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Currently, radiotherapy has been found to induce lymphopenia in multiple solid tumors, which has been proven to be associated with poor prognosis. Radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) is associated with age, baseline lymphocyte count, tumor size and location and radiotherapy regimens (radiation fractionation, field size and technique), etc. In addition, several drugs and cytokines may help restore lymphocytes. Exploration of effective strategies to prevent or treat RIL may be an important future direction to improve prognosis of cancer patients.
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Hypofractionated radiotherapy, which provides equivalent efficacy and dose not increase toxicity compared with conventional fractionated radiotherapy following breast-conserving surgery, has become a preferred choice for whole breast irradiation. Given the low local recurrence risk and long survival time for early breast cancer survivors, radiation-associated toxicities are the focus of clinical practice. However, in the era of hypofractionated radiotherapy, the risk factors for radiation-associated toxicity remain undefined and further research is warranted. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of the toxicities of hypofractionated radiotherapy following breast-conserving surgery.
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Objective:To observe the effect of project-based learning (PBL) in the clinical teaching of radiation physics.Methods:Thirty-two residents specializing in radiotherapy were included in the study. In the experimental group ( n=16), PBL was adopted, while traditional clinical teaching method was employed in the control group ( n=16). After the rotation, the assessment was conducted, as well as a questionnaire survey was performed, including five aspects: overall satisfaction, understanding of radiation physics knowledge, learning motivation, learning burden, and learning efficiency. Results:The assessment score in the experimental group was 86.31±5.41, which was higher than 75.28±5.91 in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant. Residents in the experimental group were satisfied with the effect of PBL.Conclusion:Compared with the traditional teaching method, PBL can improve the learning motivation, efficiency, and performance of radiotherapy residents, which is highly recognized by the residents.
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Radiotherapy is an important treatment modality in breast-conserving therapy of breast cancer. At present, hypofractionation has become the preferred dose schedule for whole breast irradiation. Tumor bed boost can further improve the local control, and sequential boost is recommended for high-risk patients. The widespread application of intensity-modulated radiation therapy provides dosimetric advantages and practical convenience for simultaneous integrated boost. In this review, the indications of tumor bed boost and recent research progress on simultaneous integrated boost were summarized, specifically focusing on the safety and efficacy of simultaneous integrated boost during conventional fractionated or hypofractionated whole breast radiotherapy. Ongoing phase Ⅲ randomized clinical trials of simultaneous integrated boost during hypofractionated whole breast radiotherapy were also illustrated.
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Objective:To compare the outcomes of watch&wait (W&W) strategy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who achieved complete clinical response (cCR) after neoadjuvant therapy, with those who obtained pathological complete response (pCR) after total mesorectal excision (TME).Methods:This is a retrospective cohort analysis study. Patients histologically proven with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma (stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ) who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were eligible between January 2014 and December 2019. In whom we included patients who had cCR offered management with W&W strategy after completing neoadjuvant therapy and follow-up ≥1 year (W&W group), and patients who did not have cCR but pCR after TME (pCR group). The primary endpoints were 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS), colostomy-free survival (CFS), disease-free survival (DFS), non-local regrowth disease-free survival (NR-DFS), and organ preservation rate. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for survival analysis and log-rank test was performed. For comparative analysis, we also derived one-to-one paired cohorts of W&W versus pCR using propensity-score matching (PSM).Results:A total of 118 patients were enrolled, 49 of whom had cCR and managed by W&W, 69 had pCR, with a median follow-up period of 49.5 months (12.1-79.9 months). No difference was observed in the 3-year OS (97.1% vs. 96.7%) and 5-year OS (93.8% vs. 90.9%, P=0.696) between the W&W and pCR groups. Patients managed by W&W had significantly better 3-year and 5-year CFS (89.1% vs. 43.5%, P<0.001), better 3-year DFS (83.6% vs. 97.0%) and 5-year DFS (83.6% vs. 91.2%, P=0.047) compared with those achieving pCR. The 3-year NR-DFS (95.9% vs. 97.0%) and 5-year NR-DFS (92.8% vs. 97.0%, P=0.407) did not significantly differ between the W&W and pCR groups. Local regeneration occurred in six cases, and 87.7% of patients had successful rectum preservation in the W&W group. In the PSM analysis (34 patients in each group), absolutely better CFS (90.1% vs. 26.5%, P<0.001) was noted in the W&W group. A median interval of 17.5 weeks was observed for achieving cCR, while only 23.9% of patients achieved cCR within 5 to 12 weeks from radiation completion. Patients with short-course sequential chemoradiotherapy achieved cCR significantly later when compared with those with long-course concurrent chemoradiotherapy (19.0 vs. 9.8 weeks, P<0.001). Conclusions:The oncological outcomes of W&W strategy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer are safe and effective, significantly improving the quality of life. Longer interval for cCR evaluation may improve rectal organ preservation rate.
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Objective:To analyze locoregional recurrence (LRR) pattern of patients with pT 1-2N 1 breast cancer after modified radical mastectomy, with and without adjuvant radiotherapy (RT). Methods:A total of 5442 eligible patients with breast cancer from 12 Chinese centers were included. The LRR sites and the effect of RT at different sites on recurrence in patients with and without RT were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative LRR rate, and the difference was compared by the log-rank test.Results:With a median follow-up time of 63.8 months for the entire cohort, 395 patients developed LRR. The chest wall and supraclavicular fossa were the most common LRR sites, regardless of RT or molecular subtypes. The 5-year chest wall recurrence rates for patients with and without chest wall irradiation were 2.5% and 3.8%( P=0.003); the 5-year supraclavicular lymph nodal recurrence rates for patients with and without supraclavicular fossa irradiation were 1.3% and 4.1%( P<0.001); the 5-year axillary recurrence-free rates for patients with and without axillary irradiation were 0.8% and 1.5%( HR=0.31, 95% CI: 0.04-2.23, P=0.219); and the 5-year internal mammary nodal recurrence-free rates for patients with and without internal mammary nodal irradiation were 0.8% and 1.5%( HR=0.45, 95% CI: 0.11-1.90, P=0.268). Conclusions:The chest wall and supraclavicular fossa are the most common LRR sites of patients with pT 1-2N 1 breast cancer after modified radical mastectomy, which is not affected by adjuvant RT or molecular subtypes. The chest wall and supraclavicular fossa irradiation significantly reduce the risk of recurrence in the corresponding area. However, axillary and internal mammary nodal irradiation has no impact on the risk of recurrence in the corresponding area.
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With aligned MR registration, the MR-Linac provides superior soft tissue resolution for prostate cancer. No fiducial markers or electromagnetic transponders insertion is needed to guarantee high-precision radiotherapy. The highly-recommended Adapt-To-Shape (ATS) workflow can resolve all the problems encountered during prostate cancer radiotherapy, including prostate volume changes and adjacent organs motion, both inter-fractionally and intra-fractionally. With all the above advantages, MR-Linac performs outstandingly than conventional linac in prostate cancer RT delivery, and probably helps us to reduce the CTV-PTV margin safely in the near future. Nevertheless, it is difficult to implement the ATS workflow in clinical practice. In this article, the standard ATS workflow for prostate cancer was summarized based on our own experience.
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Objective:To describe a prospective study of pre-operative tumor-bed boost performed at the 1.5 T MR-Linac in combination with adjuvant whole breast irradiation, and a first case, with an accentuation on clinical feasibility and safety.Methods:A phase II, single arm study recruiting early stage patients follows a paradigm that first boosts the tumor bed and then undergoes breast conservative surgery in 2 weeks, and last irradiates the whole breast in 6 weeks. The primary endpoint is ≥ grade 2 acute breast toxicity. A 43 years old patient affected by a breast carcinoma, not special type of the right-sided lateral quadrant, staged cT 2N 0M 0, was planned and treated. The dose, 8 Gy for one time, was calculated by Monaco on CT simulation images. Both the air electron stream effect (ESE) and the electron return effect (ERE) at the presence of 1.5 T magnetic field were evaluated. During the pre-treatment evaluation, we carried out adaptation-to-position adjustment. Results:The normal organ dosimetry is within toleration. The Dmax to the skin, the chin and the right upper arm was 8.44 Gy, 28.5 cGy and 17.8 cGy, respectively. There was no increased toxicity from ERE and ESE, and the treatment was well tolerated without > grade 1 acute toxicity. The patient received breast conservative surgery on day 7 without delayed wound healing.Conclusions:This is the first case successfully treated within a clinical trial by pre-operative tumor-bed boost under 1.5 T MR-Linac in our institution. More participants are needed to validate and optimize the paradigm.
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Objective:To investigate the workflow, efficacy and safety of MR-Linac in liver malignancies.Methods:Clinical data of 15 patients with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) or liver metastases treated with MR-Linac between November 2019 and July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The workflow of MR-Linac was investigated and image identification rate was analyzed. Patients were followed up for response and toxicity assessment.Results:Fifteen patients (6 HCC, 8 liver metastases from colorectal cancer, 1 liver metastasis from breast cancer) were enrolled. A total of 21 lesions were treated, consisting of 10 patients with single lesion, 4 patients with double lesions and 1 patient with triple lesions. The median tumor size was 2.4 cm (0.8-9.8 cm). The identification rate for gross tumor volume (GTV) in MR-Linac was 13/15. Although GTV of two patients were unclearly displayed in MR-Linac images, the presence of adjacent blood vessel and bile duct assisted the precise registration. All the patients were treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). For HCC, the median fraction dose for GTV or planning gross tumor volume (PGTV) was 6 Gy (5-10 Gy) and the median number of fractions was 9(5-10). The median total dose was 52 Gy (50-54 Gy) and the median equivalent dose in 2 Gy fraction (EQD 2Gy) at α/ β= 10 was 72 Gy (62.5-83.3 Gy). For liver metastases, the median fraction dose for GTV or PGTV was 5 Gy (5-10 Gy) and the median number of fractions was 10(5-10). The median total dose was 50 Gy (40-50 Gy) and the median EQD 2Gy at α/ β=5 was 71.4 Gy (71.4-107.1 Gy). At 1 month after SBRT, the in-field objective response rate (ORR) was 8/13 and the disease control rate was 13/13. At 3-6 months after SBRT, the in-filed ORR was increased to 6/6. During the median follow-up of 4.0 months (0.3-11.6), 4-month local progression-free survival, progression-free survival and overall survival were 15/15, 11/15 and 15/15, respectively. Toxicities were mild and no grade 3 or higher toxicities were observed. Conclusions:MR-Linac provides a platform with high identification rates of liver lesions. Besides, the presence of adjacent blood vessel and bile duct also assists the precise registration. It is especially suitable for liver malignancies with promising local control and well tolerance.
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Objective:To explore the impacts of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) on setup errors during the radiotherapy of elderly patients with rectal cancer.Methods:A total of 45 patients over 70 years of age and receiving radiotherapy were enrolled in the study. A comprehensive geriatric assessment was conducted before the radiotherapy. The enrolled patients had a median age of 77 years, including 28 male and 17 female cases. Meanwhile, 31 patients were determined to be in a good CGA status and 14 were determined to be in a poor CGA status, and 35 patients received radiotherapy in the prone position and 10 in the supine position. Cone beam CT (CBCT) was used for setup correction during radiotherapy. CBCT was performed daily in the first week and once a week from the second week. By fusing and aligning the CBCT images with simulation CT images according to the lumbar vertebra, setup errors in the left-right ( x axis), cranio-caudal ( y axis), and anterior-posterior ( z axis) directions were obtained. A total of 338 CBCT images were obtained. A generalized linear model was used to evaluate the effects of multiple factors on the setup errors. Results:During the radiotherapy, setup errors of all patients were (0.24±0.19) cm in the left-right direction, (0.33±0.25) cm in the cranio-caudal direction, and (0.19±0.15) cm in the anterior-posterior direction. The setup error in the cranio-caudal direction was more than that in the left-right direction and that in the anterior-posterior direction ( Z=-4.86, -7.72, P< 0.001). The setup error in the left-right direction was greater than that in the anterior-posterior direction ( Z=-2.79, P=0.005). The mean setup errors of the good and poor status groups in the left-right direction were (0.21 ± 0.17) and (0.30 ± 0.22) cm, respectively ( Z=2.16, P=0.031). There was no statistically significant difference in the setup errors between cranio-caudal direction and anterior-posterior direction ( P>0.05). The setup errors in the anterior-posterior direction were (0.17 ± 0.13) and (0.27 ± 0.19) cm, respectively for the prone and supine positions during the radiotherapy ( Z=2.85, P=0.004). There was no statistically significant difference in the setup errors between the left-right direction and the cranio-caudal direction ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The status of CGA elderly patients with rectal cancer affects the setup error in the left-right direction. It may be necessary to clinically adjust the PTV margin.
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Distant metastasis is the leading cause of death for breast cancer patients, and advanced metastatic breast cancer is mainly considered incurable. Oligometastasis is an" intermediate stage" between local primary tumor and extensive metastasis. As a local treatment approach, radiotherapy plays an important role in the management of oligometastatic breast cancer. The development of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) allows the delivery of ablative doses to the targets without exceeding the dose constraints of organs-at-risk. Studies have shown that SBRT is safe and effective, with local control rates of more than 80% for breast cancer oligometastasis to the bone, lung, liver, brain, and lymph nodes. However, how to screen the true oligometastasis remains controversial. Randomized clinical trials will be essential to confirm whether SBRT can improve the survival outcomes.
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Objective:To explore the motion and influencing factors of implanted gold markers in guiding liver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) using abdominal compression.Methods:Twenty patients with oligometastatic colorectal cancer or primary hepatocellular carcinoma from January 2016 to December 2019 were included. All patients were treated with SBRT under abdominal compression, with 1-3 gold markers were implanted within 2 cm from the lesion before positioning. Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) scan was used for treatment planning. The respiratory cycle was divided into 0-90% respiratory phase images based on the respiratory signal, which were reconstructed by the system (Pinnacle 3 version 9.1; Philips Medical System, Madison, WI, USA), and cone beam CT validation images before radiation exposure were obtained. The liver volume was divided into 3 parts: within 2 cm from the main hepatic portal vein, 2-5 cm from the main hepatic portal vein, and>5 cm from the main hepatic portal vein. The motion of different tumor locations was evaluated. Results:The average intrafractional motion amplitude was (2.63±2.81) mm in the cranial-caudal (CC) direction, (1.35±1.23) mm in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction, and (0.76±0.88) mm in the left-right (LR) direction, respectively. The average interfractional motion amplitude was (3.45±3.06) mm, (2.64±2.60) mm, and (2.23±2.07) mm, respectively. Both the intra-or inter-fractional motion amplitudes in the CC direction were the highest, followed by those in the AP and LR direction (all P<0.001). The motion varied at different tumor locations. The longer distance from the main hepatic portal vein, the larger the intrafractional motion (all P<0.05). To cover the 95% population-based confidence interval, the internal target volume (ITV) was suggested to include the expansion of 3.9 mm, 5.2 mm and 7.9 mm in the LR, AP and CC direction. The expansion of 4.3 mm, 4.4 mm and 6.1 mm was delivered within 2 cm from the main hepatic portal vein, and 3.5 mm, 7.3 mm and 9.7 mm>5 cm from the main hepatic portal vein, respectively. The expansion varied significantly depending on the tumor location, whereas the motion in the CC direction was the largest regardless of the tumor location. The longer distance of the tumor from the main portal vein, the larger expansion in the CC direction. The expansion of tumor > 5 cm from the main portal vein in the AP direction was larger than that of inner parts. Conclusion:Liver tumors at different locations require individual external expansion of ITV.
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Objective:To investigate the dosimetric characteristics, acute toxicity and short-term efficacy of postmastectomy hypofractionated internal mammary (IM) chain irradiation with electrons in patients with high-risk breast cancer.Methods:A total of 155 patients with breast cancer who underwent modified mastectomy between November 2018 and January 2020 were selected. Among them, 137(88.4%) patients were classified as stage Ⅲ and 18(11.6%) as stage Ⅱ. All patients received standard chemotherapy, endocrine therapy and anti-Her2 targeted therapy. CTV im was divided into three subregions: CTV im1, CTV im2 and CTV im3, which represented the first, second and third intercostal IM, respectively. The planning target volume of subraclavicular region (PTV sc) was delineated. CTV cw and CTV im were irradiated with 6-15 MeV electron at 43.5 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks. Moreover, PTV sc was irradiated with 6 MV X-ray at 43.5 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks using two-dimensional radiotherapy (2DRT) or three-dimensional radiotherapy (3DRT). The dosimetric characteristics of CTV im, PTV sc, lung, heart, left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) and right coronary artery (RA) were evaluated, and the acute toxicity and short-term efficacy were analyzed. Results:The mean dose (D mean) of CTV im was (43.3±2.6) Gy, D 95% was (30.5±8.3) Gy, V 90% was (85.0±10.5)% and V 80% was (91.0±7.4)%, respectively. The corresponding parameters of CTV im1 were significantly lower than those of CTV im2 and CTV im3(all P<0.001). Body mass index exerted no significant effect on IM dose ( P>0.05). Compared with 2DRT, 3DRT for SC significantly increased theD mean of CTV im[(43.4±2.6) Gy vs.(41.4±2.3) Gy, P=0.021], and the hot spot within PTV sc[V 110%: (26.7±17.5) cm 3vs.(12.5±8.4) cm 3, P=0.018; V 120%: (6.1±5.3) cm 3vs.(2.0±2.6) cm 3, P=0.023]. TheD mean of the ipsilateral lung was (9.8±1.9) Gy, and V 20Gy was (19.7±4.7)%. TheD mean of heart was (3.3±1.7) Gy in the whole group, (4.7±1.4) Gy for the left-sided breast cancer and (2.6±1.2) Gy for the right-sided breast cancer, respectively. TheD mean of LAD for the left-sided breast cancer was (13.9±4.9) Gy. TheD mean of RA for the right-sided breast cancer was (7.5±3.7) Gy. The incidence rates of ≥ grade 2 acute radiation dermatitis, esophagitis and pneumonitis were 19.3%, 4.5% and 2.6%, respectively. With a median follow-up time of 20.5 months (range: 9.9-41.8 months), 2 cases of chest wall recurrence, 2 regional lymph node recurrence, 6 distant metastases and 1 death were reported. Conclusions:When hypofractionated internal mammary chain is irradiated by electrons after mastectomy, the doses to the lung, heart and coronary artery are low, and the acute toxicities are mild. However, the dose to CTV im1 is inadequate. Although short-term efficacy is high, long-term follow-up is warranted.
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Objective:To analyze the prognosis of patients with isolated regional recurrence (RR) after mastectomy, and evaluate the efficacy of radiotherapy and identify the optimal radiation target volumes.Methods:Clinical data of 144 patients with first isolated RR after mastectomy between 2001 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients had not received post-mastectomy radiotherapy. The primary endpoints consisted of the subsequent locoregional recurrence (sLRR), distant metastasis (DM), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).Results:With a median follow-up of 82.5 months after RR, the 5-year sLRR, DM, PFS and OS rates for the entire group were 42.1%, 71.9%, 22.9% and 62.6%, respectively. Local plus systemic therapy was an independent favorable prognostic factor for sLRR ( P<0.001) and PFS ( P=0.013). The sLRR rate in the surgery plus radiotherapy group was the lowest ( P<0.001). Surgery plus radiotherapy significantly reduced the 5-year risk of recurrence within the initially involved nodal regions ( P<0.001). Patients with chest wall irradiation obtained the 5-year subsequent chest wall recurrence rate of 12.1% compared to 14.8%( P=0.873) for those without chest wall irradiation. The subsequent supraclavicular recurrence rate was lower in patients with prophylactic supraclavicular irradiation than that without prophylactic supraclavicular irradiation (9.9% vs. 23.8%, P=0.206). The incidence rates of initially uninvolved axillary and internal mammary nodal recurrence were below 10% regardless of prophylactic irradiation or not. Conclusions:Patients with RR alone have an optimistic 5-year OS in the contemporary era. Comprehensive locoregional treatment including surgery and radiotherapy combined with systemic therapy is recommended. The chest wall, axillary and internal mammary nodal prophylactic irradiation should not be routinely performed for all patients with RR. The value of supraclavicular prophylactic irradiation remains to be evaluated.
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Objective:To evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) model of" neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy plus consolidation neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CNCT) followed by surgery" for locally advanced gastric cancer.Methods:From 2018 to 2020, 28 patients clinically diagnosed with locally advanced gastric adenocarcinoma or Siewert Ⅱ/Ⅲ adenocarcinoma gastroesophageal junction cancer were prospectively enrolled. The neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) was delivered with a total dose of 45 Gy, 1.8 Gy/f. Concurrent chemotherapy was S-1 at a dose of 40-60 mg twice daily. Then, patients received four to six cycles of CNCT of SOX regimen at three weeks after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. D 2 lymphadenectomy was performed at 4-6 weeks after CNCT. Results:A total of 28 patients completed the whole therapy. Grade 3 or above adverse events occurred in 3 cases (11%) during CCRT, including thrombocytopenia, leukopenia and anorexia; 2 cases (7%) developed leukopenia and 3 cases (11%) of thrombocytopenia during CNCT. Twenty patients (71%) completed the surgery. The proportion of patients with pathological complete remission (pCR) was 50%. Three patients experienced surgical complications including anastomotic leak, anastomotic stenosis and intra-abdominal sepsis. All were recovered after symptomatic treatment.Conclusion:Interim analysis results demonstrate that TNT can yield significant down-staging for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer, which causes tolerable adverse events and postoperative complications.
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Objective:To analyze and compare the dosimetric differences based on volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), fixed field intensity-modulated radiotherapy (F_IMRT), and electron irradiation combined with VMAT (E&VMAT) in radiotherapy for breast cancer after modified mastectomy, aiming to provide reference for clinical selection of treatment plan.Methods:Ten patients with the left breast cancer who received radiotherapy after modified mastectomy were randomly selected. The target areas included chest wall and supraclavicular region, and the prescribed dose was 43.5 Gy in 15 fractions (2.9 Gy/F). Based on the Pinnacle 3 planning system, the VMAT, F_IMRT and E&VMAT plans (electron beam for chest wall, VMAT for supraclavicular area) were designed for each patient. The conformity and homogeneity of the target areas, the dose of organs at risk and treatment time were compared. Results:The VMAT plan could improve the dose distribution of the target areas. The conformity index and homogeneity index of the target dose were significantly better than those of the F_IMRT and E&VMAT plans (all P<0.05). The average dose, V 30Gy, V 20Gy, V 10Gy of the left lung in the VMAT plan were significantly better than those in the F_IMRT and E&VMAT plans (all P<0.05). The V 5Gy of the left lung in the VMAT plan was significantly better than that in the F_IMRT plan ( P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in the V 5Gy of the left lung between the VMAT and E&VMAT plans ( P>0.05). The heart, right breast and right lung of the VMAT plan could meet the clinical dose limit requirements. The treatment time of the VMAT, F_IMRT and E&VMAT plans was (326±27) s, (1 082±169) s, and (562±48) s, respectively. Conclusions:Compared with the F_IMRT and E&VMAT plans, the VMAT plan has better quality and shorter treatment time. VMAT plan has higher value in clinical application compared with the F_IMRT and E&VMAT plans.
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Objective:To investigate the radiation field and dose selection of patients with isolated chest wall recurrence (ICWR) after modified radical mastectomy, and analyze the prognostic factors related to subsequent chest wall recurrence.Methods:Clinical data of 201 patients with ICWR after mastectomy admitted to the Fifth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital from 1998 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. None of the patients received postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy. After ICWR, 48 patients (73.6%) underwent surgery and 155 patients (77.1%) received radiotherapy. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the post-recurrence progression-free survival (PFS) rates and the difference was compared by log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was performed using Cox regression model. Competing risk model was adopted to estimate the subsequent local recurrence (sLR) rates after ICWR and the difference was compared with Gray test. Multivariate analysis was conducted using F&G analysis. Results:With a median follow up of 92.8 months after ICWR, the 5-year PFS rate was 23.2%, and the 5-year sLR rate was 35.7%. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with surgery plus radiotherapy and recurrence interval o F>12 months had a lower sLR rate. Patients with recurrence interval o F>48 months, local plus systemic treatment and surgery plus radiotherapy had a higher PFS rate. Among the 155 patients who received chest wall radiotherapy after ICWR, total chest wall irradiation plus local boost could improve the 5-year PFS rate compared with total chest wall irradiation alone (34.0% vs. 15.4%, P=0.004). Chest wall radiation dose (≤60 Gy vs.>60 Gy) exerted no significant effect upon the sLR and PFS rates (both P>0.05). In the 53 patients without surgery, the 5-year PFS rates were 9.1% and 20.5%( P=0.061) with tumor bed dose ≤60 Gy and>60 Gy, respectively. Conclusions:Local radiotherapy is recommended for patients with ICWR after modified radical mastectomy of breast cancer, including total chest wall radiation plus local boost. The radiation dose for recurrence should be increased to 60 Gy, and it should be above 60 Gy for those who have not undergone surgical resection. In addition, patients with ICWR still have a high risk of sLR, and more effective treatments need to be explored.
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Objective:To investigate the setup errors of postoperative radiotherapy immobilized with integrated cervicothoracic board (mask) system in breast cancer patients.Methods:Thirty-two breast cancer patients treated with postoperative radiotherapy immobilized with integrated cervicothoracic board (mask) system were prospectively recruited in this study. Breast/chest wall (cw) and supra/infraclavicular nodal region (sc) were irradiated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy. CBCT location verification in radiotherapy and target areas of the breast/chest wall and upper and lower collarbone were carried out, respectively. The consistency between setup errors and the position of the upper and lower target areas of 239 CBCT images was analyzed.Results:The translational setup errors of the breast/chest wall in the X-cw (left-right), Y-cw (superior-inferior), Z-cw (anterior-posterior) directions were (1.84±2.36) mm, (1.99±2.48) mm, and (1.75±1.86) mm, respectively. The translational setup errors of the supra/infraclavicular nodal region in the X-sc (left-right), Y-sc (superior-inferior), Z-sc (anterior-posterior) directions were (1.98±2.44) mm, (1.98±2.48) mm, and (1.71±1.79) mm, respectively. The differences of translational setup errors between the breast/chest wall and supra/infraclavicular nodal region in the X, Y, Z directions were (0.38±0.66) mm, (0.07±0.41) mm, and (0.45±0.92) mm, respectively. Conclusion:For the breast cancer patients treated with postoperative radiotherapy covering breast/chest wall and supra/infraclavicular nodal region, the integrated cervicothoracic board (mask) immobilization system provides good reproducibility and yields Sfew setup errors.
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Objective:To investigate the relationship between gastric filling status and intra-or inter-fractional tumor displacement in patients with adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) undergoing preoperative radiotherapy.Methods:From October 2018 to June 2019, 10 patients with locally advanced AEG who received totally neoadjuvant therapy were enrolled in this prospective study. Patients received two markers implanted at the cranial and caudal borders of the tumors under gastroscope and a total of 20 fiducial markers were implanted finally. All patients underwent 4DCT scan under the gastric fasting and filling status. Ten images of 0% to 90% respiratory phase were automatically reconstructed by the system (Pinnacle 3, version 9.1, Philips Medical Systems, Eindhoven, The Netherland). Each patient obtained one hundred sets of images. Results:In the tumors proximal to the chest, gastric filling did not significantly affect intrafractional or interfractional tumor displacements. Nevertheless, in the tumors distal to the chest, the interfractional displacement in the cranio-caudal (CC) direction under the gastric fasting status was significantly larger compared with that under the gastric filling status (6.22±4.67 mm vs. 4.13±3.68 mm, P=0.013). To ensure 95% of the prescribed dose irradiated to at least 90% of the tumor volume during the radiotherapy, the margins of tumors proximal to the chest in the left-right (LR), antero-posterior (AP) and CC directions were 9 mm, 8.5 mm, 12.1 mm under gastric filling status with 300 ml semi-fluid. Six patients diagnosed with gastric cancer with proximal thoracic fiducial markers treated by preoperative radiotherapy were included in the validation group, revealing that the fiducial markers of 93% patients were covered in this margin. Conclusion:During the preoperative radiotherapy in AEG patient, the approach of quantitative gastric filling can be considered.
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Lymphocyte-led immunity plays an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. It has been found that radiotherapy can induce lymphopenia in patients with solid tumors, and radiotherapy-induced lymphopenia (RIL) might be caused by the irradiation of circulating blood. The sensitivity to irradiation differs among different subtypes of lymphocytes. RIL can be affected by radiation fractionation, technique and volume. Meanwhile, it has been proven that RIL can significantly reduce the survival of patients with multiple solid tumors. In this article, relevant researches were reviewed, aiming to advance clinical treatment decisions and optimize radiotherapy protocols.