Adaptive radiation therapy (ART) for patients with limited?stage small cell lung cancer (LS?SCLC): A dosimetric evaluation

Background: Adaptive radiation therapy (ART) refers to redesigning of radiation therapy (RT) treatment plans with respect to dynamic changes in tumor size and location throughout the treatment course. In this study, we performed a comparative volumetric and dosimetric analysis to investigate the impact of ART for patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). Methods: Twenty-four patients with LS-SCLC receiving ART and concomitant chemotherapy were included in the study. ART was performed by replanning of patients based on a mid-treatment computed tomography (CT)-simulation which was routinely scheduled for all patients 20� days after the initial CT-simulation. While the first 15 RT fractions were planned using the initial CT-simulation images, the latter 15 RT fractions were planned using the mid-treatment CT-simulation images acquired 20� days after the initial CT-simulation. In order to document the impact of ART, target and critical organ dose-volume parameters acquired from this adaptive radiation treatment planning (RTP) were compared with the RTP based solely on the initial CT-simulation to deliver the whole RT dose of 60 Gy. Results: Statistically significant reduction was detected in gross tumor volume (GTV) and planning target volume (PTV) during the conventionally fractionated RT course along with statistically significant reduction in critical organ doses with incorporation of ART. Conclusion: One-third of the patients in our study who were otherwise ineligible for curative intent RT due to violation of critical organ dose constraints could be treat

Effect Of Pranayama on Reducing the Level of Fatigue During External Radiation Therapy Among the Patients in A Cancer Hospital of Guwahati, Assam India

Introduction: Cancer related fatigue, a problem often less understood and under-diagnosed. It is imperative to find non-invasive and non-pharmacological solutions for managing it. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of pranayama on reducing the level of Fatigue during External Radiation Therapy (ERT) among the patients in a selected cancer hospital of Guwahati, Assam. Materials and methods: The study adopted Quantitative evaluative approach; randomized pre-test post-test control group design. Simple random sampling technique without replacement was used and 84 cancer pa-tients were equally divided in control group (42) and experimental group (42). The pre-test level of fatigue was assessed from both the groups and pranayama as intervention was given to experimental group. Result: Pranayama was found to be effective in patients receiving ERT. It was found that following pranaya-ma, majority in experimental group 41 (97.6%) had mild level of fatigue whereas in control group 27 (64.3%) experienced severe level of fatigue. There is significant mean difference in the experimental group as com-pared to control group after the intervention of pranayama (t=17.99, df=41, p-value=<.001). Conclusion: Pranayama is found to be effective intervention in reducing fatigue among cancer patients re-ceiving ERT.

Challenges with Adjuvant Radiation for Intracranial Chondrosarcoma in Pregnancy

Background: Managing a brain tumor during pregnancy is a highly confusing and challenging situation, complicated by several technical, medical, ethical, and sociocultural concerns. The interests of the mother and child are often pitted against each other, for which legal opinion may occasionally be needed. Case Report?We present the report of a young lady with intracranial well-differentiated chondrosarcoma who was determined to be pregnant in the immediate postoperative period. We discuss the management of challenges and dilemmas in devising optimum therapy, and the modifications and care required at each step to help safeguard maternal and fetal health. Risks with therapeutic radiation and measures to assess and pre-empt fetal doses that may assist decision-making are also discussed. Conclusion?Radiation therapy during pregnancy is challenging and requires multidisciplinary involvement and psychosocial support for the patient and family.

Construction of a comprehensive nutritional index and relationship with quality of life and survival in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing intensity-modulated radiation therapy / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To construct a comprehensive nutritional index after treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and to analyze its relationship with quality of life and 3-year survival period, and aimed to provide some reference for the management of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.Methods:This was a prospective cohort study. The clinical data of 431 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who admitted to Beijing Tongren Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 2017 to December 2021 were collected using convenience sampling method. To evaluate the nutritional status of the patients, the BMI, change in body weight, hemoglobin, lymphocyte count, and albumin level and other clinical data of the patients were collected before and after intensity-modulated radiation therapy. The comprehensive nutrition index after IMRT was constructed by principal component analysis. The Chinese version of European Organization for Reasearch and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnare-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Quality of life questionnaire head and neck cancer module(QLQ-H&N35) were used to evaluate the patients′ quality of life. The best diagnostic cutoff point for predicting patient death within 3 years using ROC, and based on the determined optimal diagnostic cutoff point, all patients were divided into a low comprehensive nutritional index group and a high comprehensive nutritional index group. And analyzed the Pearson correlation between comprehensive nutritional index and quality of life.Differences in 3-year survival between the two groups were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test.Results:Using the diagnostic threshold of receiver operating characteristic, all patients were divided into low comprehensive nutrition index group ( n=280) and high comprehensive nutrition index group ( n=151).The BMI, percentage of weight change, albumin, hemoglobin, and lymphocyte count of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients before intensity-modulated radiation therapy were (23.14 ± 2.87) kg/m 2, (1.08 ± 0.14)%, (44.02 ± 4.52) g/L, (147.28 ± 15.57)g/L, (1.76 ± 0.56)×10 9/L, and higher than after intensity-modulated radiation therapy (21.14 ± 4.07) kg/m 2, (0.97 ± 0.16)%, ( 38.99 ± 5.12) g/L, (113.87 ± 18.24)g/L, (0.50 ± 0.18)×10 9/L, respectively, the difference were statistically significant ( t values were 8.34 to 44.47, all P<0.05).The comprehensive nutritional index constructed using principal component analysis was correlated with multiple dimensions of EORTC QLQ-C30) and QLQ-H&N35, with statistically significant differences ( r values were -0.169 - 0.245, all P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that the 3-year survival rate of the high comprehensive nutritional index group was higher than that of the low comprehensive nutritional index group, with 87.42% and 79.29% respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=4.53, P<0.05). Conclusions:The constructed comprehensive nutritional index could reflect the comprehensive nutritional status of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with a low comprehensive nutritional index score had a worse quality of life and shorter 3-year survival. Active intervention and improvement of malnutrition in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients should be undertaken to improve patient quality of life and improve survival.

Clinical prognosis and influencing factors of patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated by salvage surgery / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical prognosis and influencing factors of patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated by salvage surgery.Methods:A total of 78 patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma underwent salvage surgery in Jincheng Second People's Hospital of Shanxi Province from January 2017 to January 2022 were included retrospectively. Postoperative complications were recorded. Logstic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors of survival after 5 years of salvage surgery, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of various influencing factors on the survival of patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after 5 years of salvage surgery.Results:The incidence of complications after salvage surgery in 78 patients was 21.79% (17/78) . The median total survival time was 20.5 months. There were 21 deaths 5 years after operation. Univariate analysis showed that the age of salvage surgery ( χ2=30.25, P<0.001) , location of recurrent tumor ( χ2=8.72, P=0.013) , surgical margin status ( χ2=6.93, P=0.008) , depth of tumor invasion ( χ2=8.31, P=0.004) and whether to accept radiotherapy (chemotherapy) after salvage operation ( χ2=4.24, P=0.040) were all related to the survival of patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after 5 years of salvage surgery. Multivariate analysis showed that the status of the surgical margin ( OR=26.26, 95% CI: 4.58-150.62, P<0.001) , the depth of tumor invasion ( OR=14.03, 95% CI: 3.04-64.70, P<0.001) and whether to accept radiotherapy (chemotherapy) after the salvage surgery ( OR=7.73, 95% CI: 1.68-35.54, P=0.008) were independent factors affecting the survival of patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after 5 years of salvage surgery. The ROC curve analysis showed that the sensitivity of surgical margin status, tumor invasion depth and whether to accept radiotherapy (chemotherapy) after salvage surgery to predict the survival of patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after 5 years of salvage surgery were 84.15%, 79.60% and 76.43% respectively, and the specificity were 76.03%, 83.51% and 69.46% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of combined prediction of the three indicators were 92.74% and 77.98% respectively. Conclusion:The overall prognosis of hypopharyngeal squanous cell carcinoma patients after salvage surgery is satisfactory. Positive surgical margin, tumor invasion of muscle, bone tissue or lymph node capsule, and no radiotherapy or chemical therapy after salvage surgery are closely related to poor prognosis. Meanwhile, the combination of surgical margin status, tumor invasion and adjuvant treatment after salvage surgery has good efficacy in predicting postoperative survival benefit of patients.

Analysis of the efficacy and safety of proton radiotherapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Objective:To study the efficacy, safety and prognostic factors affecting survival of proton radiation therapy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:Forty-four patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma treated at Zibo Wanjie Cancer Hospital in Shandong Province from June 15, 2005 to September 12, 2018 were enrolled and given proton radiation therapy with a single dose of 2-5 Gy and a total dose of 25-75 Gy. The overall and local control rates, factors influencing survival, and adverse effects were observed during a follow-up period of 12 to 120 months.Results:The overall survival rates of all patients were 79.5% at 1 year, 68.2% at 2 years, 50.0% at 3 years, and 45.5% at 5 years. The overall local control rate was 95.5%. Patients older than 50 years had a longer overall survival (Log Rank Chi-Square of 4.787, P = 0.029). Child-Pugh A classification had better overall survival compared with B classification (Log Rank Chi-Square 4.077, P = 0.043). The main adverse reactions were skin reactions and gastrointestinal reactions. Among the patients with adverse reactions, 23 patients had skin reactions and 9 patients had mild gastrointestinal reactions, and no serious adverse events were found. Conclusions:Proton radiation therapy has good efficacy and high safety in patients with HCC. Age and Child-Pugh classification are prognostic factors affecting survival after proton radiation therapy.

A Case of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Metastasis Whose Lymphedema Was Improved by Radiation Therapy and Was Temporarily Discharged from the Hospital

The patient was a 73-year-old woman. She had been treated for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (cT3N3M0, Stage IIIC) at our department. The patient had low back pain due to retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis; in June 2022, this was exacerbated as lung cancer progressed. She had difficulty in body movements due to edema in both lower limbs, in addition to the pain. Consequently, she was urgently admitted on July 8 and received radiotherapy (30 Gy/10 fractions) for retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis. She was being given tapentadol at a dose of 200 mg/day for relief of her pain. However, she was switched to fentanyl patch at a dose of 1200 µg/day during her hospitalization, which resulted in relief of low back pain. The underlying disease causing the edema was investigated. Based on physical and laboratory findings and medical history, lymphedema associated with retroperitoneal lymph node metastases was diagnosed. On day 31 of hospitalization, the patient was allowed to be temporarily discharged from the hospital because the edema had improved and the activity of daily living around the bed had increased. Treatment methods for lymphedema associated with lymph node metastasis have not been established, but the efficacy of radiotherapy has been reported. We have herein reported a case of lymphedema that was improved by radiotherapy after it was differentiated from other diagnoses.

Application of SGRT Combined with IGRT Isocenter Dual-guided Resetting in IMRT for Breast Cancer / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectiveThe objective is to investigate the possibility of isocenter dual-guided resetting of surface guided radiation therapy （SGRT） combined with image guided radiation therapy （IGRT） in postoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer. To assess the setup error accuracy between the new resetting mode and the traditional resetting mode. MethodsRetrospective analysis was performed on breast cancer patients who underwent ELEKTA infinity accelerator radiotherapy in sun yat-sen university cancer center from July 13， 2021 to October 15， 2022. According to different reset methods， the patients were divided into a simulation group （41 cases） and a dual-guided group （40 cases）. The simulation group was reset using a simulator， CBCT scans were performed and setup errors were recorded during the first treatment； The dual-guided group was guided by AlignRT and combined with CBCT for isocenter dual-guided resetting， and the setup error obtained by CBCT registration was recorded. The global setup errors of chest region of interest （CROI） ， the local residual errors of supraclavicular region of interest （SROI） and the resetting time of the two reset methods were calculated and compared respectively. The advantages of the CBCT error distribution in the dual-guided resetting of SGRT combined with IGRT were analyzed. ResultsThe median of the global setup errors （X/cm， Y/cm， Z/cm， Rx°， Ry°， Rz°） of the simulation group and the median of the dual-guided group in the CROI were statistically significant （P<0.05） except the Rz and Ry directions. The local residual errors of the two groups of the SROI were calculated. The median of the errors of X/cm， Y/cm， Z/cm， Rx°， Ry°， Rz° were statistically significant （P<0.05） except the X and Y axis. The resetting time of the simulation group was significantly longer than that of the dual-guided group （238.64±28.56） s， t=-24.555， P=0.000， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. The CBCT error distribution of the dual-guide group was analyzed， and it was found that the absolute values of translation errors of X， Y and Z axis were all within 0.4 cm， while the proportions of ≤ 0.3 cm were 95%， 93% and 93%， respectively. The proportions of rotation errors of Rx， Ry and Rz ≤ 1.5 ° were 90%， 93% and 90%， respectively. ConclusionIn postoperative radiotherapy of breast cancer， SGRT combined with IGRT for isocenter dual-guided resetting can effectively correct the rotational setup errors and residual errors， and improve the accuracy of radiotherapy with less resetting time and high feasibility， which compared with the traditional simulator resetting mode. This precise， unmarked resetting method can be widely used in clinical practice.

A single-center, retrospective analysis of relapse and progression patterns of primary central nervous system lymphoma: can whole brain radiotherapy be replaced? / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze recurrence and progression patterns of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) in patients without whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and assess the value of WBRT in PCNSL treatment.@*METHODS@#This retrospective single-center study included 27 patients with PCNSL, who experienced recurrence/progression after achieving complete remission (CR), partial remission, or stable disease following initial treatments with chemotherapy but without WBRT. The patients were followed up regularly after the treatment for treatment efficacy assessment. By comparing the anatomical location of the lesions on magnetic resonance images (MRI) at the initial diagnosis and at recurrence/progression, we analyzed the patterns of relapse/progression in patients with different treatment responses and different initial status of the lesions.@*RESULTS@#MRI data showed that in 16 (59.26%) of the 27 patients, recurrence/progression occurred in out-field area (outside the simulated clinical target volume [CTV]) but within the simulated WBRT target area in 16 (59.26%) patients, and within the CTV (in-field) in 11 (40.74%) patients. None of the patients had extracranial recurrence of the tumor. Of the 11 patients who achieved CR after the initial treatments, 9 (81.82%) had PCNSL recurrences in the out-field area but within WBRT target area; of the 13 patients with a single lesion at the initial treatment, 11 (84.62%) experienced PCNSL recurrence in the out-field area but within WBRT target area.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Systemic therapy combined with WBRT still remains the standard treatment for PCNSL patients, especially those who achieve CR after treatment or have a single initial lesion. Future prospective studies with larger sample sizes are needed to further explore the role of low-dose WBRT in PCNSL treatment.

Prognosis Analysis of Early-stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#With the aging of the population and the increased importance of lung cancer screening, the number of early-stage lung cancer patients has been on the rise in recent years, which can be classified into operable early-stage lung cancer and inoperable early-stage lung cancer. The most common pathological type is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is the optimal treatment for inoperable early-stage NSCLC. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognosis of early-stage NSCLC patients treated with SBRT and its influencing factors in order to reduce the side effects of radiotherapy and improve the survival and quality of life.@*METHODS@#Clinical data and follow-up outcomes of early-stage NSCLC patients treated with SBRT in our hospital from August 2010 to August 2020 were collected. Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess the prognosis, and the Cox proportional risk model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis.@*RESULTS@#A total of 165 patients were included with a median follow-up time of 43.2 (range: 4.8-132.1) mon. The local control (LC) rates at 1-yr, 2-yr and 5-yr were 98.1%, 94.8% and 86.5% respectively. Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score greater than 80 was an independent prognostic factor for LC (P=0.02). The overall survival (OS) rates at 1-yr, 2-yr and 5-yr were 97.6%, 93.0% and 68.9% respectively. A biological equivalent dose when α/β=10 (BED10) greater than 132 Gy was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P=0.04). Progression-free survival (PFS) rates at 1-yr, 2-yr and 5-yr were 93.3%, 79.5% and 55.3% respectively. The distance metastasis free survival (DMFS) rates at 1-yr, 2-yr and 5-yr were 94.5%, 83.2% and 58.4% respectively. BED10 greater than 150 Gy was an independent prognostic factor for DMFS (P=0.02). The regional control (RC) rates at 1-yr, 2-yr and 5-yr were 98.8%, 95.4% and 87.9% respectively.@*CONCLUSIONS@#SBRT is effective in treating early-stage NSCLC. KPS greater than 80 is an independent prognostic factor for LC; BED10 greater than 132 Gy is an independent prognostic factor for OS; BED10 greater than 150 Gy is an independent prognostic factor for DMFS.

Dosimetric Impact of Titanium Alloy Implant in Spinal IMRT Plan / 中国医疗器械杂志

The purpose of this study is to establish and apply a correction method for titanium alloy implant in spinal IMRT plan, a corrected CT-density table was revised from normal CT-density table to include the density of titanium alloy implant. Dose distribution after and before correction were calculated and compared to evaluate the dose deviation. Plans were also copied to a spinal cancer simulation phantom. A titanium alloy fixation system for spine was implanted in this phantom. Plans were recalculated and compared with the measurement result. The result of this study shows that the max dose of spinal cord showed significant difference after correction, and the deviation between calculation results and measurement results was reduced after correction. The method for expanding the range CT-density table, which means that the density of titanium alloy was included, can reduce the error in calculation.

Establishment of a RILD model in C57BL/6J mice treated with precise radiotherapy / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To provide a reliable and stable animal model for investigating the molecular pathogenesis of radiation-induced liver disease (RILD). Methods Ninety C57BL/6J mice were divided into control, 20 Gy, 25 Gy, 30 Gy and 35 Gy radiation groups. The mice were executed at 4 weeks after radiation and the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase in the liver serum were measured. HE staining was performed on the pathological liver tissues. Masson staining was performed at 36 weeks after radiation. Results Compared with the control group, the fatality rate was higher in the 30 and 35 Gy radiation groups, and the body weight significantly decreased in the 20 and 25 Gy radiation groups. Compared with the control group, alanine aminotransferase significantly increased in mice exposed to 20 Gy, while aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase increased in mice exposed to 25 Gy. No significant changes were observed in the livers of the mice in the 20 and 25 Gy radiation groups, but pathological examination showed liver damage induced by both 20 and 25 Gy radiation. Conclusion A stable and reliable mouse model of RILD was constructed for treatment with linear accelerator. The mouse model of RILD constructed for stereotactic body radiation therapy using linear accelerator has significant research implications for the exploration of RILD.

Application of Linear Accelerator on Boarding Kilovolt Fan Beam CT and Megavolt Cone Beam CT System on Set-up Errors During Radiation Treatment / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To quantify the setup errors for the different anatomical sites of patients who received intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with linear accelerator on-board kilovolt fan beam CT(kV-FBCT) as non-isocenter IGRT and megavolt cone beam CT (MV-CBCT) as isocenter IGRT. Methods A retrospective analysis was performedon 70 patients who underwent radiotherapy, kV-FBCT, and/or MV-CBCT scans after each routine setup prior to IMRT. The average displacement (M), systematic error (Σ), and random error (б) at different treatment sites in the left-right, anterior-posterior, and cranial-caudal directions were calculated according to the individual displacements. The formula 2.5Σ+0.7б was used to estimate the PTV margin in respective direction. For each single patient, the root mean square in three directions was used as 3D displacement. Results A total of 1130 displacements were recorded in the 70 patients. The PTV margin was estimated to be 1.9-3.1 mm in head and neck cancer, 2.8-5.1 mm in thoracic cancer, 4.6-5.1 mm in breast cancer, 3.0-5.5 mm in upper abdominal cancer, and 3.5-6.8 mm in pelvic tumor. For the 3D mean displacements, the head and neck, thoracic, breast, upper abdominal, and pelvic cancer were 2.4±1.0, 4.0±1.6, 4.1±2.0, 4.6±2.1, and 4.6±2.1 mm, respectively. The average 3D displacement obtained by kV-FBCT and MV-CBCT were 4.1 and 3.4 mm, respectively (P=0.212). Conclusion The quantitative setup-error data can be obtained using linear accelerator on-board FBCT, and the non-isocenter IGRT induced set-up error cannot be negligible.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with stereotactic body radiation therapy for stage Ⅲ/N2 non-small cell lung cancer: Three cases reports / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#We reported three cases of stageⅢ/N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with neoadjuvant immunotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in our hospital, including 2 males and 1 female with a mean age of 65.7 years. The patients received two doses of the programmed cell death protein-1 inhibitor toripalimab after 1 week of SBRT. Thereafter, surgery was planned 4-6 weeks after the second dose. One patient achieved pathologic complete response, one achieved major pathologic response (MPR), and one did not achieve MPR with 20% residual tumor. There were few side effects of toripalimab combined with SBRT as a neoadjuvant treatment, and the treatment did not cause a delay of surgery.

Progress of immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with low-dose irradiation in treatment of non-small cell lung cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

The application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has rewritten the current treatment pattern of non-small cell lung cancer. However, single-agent ICI has disadvantages such as small benefit population and slow tumor cytoreduction effect. Therefore, various immunizations combined with other treatment methods are becoming clinical hotspots. Low-dose irradiation shows a significant anti-tumor synergistic effect through activating the body's immune system, and its potential for adjuvant immunotherapy has transformed traditional radiotherapy from local radical treatment to immune adjuvant. This article reviews the current research progress of ICI combined with low-dose irradiation in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

Efficacy analysis of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy in treatment of superior mediastinal lymph node metastasis after esophageal cancer surgery / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and adverse reactions of simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of superior mediastinal lymph node metastasis after esophageal cancer surgery.Methods:The clinical data of 72 patients with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for superior mediastinal lymph node metastasis after esophageal cancer surgery in Tai'an Cancer Prevention and Treatment Hospital from January 2019 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and they were divided into intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) group (36 cases) and SIB-IMRT group (36 cases) according to different radiotherapy methods. The short-term efficacy, long-term survival rate and adverse reactions of the two groups were compared.Results:The response rate in the IMRT group was 66.7% (24/36), the response rate in the SIB-IMRT group was 86.1% (31/36), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( χ2 = 3.77, P = 0.047). The 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival rates in the IMRT group were 75.0%, 44.4% and 27.8%, and the 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival rates in the SIB-IMRT group were 83.3%, 52.8% and 33.3%; the difference in the overall survival between the two groups was not statistically significant ( χ2 = 0.70, P = 0.401). There were statistical differences in the incidence of leukopenia, radiation esophagitis and radiation pleural gastritis between the two groups (all P < 0.05). There were no statistical differences in the incidence of radiation pneumonia and gastrointestinal reactions between the two groups (both P > 0.05). Conclusions:SIB-IMRT combined with chemotherapy in patients with superior mediastinal lymph node metastasis after esophageal cancer surgery has good local control rate and mild adverse reactions.

Research progress on the bone-marrow sparing intensity-modulated radiotherapy for cervical cancer / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

The cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) has been accepted as a standard treatment for most locally advanced cervical cancer. Compared with radiation therapy alone, CCRT can increase tumor control and survival rates, whereas it also can increase the incidence of acute hematological toxicity, which results in the treatment interruption or delay, and may even affect clinical efficacy and prognosis of patients. Therefore, how to reduce the incidence and severity of acute hematological toxicity induced by CCRT is a hot spot of clinical research. Previous studies have demonstrated that the occurrence of hematological toxicity is associated with the volume and dose of irradiated pelvic bone marrow. With the development of modern radiotherapy technology, precise radiotherapy technologies, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), not only guaranteed the enough dose for tumor, but also realized the protection of normal tissues. This article will focus on the feasibility of bone marrow sparing during CCRT for cervical cancer, and summarize the research progress in recent years.

Clinical application and prospect of SBRT in treatment of oligo-metastatic NSCLC / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

The rapid progress on immunotherapy and targeted therapy has brought long-term survival benefits for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The oncology community has also paid more attention to the local treatment for advanced NSCLC, especially for patients with limited metastatic lesions, also known as oligo-metastasis. Many studies have reported that oligo-metastatic NSCLC patients could benefit from the combination of local and systematic treatment, and even to be cured. In recent years, with the advances in radiation technology, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has achieved precise high-dose radiotherapy for small target tumors. Currently, SBRT has been widely applied in the treatment of inoperable early lung cancer, and its application value and safety in patients with advanced lung cancer are also being actively explored. In this article, the research status, progress and future development direction of SBRT in the treatment of oligo-metastatic NSCLC were discussed.

Radiomics-based prediction of gamma pass rates for different intensity-modulated radiation therapy techniques for pelvic tumors / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility of a classification prediction model for gamma pass rates (GPRs) under different intensity-modulated radiation therapy techniques for pelvic tumors using a radiomics-based machine learning approach, and compare the classification performance of four integrated tree models.Methods:With a retrospective collection of 409 plans using different IMRT techniques, the three-dimensional dose validation results were adopted based on modality measurements, with a GPR criterion of 3%/2 mm and 10% dose threshold. Then prediction were built models by extracting radiomics features based on dose documentation. Four machine learning algorithms were used, namely random forest (RF), adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM). Their classification performance was evaluated by calculating sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, and AUC value. Results:The RF, AdaBoost, XGBoost, and LightGBM models had sensitivities of 0.96, 0.82, 0.93, and 0.89, specificities of 0.38, 0.54, 0.62, and 0.62, F1 scores of 0.86, 0.81, 0.88, and 0.86, and AUC values of 0.81, 0.77, 0.85, and 0.83, respectively. XGBoost model showed the highest sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, and AUC value, outperforming the other three models. Conclusions:To build a GPR classification prediction model using a radiomics-based machine learning approach is feasible for plans using different intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques for pelvic tumors, providing a basis for future multi-institutional collaborative research on GPR prediction.

The efficacy analysis of moderately hypofractionated IMRT combined with androgen deprivation therapy for locally advanced prostate cancer / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and adverse reactions of moderately hypofractionated intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for locally advanced prostate cancer (LAPC).Methods:This study retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 40 LAPC patients who were admitted in The Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University during 2014-2020. The planning gross target volume (PGTV) dose for prostate gland and seminal vesicle gland was 64.8-70.0 Gy/25-28 f, 2.4-2.8 Gy/f and the dose of PGTVnd in 20 cases with positive pelvic lymph nodes was 60.0-64.4 Gy/25-28 f, 2.3-2.4 Gy/f. The dose of planning target volume (PTV) for the drainage area of pelvic lymph nodes was 45.0-50.4 Gy/25-28 f. The enrolled patients were treated with long-term ADT, including neoadjuvant, simultaneous, and adjuvant therapies. The efficacy and adverse reactions were evaluated. The prognostic factors affecting the biochemical failure-free survival (BFFS) were analyzed.Results:The median follow-up time was 31 months. The 2- and 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were 100% and 96.9%, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year BFFS rates were 90%, 76.8% and 72%, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates were 92.2%, 82.8% and 75.1%, respectively. Gleason (GS) score ( χ2=10.00, P < 0.05) and adjacent tissue invasion ( χ2=8.85, P<0.05) were prognostic factors related to BFFS for LAPC. Adjacent tissue invasion and GS 9-10 were independent poor prognostic factors. The incidence of acute urinary adverse reaction and rectal injury (grade≥2) was 7.5% and 20%, respectively. The incidence of late urinary adverse reaction and rectal injury (grade≥2) was 12.5% and 17.5%, respectively. Adverse reactions at grade 3-4 did not occur. Conclusions:The moderately hypofractionated IMRT combined with ADT is feasible for LAPC treatment, achieving satisfactory survival effects. 70 Gy/25-28 f, 2.5-2.8 Gy/f is a safe and effective moderate hypofraction scheme. Adjacent tissue invasion and GS score are prognostic factors related to BFFS for LAPC.