Brainstem toxicity after proton or photon therapy in children and young adults with localized intracranial ependymoma: A French retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Ependymoma is the third most frequent childhood braintumor. Standard treatment is surgery followed by radiation therapy including proton therapy (PBT). Retrospective studies have reported higher rates of brainstem injury after PBT than after photon therapy (XRT). We report a national multicenter study of the incidence of brainstem injury after XRT versus PBT, and their correlations with dosimetric data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We included all patients aged < 25 years who were treated with PBT or XRT for intracranial ependymoma at five French pediatric oncology reference centers between 2007 and 2020. We reviewed pre-irradiation MRI, follow-up MRIs over the 12 months post-treatment and clinical data. RESULTS: Of the 83 patients, 42 were treated with PBT, 37 with XRT, and 4 with both (median dose: 59.4 Gy, range: 53­60). No new or progressive symptomatic brainstem injury was found. Four patients presented asymptomatic radiographic changes (punctiform brainstem enhancement and FLAIR hypersignal), with median onset at 3.5 months (range: 3.0­9.4) after radiation therapy, and median offset at 7.6 months (range: 3.7­7.9). Two had been treated with PBT, one with XRT, and one with mixed XRT-PBT. Prescribed doses were 59.4, 55.8, 59.4 and 54 Gy. CONCLUSION: Asymptomatic radiographic changes occurred in 4.8% of patients with ependymoma in a large national series. There was no correlation with dose or technique. No symptomatic brainstem injury was identified.

Brain and Brain Stem Necrosis After Reirradiation for Recurrent Childhood Primary Central Nervous System Tumors: A PENTEC Comprehensive Review.

PURPOSE: Reirradiation is increasingly used in children and adolescents/young adults (AYA) with recurrent primary central nervous system tumors. The Pediatric Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic (PENTEC) reirradiation task force aimed to quantify risks of brain and brain stem necrosis after reirradiation. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A systematic literature search using the PubMed and Cochrane databases for peer-reviewed articles from 1975 to 2021 identified 92 studies on reirradiation for recurrent tumors in children/AYA. Seventeen studies representing 449 patients who reported brain and brain stem necrosis after reirradiation contained sufficient data for analysis. While all 17 studies described techniques and doses used for reirradiation, they lacked essential details on clinically significant dose-volume metrics necessary for dose-response modeling on late effects. We, therefore, estimated incidences of necrosis with an exact 95% CI and qualitatively described data. Results from multiple studies were pooled by taking the weighted average of the reported crude rates from individual studies. RESULTS: Treated cancers included ependymoma (n = 279 patients; 7 studies), medulloblastoma (n = 98 patients; 6 studies), any CNS tumors (n = 62 patients; 3 studies), and supratentorial high-grade gliomas (n = 10 patients; 1 study). The median interval between initial and reirradiation was 2.3 years (range, 1.2-4.75 years). The median cumulative prescription dose in equivalent dose in 2-Gy fractions (EQD22; assuming α/ß value = 2 Gy) was 103.8 Gy (range, 55.8-141.3 Gy). Among 449 reirradiated children/AYA, 22 (4.9%; 95% CI, 3.1%-7.3%) developed brain necrosis and 14 (3.1%; 95% CI, 1.7%-5.2%) developed brain stem necrosis with a weighted median follow-up of 1.6 years (range, 0.5-7.4 years). The median cumulative prescription EQD22 was 111.4 Gy (range, 55.8-141.3 Gy) for development of any necrosis, 107.7 Gy (range, 55.8-141.3 Gy) for brain necrosis, and 112.1 Gy (range, 100.2-117 Gy) for brain stem necrosis. The median latent period between reirradiation and the development of necrosis was 5.7 months (range, 4.3-24 months). Though there were more events among children/AYA undergoing hypofractionated versus conventionally fractionated reirradiation, the differences were not statistically significant (P = .46). CONCLUSIONS: Existing reports suggest that in children/AYA with recurrent brain tumors, reirradiation with a total EQD22 of about 112 Gy is associated with an approximate 5% to 7% incidence of brain/brain stem necrosis after a median follow-up of 1.6 years (with the initial course of radiation therapy being given with conventional prescription doses of ≤2 Gy per fraction and the second course with variable fractionations). We recommend a uniform approach for reporting dosimetric endpoints to derive robust predictive models of late toxicities following reirradiation.

Radioprotective effects of N-acetylcysteine on rats' brainstem following megavoltage X-irradiations.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the radioprotective effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the radiation-induced oxidative stress (OS) in the rats' brainstem. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty rats in four identical groups, including vehicle control (VC), irradiation alone (RAD), irradiation with 1 g/kg of NAC treatment (RAN), and NAC treatment without radiation (NAC) were used. Whole-brain irradiation was performed with a single dose of 25 Gy. The rats received the treatments via intraperitoneal (IP) injection 1 h before the irradiation process. Nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured in the rats' brainstem and compared between the groups. Furthermore, the pathological study was performed to assess tissue damage after 24 h, 72 h, and 5 days of irradiation. RESULTS: The levels of NO and MDA in the brainstem tissue for the RAD group were 60.37 ± 3.35 µmol/L and 45.10 ± 2.48 µM, respectively, which were higher than those of VC group (NO: 30.41 ± 1.83 µmol/L; MDA: 31.02 ± 1.71 µM). The level of SOD, CAT, TAC, and GPx declined in the RAD compared to the VC group. Pre-treatment with NAC decreased the level of NO and MDA and also enhanced the antioxidant activities. The greatest pathological changes in the rats' brainstems were seen in RAD animals compared to the VC group at 24 h, 72 h, and 5 days. Furthermore, the pathological changes were not observed in the NAC group in all the assessed times. CONCLUSION: Based on the results, NAC can decrease the irradiation-induced oxidative stress and pathology damages in the rats' brainstem. It can be concluded that NAC can be an appropriate radioprotection candidate for the human brainstem.

Quantifying the risk and dosimetric variables of symptomatic brainstem injury after proton beam radiation in pediatric brain tumors.

BACKGROUND: Brainstem toxicity after radiation therapy (RT) is a devastating complication and a particular concern with proton radiation (PBT). We investigated the incidence and clinical correlates of brainstem injury in pediatric brain tumors treated with PBT. METHODS: All patients <21 years with brain tumors treated with PBT at our institution from 2007-2019, with a brainstem Dmean >30 Gy and/or Dmax >50.4 Gy were included. Symptomatic brainstem injury (SBI) was defined as any new or progressive cranial neuropathy, ataxia, and/or motor weakness with corresponding radiographic abnormality within brainstem. RESULTS: A total of 595 patients were reviewed and 468 (medulloblastoma = 200, gliomas = 114, ependymoma = 87, ATRT = 43) met our inclusion criteria. Median age at RT was 6.3 years and median prescribed RT dose was 54Gy [RBE]. Fifteen patients (3.2%) developed SBI, at a median of 4 months after RT. Grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 brainstem injuries were seen in 7, 5, 1, and 2 patients respectively. Asymptomatic radiographic changes were seen in 51 patients (10.9%). SBI was significantly higher in patients with age ≤3 years, female gender, ATRT histology, patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue, and those not receiving craniospinal irradiation. Patients with SBI had a significantly higher V50-52. In 2014, our institution started using strict brainstem dose constraints (Dmax ≤57 Gy, Dmean ≤52.4 Gy, and V54≤10%). There was a trend towards decrease in SBI from 4.4% (2007-2013) to 1.5% (2014-2019) (P = .089) without affecting survival. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a low risk of SBI after PBT for pediatric brain tumors, comparable to photon therapy. A lower risk was seen after adopting strict brainstem dose constraints.

Postsurgical geometrical variations of tumor bed and brainstem during photon and proton therapy for pediatric tumors of the posterior fossa: dosimetric impact and predictive factors.

PURPOSE: Brainstem radionecrosis is an important issue during the irradiation of tumors of the posterior fossa. The aim of the present study is to analyze postsurgical geometrical variations of tumor bed (TB) and brainstem (BS) and their impact on dosimetry. METHODS: Retrospective collection of data from pediatric patients treated at a single institution. Availability of presurgical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was verified; availability of at least two postsurgical MRIs was considered a further inclusion criterion. The following metrics were analyzed: total volume, Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), and Haudsdorff distances (HD). RESULTS: Fourteen patients were available for the quantification of major postsurgical geometrical variations of TB. DSC, HD max, and HD average values were 0.47 (range: 0.08;0.76), 11.3 mm (7.7;24.5), and 2.6 mm (0.7;6.7) between the first and the second postoperative MRI, respectively. Postsurgical geometrical variations of the BS were also observed. Coverage to the TB was reduced in one patient (D95: -2.9 Gy), while D2 to the BS was increased for the majority of patients. Overall, predictive factors for significant geometrical changes were presurgical gross tumor volume (GTV) > 33 mL, hydrocephaly at diagnosis, Luschka foramen involvement, and younger age (≤ 8 years). CONCLUSION: Major volume changes were observed in this cohort, with some dosimetric impact. The use of a recent co-registration MRI is advised. The 2-3 mm HD average observed should be considered in the planning target volume/planning organ at risk volume (PTV/PRV) margin and/or robust optimization planning. Results from wider efforts are needed to verify our findings.

Late vascular complications after cranial radiotherapy: A report of two illustrative cases.

Cranial radiotherapy (CRT) is used to treat a large variety of benign and malignant disorders. We present two cases of late neurological complications after CRT and briefly discuss its diagnosis and their shared pathophysiological aspects. The first case is a patient with cognitive impairment associated to mineralizing microangiopathy ten years after CRT for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and the second one is a woman with Stroke-like Migraine Attacks after Radiation Therapy (SMART) syndrome two years after CRT for anaplastic meningioma. Nowadays, higher survival rates might cause an increase in appearance of late neurological complications after CTR. These reported cases show that late complications can mimic a wide variety of neurological conditions and the importance of magnetic resonance image (MRI) to get a diagnosis.

Single- and Multifraction Stereotactic Radiosurgery Dose/Volume Tolerances of the Brain.

PURPOSE: As part of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Working Group on Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy investigating normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) after hypofractionated radiation therapy, data from published reports (PubMed indexed 1995-2018) were pooled to identify dosimetric and clinical predictors of radiation-induced brain toxicity after single-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (fSRS). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Eligible studies provided NTCPs for the endpoints of radionecrosis, edema, or symptoms after cranial SRS/fSRS and quantitative dose-volume metrics. Studies of patients with only glioma, meningioma, vestibular schwannoma, or brainstem targets were excluded. The data summary and analyses focused on arteriovenous malformations (AVM) and brain metastases. RESULTS: Data from 51 reports are summarized. There was wide variability in reported rates of radionecrosis. Available data for SRS/fSRS for brain metastases were more amenable to NTCP modeling than AVM data. In the setting of brain metastases, SRS/fSRS-associated radionecrosis can be difficult to differentiate from tumor progression. For single-fraction SRS to brain metastases, tissue volumes (including target volumes) receiving 12 Gy (V12) of 5 cm3, 10 cm3, or >15 cm3 were associated with risks of symptomatic radionecrosis of approximately 10%, 15%, and 20%, respectively. SRS for AVM was associated with modestly lower rates of symptomatic radionecrosis for equivalent V12. For brain metastases, brain plus target volume V20 (3-fractions) or V24 (5-fractions) <20 cm3 was associated with <10% risk of any necrosis or edema, and <4% risk of radionecrosis requiring resection. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of radionecrosis after SRS and fSRS can be modeled as a function of dose and volume treated. The use of fSRS appears to reduce risks of radionecrosis for larger treatment volumes relative to SRS. More standardized dosimetric and toxicity reporting is needed to facilitate future pooled analyses that can refine predictive models of brain toxicity risks.

The effects of acute and chronic exposure to 900 MHz radiofrequency radiation on auditory brainstem response in adult rats.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of short and long-term RFR exposure on ABR by evaluating lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in adult rats. Sixty male albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. S1:1 week sham, S10:10 weeks sham, E1:1 week RFR, E10:10 weeks RFR. Experimental group rats were exposed to RFR 2 h/day, 5 days/week during the test period. Sham rats were kept in the same conditions without RFR. After the experiment, ABRs were recorded from the mastoids of rats using tone burst acoustic stimuli. Biochemical investigations in rat brain and ultrastructural analysis in temporal cortex were performed. ABR wave I latency prolonged in E1-group and shortened in E10-group compared to their shams. TBARS level increased in E1-group, decreased in E10-group, on the contrary, SOD and CAT activities and GSH level decreased in E1-group, increased in E10-group compared to their sham groups. Edema was present in the neuron and astrocyte cytoplasms and astrocyte end-feet in both E1 and E10 groups. Our results suggest that 900 MHz RFR may have negative effects on the auditory system in acute exposure and no adverse effects in chronic exposure without weekends.

Research progress on mechanism and dosimetry of brainstem injury induced by intensity-modulated radiotherapy, proton therapy, and heavy ion radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy (RT) is an effective method for treating head and neck cancer (HNC). However, RT may cause side effects during and after treatment. Radiation-induced brainstem injury (BSI) is often neglected due to its low incidence and short survival time and because it is indistinguishable from intracranial tumor progression. It is currently believed that the possible mechanism of radiation-induced BSI includes increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and damage of vascular endothelial cells, neurons, and glial cells as well as an inflammatory response and oxidative stress. At present, it is still difficult to avoid BSI even with several advanced RT techniques. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the most commonly used therapeutic technique in the field of RT. Compared with early conformal therapy, it has greatly reduced the injury to normal tissues. Proton beam radiotherapy (PBT) and heavy ion radiotherapy (HIT) have good dose distribution due to the presence of a Bragg peak, which not only results in better control of the tumor but also minimizes the dose to the surrounding normal tissues. There are many clinical studies on BSI caused by IMRT, PBT, and HIT. In this paper, we review the mechanism, dosimetry, and other aspects of BSI caused by IMRT, PBT, and HIT.Key Points• Enhanced MRI imaging can better detect radiation-induced BSI early.• This article summarized the dose constraints of brainstem toxicity in clinical studies using different techniques including IMRT, PBT, and HIT and recommended better dose constraints pattern to clinicians.• The latest pathological mechanism of radiation-induced BSI and the corresponding advanced treatment methods will be discussed.

[Adaptive radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinomas: Where are we?] / La radiothérapie adaptative des carcinomes nasopharyngés : où sommes-nous ?

Modern high-precision radiotherapy techniques have recently incorporated the notion of anatomical variations of the patient during treatment and have tried to adapt the treatment planning to them. Adaptive radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal tumors is starting to prove its benefit nowadays. His interest is constantly being evaluated. The variations encountered during the treatment are both geometric and dosimetric. They are represented by a reduction in the macroscopic tumors volume, a change in its position and a consequent dosimetric impact. The changes also concern organs at risk with a reduction of glandular structure volumes, and a different position which increases their doses. Delivered doses to noble structures (brainstem and spinal cord) may also increase. However, difficulties are encountered in its realization. There is a problem to perfectly reproduce the patient position during the second acquisition, which impacts the fusion quality between the two CT scans. This generates an imprecision in the definition of the same treatment isocentre on the second scanner. Also, there is a difficulty in accumulated doses calculation. The indication of adaptive radiotherapy remains a subject of controversy. It should be proposed for a subgroup of patients who could benefit from this new strategy. We present here an update on the state of the art of adaptive radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer.

Effects of light intensity and dual light intensity choice on plasma corticosterone, central serotonergic and dopaminergic activities in birds, Gallus gallus.

Light intensity plays an important role in the regulation of growth, behavior, reproduction, and welfare of avian species. Light intensity preference behavior has been suggested to be involved in welfare of birds. This study aims to investigate the effects of different light intensity and dual light intensity choice (DLIC) lighting program on plasma corticosterone (CORT), and tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2, the rate-limiting enzyme of serotonin biosynthesis) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, the rate-limiting enzyme of dopamine biosynthesis) gene expression in the brainstem of male chickens. Day old broilers were housed in two commercial houses, and placed in 24 pens. All the treatment groups were provided with 23 h light (L) /1 h dark (D) and 30 lx (lx) light intensity during the first week and then 18L:6D (10 lx) from day 7 to 14. Blood and brain were sampled at 14 days of age (10 lx) before the onset of light treatments. On day 15, four treatments (2, 10, 20, and 100 lx), and DLIC treatment (2/20 lx) were initiated. Samples were collected on days 15, 16, 17, 30 and 41. TPH2 expression in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) and caudal raphe nucleus (CRN) of brainstem, and TPH2 and TH expression in ventral tegmental areas (VTN) of the midbrain were determined by qPCR. Results showed that bright light and DLIC lighting program temporarily attenuated plasma CORT, suggesting the short-term stress attenuating effect of bright light and DLIC lighting program. Differential TPH2 expression in the DRN and CRN observed in the DLIC birds indicate a significant effect of DLIC lighting program on the serotonergic activity in the avian brainstem. At the 41 days of age, the significant downregulation of TPH2 and TH expression occurred in the VTA of DLIC treated birds compared to the other group of birds. Taken together, temporal and spatial regulation of TPH2 and TH expression by DLIC lighting program indicate that compensatory regulation of serotonergic and dopaminergic activities might be involved in the light intensity preference behavior of birds, suggesting a possible beneficial effect of the DLIC lighting program on broiler welfare.

Normofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy versus CyberKnife-based hypofractionation in skull base meningioma: a German and Italian pooled cohort analysis.

BACKGROUND: This retrospective German and Italian multicenter analysis aimed to compare the role of normofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (nFSRT) to CyberKnife-based hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (CK-hFSRT) for skull base meningiomas. METHODS: Overall, 341 patients across three centers were treated with either nFSRT or CK-hFSRT for skull base meningioma. Treatment planning was based on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) following institutional guidelines. Most nFSRT patients received 33 × 1.8 Gy, and most CK-hFSRT patients received 5 × 5 Gy. The median follow-up time was 36 months (range: 1-232 months). RESULTS: In the CK-hFSRT group, the 1-, 3-, and 10-year local control (LC) rates were 99.4, 96.8, and 80.3%, respectively. In the nFSRT group, the 1-, 3-, and 10-year LC rates were 100, 99, and 79.1%, respectively. There were no significant differences in LC rates between the nFSRT and CK-hFSRT groups (p = 0.56, hazard ratio = 0.76, 95% confidence interval, 0.3-1.9). In the CK-hFSRT group, only one case (0.49%) of severe toxicity (CTCAE 4.0 ≥ 3) was observed. In the nFSRT group, three cases (2.1%) of grade III toxicity were observed. CONCLUSION: This analysis of pooled data from three centers showed excellent LC and low side effect rates for patients treated with CK-hFSRT or nFSRT. The efficacy, safety, and convenience of a shortened treatment period provide a compelling case for the use of CK-hFSRT in patients with moderate size skull base meningioma and provided that OAR constraints are met.

Risk of brainstem necrosis in pediatric patients with central nervous system malignancies after pencil beam scanning proton therapy.

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) plays an important role in management of pediatric central nervous system (CNS) malignancies. Centers are increasingly utilizing pencil beam scanning proton therapy (PBS-PT). However, the risk of brainstem necrosis has not yet been reported. In this study, we evaluate the rate of brainstem necrosis in pediatric patients with CNS malignancies treated with PBS-PT.Material and methods: Pediatric patients with non-hematologic CNS malignancies treated with PBS-PT who received dose to the brainstem were included. All procedures were approved by the institutional review board. Brainstem necrosis was defined as symptomatic toxicity. The actuarial rate was analyzed by the Kaplan Meier method.Results: One hundred and sixty-six consecutive patients were reviewed. Median age was 10 years (range 0.5-21 years). Four patients (2.4%) had prior radiation. Median maximum brainstem dose in the treated course was 55.4 Gy[RBE] (range 0.15-61.4 Gy[RBE]). In patients with prior RT, cumulative median maximum brainstem dose was 98.0 Gy [RBE] (range 17.0-111.0 Gy [RBE]). Median follow up was 19.6 months (range, 2.0-63.0). One patient who had previously been treated with twice-daily radiation therapy and intrathecal (IT) methotrexate experienced brainstem necrosis. The actuarial incidence of brainstem necrosis was 0.7% at 24 months (95% CI 0.1-5.1%).Conclusion: The rate of symptomatic brainstem necrosis was extremely low after treatment with PBS-PT in this study. Further work to clarify clinical and dosimetric parameters associated with risk of brainstem necrosis after PBS-PT is needed.

Brainstem Injury in Pediatric Patients Receiving Posterior Fossa Photon Radiation.

PURPOSE: Brainstem necrosis is a rare, but dreaded complication of radiation therapy; however, data on the incidence of brainstem injury for tumors involving the posterior fossa in photon-treated patient cohorts are still needed. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Clinical characteristics and dosimetric parameters were recorded for 107 pediatric patients who received photon radiation for posterior fossa tumors without brainstem involvement from 2000 to 2016. Patients were excluded if they received a prescription dose <50.4 Gy, a brainstem maximum dose <50.4 Gy, or had fewer than 2 magnetic resonance imaging scans within 18 months after radiation. Post-radiation therapy magnetic resonance imaging findings were recorded, and brainstem toxicity was graded using National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 5. RESULTS: The most common histologies were medulloblastoma (61.7%) and ependymoma (15.9%), and median age at diagnosis was 8.3 years (range, 0.8-20.7). Sixty-seven patients (62.6%) received craniospinal irradiation (median, 23.4 Gy; range, 18.0-39.6) as a component of their radiation therapy, and 39.3% and 40.2% of patients received an additional involved field or whole posterior fossa boost, respectively. Median prescribed dose was 55.8 Gy (range, 50.4-60.0). Median clinical and imaging follow-up were 4.7 years (range, 0.1-17.5) and 4.2 years (range, 0.1-17.3), respectively. No grade ≥2 toxicities were observed. The incidence of grade 1 brainstem necrosis was 1.9% (2 of 107). These patients were by definition asymptomatic and experienced resolution of imaging abnormality after 5.3 months and 2.1 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Risk of brainstem necrosis was minimal in this multi-institutional study of pediatric patients treated with photon radiation therapy for tumors involving the posterior fossa with no cases of symptomatic brainstem injury, suggesting that brainstem injury risk is minimal in patients treated with photon therapy.

The impact of proton LET/RBE modeling and robustness analysis on base-of-skull and pediatric craniopharyngioma proton plans relative to VMAT.

Purpose: Pediatric craniopharyngioma, adult base-of-skull sarcoma and chordoma cases are all regarded as priority candidates for proton therapy. In this study, a dosimetric comparison between volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) was first performed. We then investigated the impact of physical and biological uncertainties. We assessed whether IMPT plans remained dosimetrically superior when such uncertainty estimates were considered, especially with regards to sparing organs at risk (OARs).Methodology: We studied 10 cases: four chondrosarcoma, two chordoma and four pediatric craniopharyngioma. VMAT and IMPT plans were created according to modality-specific protocols. For IMPT, we considered (i) variable RBE modeling using the McNamara model for different values of (α/ß)x, and (ii) robustness analysis with ±3 mm set-up and 3.5% range uncertainties.Results: When comparing the VMAT and IMPT plans, the dosimetric advantages of IMPT were clear: IMPT led to reduced integral dose and, typically, improved CTV coverage given our OAR constraints. When physical robustness analysis was performed for IMPT, some uncertainty scenarios worsened the CTV coverage but not usually beyond that achieved by VMAT. Certain scenarios caused OAR constraints to be exceeded, particularly for the brainstem and optical chiasm. However, variable RBE modeling predicted even more substantial hotspots, especially for low values of (α/ß)x. Variable RBE modeling often prompted dose constraints to be exceeded for critical structures.Conclusion: For base-of-skull and pediatric craniopharyngioma cases, both physical and biological robustness analyses should be considered for IMPT: these analyses can substantially affect the sparing of OARs and comparisons against VMAT. All proton RBE modeling is subject to high levels of uncertainty, but the clinical community should remain cognizant possible RBE effects. Careful clinical and imaging follow-up, plus further research on end-of-range RBE mitigation strategies such as LET optimization, should be prioritized for these cohorts of proton patients.

Harmonization of proton treatment planning for head and neck cancer using pencil beam scanning: first report of the IPACS collaboration group.

Background and purpose: A collaborative network between proton therapy (PT) centres in Trento in Italy, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic and Sweden (IPACS) was founded to implement trials and harmonize PT. This is the first report of IPACS with the aim to show the level of harmonization that can be achieved for proton therapy planning of head and neck (sino-nasal) cancer.Methods: CT-data sets of five patients were included. During several face-to-face and online meetings, a common treatment planning protocol was developed. Each centre used its own treatment planning system (TPS) and planning approach with some restrictions specified in the treatment planning protocol. In addition, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) photon plans were created.Results: For CTV1, the average Dmedian was 59.3 ± 2.4 Gy(RBE) for protons and 58.8 ± 2.0 Gy(RBE) for VMAT (aim was 56 Gy(RBE)). For CTV2, the average Dmedian was 71.2 ± 1.0 Gy(RBE) for protons and 70.6 ± 0.4 Gy(RBE) for VMAT (aim was 70 Gy(RBE)). The average D2% for the spinal cord was 25.1 ± 8.5 Gy(RBE) for protons and 47.6 ± 1.4 Gy(RBE) for VMAT. The average D2% for chiasm was 46.5 ± 4.4 Gy(RBE) for protons and 50.8 ± 1.4 Gy(RBE) for VMAT, respectively. Robust evaluation was performed and showed the least robust plans for plans with a low number of beams.Discussion: In conclusion, several influences on harmonization were identified: adherence/interpretation to/of the protocol, available technology, experience in treatment planning and use of different beam arrangements. In future, all OARs that should be included in the optimization need to be specified in order to further harmonize treatment planning.

Evolution and Dosimetric Analysis of Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Detected Brain Stem Injury After Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the evolution of radiation-induced brain stem injury (BSI) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and to identify the critical dosimetric predictors of BSI. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 6288 NPC patients treated with IMRT between 2009 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Among these 6288 patients, 24 had radiation-induced BSI, which manifested as edematous lesions and contrast-enhanced lesions (CLs) on magnetic resonance imaging. Latency, symptoms, and evolution of BSI were assessed. Critical dosimetric predictors of BSI were identified using a penalized regression model with performance evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: Median BSI latency was 14.5 months (range, 7.6-37.5 months), and 9 out of 24 patients (37.5%) were clinically symptomatic. Edematous lesions and CLs were both present in all patients. Necrosis was significantly more common in larger CLs (P = .007). After median follow-up of 12.5 months, 13 out of 24 patients (54.2%) had complete remission, and 5 out of 24 patients (20.8%) had partial remission. Remission was unaffected by whether or not symptomatic treatment was given. Maximum point dose (Dmax) was identified as the critical predictor of BSI (area under the receiver operating curve = 0.898), with the optimal cutoff equivalent dose in 2-Gy fractions (D2) being 67.4 Gy (sensitivity = 0.833, 20 out of 24; specificity = 0.835, 5234 out of 6264). Patients with Dmax ≥67.4 Gy (D2) were significantly more likely to develop BSI (odds ratio = 25.29; 95% CI, 8.63-74.14; P < .001) than those with Dmax <67.4 Gy (D2). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with NPC treated with IMRT, BSI generally tends to improve over time. Dmax = 67.4 Gy (D2) appears to be the dose constraint for brain stem, potentially providing clinicians with greater choice and flexibility when balancing the tumor target coverage and brain stem protection. Further studies are needed to validate our findings.

Practical contouring guidelines with an MR-based atlas of brainstem structures involved in radiation-induced nausea and vomiting.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The objective of this project was to define consensus guidelines for delineating brainstem substructures (dorsal vagal complex, including the area postrema) involved in radiation-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV). The three parts of the brainstem are rarely delineated, so this study was also an opportunity to find a consensus on this subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The dorsal vagal complex (DVC) was identified on autopsy sections and endoscopic descriptions. Anatomic landmarks and boundaries were used to establish radio-anatomic correlations on CT and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Additionally, delineation of RINV structures was performed on MRI images and reported on CT scans. Next, guidelines were provided to eight radiation oncologists for delineation guidance of these RINV-related structures on DICOM-RT images of two patients being treated for a nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Interobserver variability was computed. RESULTS: The DVC and the three parts of the brainstem were defined with a concise description of their main anatomic boundaries. The interobserver analysis showed that the DVC, the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata delineations were reproducible with KI = 0.72, 0.84, 0.94 and 0.89, respectively. The Supplemental Material section provides an atlas of the consensus guidelines projected on 1-mm MR axial slices. CONCLUSIONS: This RINV-atlas was feasible and reproducible for the delineation of RINV structures on planning CT using fused MRI. It may be used to prospectively assess dose-volume relationship for RINV structures and occurrence of nausea vomiting during intracranial or head and neck irradiation.

High-Dose Static and Dynamic Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Combined with Chemotherapy for Patients with Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Improves Survival and Reduces Brainstem Toxicity.

BACKGROUND Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the standard treatment for patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). However, the dose-volume criteria for adjacent anatomically normal organs at risk (OARs) remain controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of higher than conventional doses of static and dynamic IMRT on the locoregional control of NPC, patient survival, and brainstem radiation toxicity. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients (n=186) with stage III and stage IVa NPC underwent high-dose static and dynamic IMRT treatment (68-76.96 Gy) with or without chemotherapy for 34-57 days. Overall survival (OS), the presence of distant metastases, and brainstem toxicity were assessed. One-year, three-year, and five-year follow-up was performed. RESULTS High-dose IMRT alone or in combination with chemotherapy resulted in a 100% objective response rate and significantly improved OS rates, with one-year, three-year, and five-year OS rates of 94.1%, 89.8%, and 88.2%, respectively. The local recurrence rate (17.6%), and distant metastasis to the lung, liver, and bone (17.2%), and mortality (n=22) were reduced. Chemotherapy was the only factor that was significantly correlated with patient survival. Brainstem toxicity was reduced in patients treated with static IMRT (0.07%) and dynamic IMRT (0.08%). There were 26 additional factors that were not found to significantly affect brainstem toxicity. CONCLUSIONS High-dose static or dynamic IMRT combined with chemotherapy improved survival and reduces distal metastasis with a very low occurrence of brainstem toxicity in patients with locally advanced NPC. These findings might provide therapeutic guidance for clinicians when planning optimal dose-volume IMRT parameters.