radiation therapy techniques for optimizing the dose coverage of the tumor bed while sparing surrounding normal tissues. A dosimetric comparison between the tomotherapy plan and a 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy plan is also reported. We demonstrate that tomotherapy permits an increase in the dose per fraction without important acute adverse effects. At 24 months’ follow-up, our patient shows no evidence of disease with negative histological findings.

Role of PET/CT in the Clinical Management of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Aim

To evaluate the role of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT in: a) the selection of patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer for helical tomotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy (HTT-ChT); b) monitoring HTT-ChT treatment efficacy in comparison with contrast-enhanced CT (c.e.CT).

Methods

Forty-two consecutive patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer referred for HTT-ChT were enrolled in the study. All patients were pretreated with induction ChT. Before the beginning of HTT-ChT treatment patients underwent diagnostic c.e.CT (CT0) and FDG PET/CT (PET/CT0) for staging. After staging, patients received HTT-ChT. Three months after the end of HTT-ChT a control c.e.CT (CT1) was done. FDG PET/CT (PET/CT1) was repeated only in patients with positive PET/CT0. PET/CT1 and CT1 were compared with baseline imaging results to assess treatment efficacy.

Results

In 31/42 cases (74%) PET/CT0 documented pathological uptake in pancreatic lesions, while in the remaining 11/42 cases it showed no uptake. In 7/42 (17%) patients, PET/CT0 also detected distant metastases, prompting a change in the therapeutic approach. Compared to PET/CT0, PET/CT1 (n = 18) documented 3 complete metabolic responses, 9 partial metabolic responses, 2 instances of stable metabolic disease, and 4 instances of progressive metabolic disease. In the same group of 18 patients, CT1 showed 0 complete responses, 3 partial responses, 8 instances of stable disease, and 7 instances of progressive disease compared to CT0. Concordance between PET/CT and CT response was seen in 33% of cases. In 50% of cases, PET/CT1 documented a response to therapy that was not evident on CT.

Conclusions

PET/CT influenced the treatment strategy by detecting distant metastases not documented by CT, thus accurately selecting patients for HTT-ChT after induction ChT. In monitoring treatment efficacy, PET/CT can detect a metabolic response to treatment not identified by CT.

Inflammatory Pseudotumor of Mediastinum Treated with Tomotherapy and Monitored with FDG-PET/CT: Case Report and Literature Review

Mediastinal inflammatory pseudotumor is a rare disease with reactive pseudoneoplastic features and a proven capacity for local invasion. The radiographic appearance of inflammatory pseudotumor is quite non-specific and the definitive diagnosis is based on the histological evaluation of tissue specimens. Resection of the lesion is the treatment of choice. However, nonsurgical treatments such as radiotherapy and steroids have been employed in the setting of incomplete surgical resection, tumor recurrence, and patients being unfit for surgery. The case described here is being reported because of the rare mediastinal location and atypical treatment approach including salvage irradiation and monitoring with FDG-PET/CT. Because of the irregular target volume inside the mediastinum as defined by FDG-PET/CT and the significant pulmonary comorbidity, it was deemed necessary to optimize dose delivery with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). A possible gain by means of daily control of patient setup with image-guided radiation therapy was also hypothesized and we used tomotherapy to irradiate the lesion. The first FDG-PET/CT after treatment confirmed further reduction of the metabolic activity followed by stable disease in the mediastinum, with no new occurrence of disease 16, 24 and 30 months after tomotherapy.

Impact of Early Salvage Radiation Therapy in Patients with Persistently Elevated or Rising Prostate-specific Antigen After Radical Prostatectomy

BACKGROUND

Salvage radiation therapy (SRT) is a recommended treatment option for biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP). However, its effectiveness may be limited to specific categories of patients.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to identify the optimal candidates for early SRT after RP.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

The study included 925 node-negative patients treated with SRT after RP at seven institutions. Patients received SRT for either prostate-specific antigen (PSA) rising, or PSA persistence after RP that was defined as PSA level ≥0.1 ng/ml at 1 mo after surgery. All patients received local radiation to the prostate and seminal vesicle bed.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

The primary outcome measured was distant metastasis after SRT. Regression tree analysis was used to develop a risk-stratification tool. Multivariable Cox regression analysis and nonparametric curve fitting methods were used to explore the relationship between PSA level at SRT and the probability of metastasis-free survival at 8 yr.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

At a median follow-up of 8.0 yr, 130 patients developed distant metastasis. At multivariable analysis, pre-SRT PSA level was significantly associated with distant metastasis (hazard ratio: 1.06, p<0.0001). However, when patients were stratified into five risk groups using regression tree analysis (area under the curve: 85%), early SRT administration provided better metastasis-free survival in three groups only: (1) low risk: undetectable PSA after RP, Gleason score ≤7, and tumour stage ≥pT3b, (2) intermediate risk: undetectable PSA after RP with Gleason score ≥8, (3) high risk: PSA persistence after RP with Gleason score ≤7.

CONCLUSIONS

We developed an accurate risk stratification tool to facilitate the individualised recommendation for early SRT based on prostate cancer characteristics. Early SRT proved to be beneficial only in selected groups of patients who are more likely to be affected by clinically significant but not yet systemic recurrence at the time of salvage treatment administration.

PATIENT SUMMARY

In patients affected by prostate cancer recurrence after radical prostatectomy, the early administration of salvage radiation therapy is beneficial only for selected subgroups of patients. In this study, these groups of patients were identified.

Analysis of serial CT images for studying the RT effects in head-neck cancer patients

Images taken during and after RT for head and neck cancer have the potential to quantitatively assess xerostomia. Image information may be used as biomarkers of RT effects on parotid glands with significant potential to support adaptive treatment strategies. We investigated the possibility to extract information based on in-room CT images (kVCT, MVCT), acquired for daily image-guided radiotherapy treatment of head-and-neck cancer patients, in order to predict individual response in terms of toxicity. Follow-up MRI images were also used in order to investigate long term parotid gland deformation.

Dose-volume effects for pelvic bone marrow in predicting hematological toxicity in prostate cancer radiotherapy with pelvic node irradiation

PURPOSE

To prospectively identify clinical/dosimetric predictors of acute/late hematologic toxicity (HT) in chemo-naÏve patients treated with whole-pelvis radiotherapy (WPRT) for prostate cancer.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data of 121 patients treated with adjuvant/salvage WPRT were analyzed (static-field IMRT n=19; VMAT/Rapidarc n=57; Tomotherapy n=45). Pelvic bone marrow (BM) was delineated as ilium (IL), lumbosacral, lower and whole pelvis (WP), and the relative DVHs were calculated. HT was graded both according to CTCAE v4.03 and as variation in percentage relative to baseline. Logistic regression was used to analyze association between HT and clinical/DVHs factors.

RESULTS

Significant differences (p<0.005) in the DVH of BM volumes between different techniques were found: Tomotherapy was associated with larger volumes receiving low doses (3-20 Gy) and smaller receiving 40-50 Gy. Lower baseline absolute values of WBC, neutrophils and lymphocytes (ALC) predicted acute/late HT (p ⩽ 0.001). Higher BM V40 was associated with higher risk of acute Grade3 (OR=1.018) or late Grade2 lymphopenia (OR=1.005). Two models predicting lymphopenia were developed, both including baseline ALC, and BM WP-V40 (AUC=0.73) and IL-V40+smoking (AUC=0.904) for acute/late respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Specific regions of pelvic BM predicting acute/late lymphopenia, a risk factor for viral infections, were identified. The 2-variable models including specific constraints to BM may help reduce HT.

Radiation Treatment of Lymph Node Recurrence from Prostate Cancer: Is 11C-Choline PET/CT Predictive of Survival Outcomes?

PET/CT is a valuable tool to detect lymph node (LN) metastases in patients with biochemical failure after primary treatment for prostate cancer (PCa). The aim was to assess the predictive role of imaging parameters derived by (11)C-choline PET/CT on survival outcomes-overall survival, locoregional relapse-free survival, clinical relapse-free survival (cRFS), and biochemical relapse-free survival (bRFS)-in patients treated with helical tomotherapy (HTT) for LN recurrence.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 68 patients affected by PCa (mean age, 68 y; age range, 51-81 y) with biochemical recurrence after primary treatment (median prostate-specific antigen values obtained at the time of PET/CT scan, 2.42 ng/mL; range, 0.61-27.56 ng/mL) who underwent (11)C-choline PET/CT from January 2005 to January 2013 and were treated with HTT in correspondence of the pathologic choline LN uptake. PET-derived parameters, including maximum/mean standardized uptake value (SUVmax and SUVmean, respectively) and metabolic tumor volume (MTV) with a threshold of 40%, 50%, and 60% were calculated. The best cutoff values of PET-derived parameters discriminating between patients with and without relapse, after treatment guided by PET, were assessed by receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis including the most predictive PET-derived parameters and survival outcomes were performed.

RESULTS

The median follow-up was 20 mo (mean, 26 mo; range, 3-97 mo). (11)C-choline PET/CT showed pathologic LN uptake in 4 patients at the pelvic level, in 5 at the abdominal level, in 13 at both the pelvic and the abdominal level, and in 46 at the abdominal or pelvic or other sites. The 2-y overall survival, locoregional relapse-free survival, cRFS, and bRFS were 87%, 91%, 51%, and 40%, respectively. On the basis of ROC curves, the most discriminative cutoff value for MTV values was an MTV threshold of 60% (MTV60) of greater than 0.64 cm(3). No significant cutoff values were found for SUVmax or SUVmean at univariate analysis, whereas MTV60 was confirmed as an independent predictor in multivariate analysis and significantly correlated with bRFS and cRFS. MTV60 and extrapelvic disease well predict the risk of cRFS.

CONCLUSION

(11)C-choline PET/CT performed as a guide for HTT on LN recurrence is predictive of survival. In particular, MTV60 and extrapelvic disease were the best predictors of tumor response for bRFS and cRFS in PCa patients with LN recurrence after primary treatment. This information may be useful in emerging treatment strategies.