Are we making progress in curing advanced cervical cancer-again?

Major improvements in radiotherapy over the past two decades in the definitive treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer have significantly improved loco-regional control and survival, whereas little progress has been made with chemotherapy since the implementation of concomitant cisplatin 25 years ago. However, the randomized study INTERLACE (A phase III multicenter trial of weekly induction chemotherapy followed by standard chemoradiation versus standard chemoradiation alone in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer) of neoadjuvant chemotherapy presented recently, has shown significant improvement in survival with the use of six cycles of weekly carboplatin and paclitaxel. Although INTERLACE is yet to be published, neoadjuvant chemotherapy is already being advocated as the new standard, and studies are being designed with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation and brachytherapy as the standard arm. It is noteworthy that INTERLACE was initiated before the improvements in radiotherapy mentioned above were broadly implemented. The survival rate in the standard arm of INTERLACE was therefore inferior to the results obtained with the latest state-of-the-art external beam radiotherapy and image guided adaptive brachytherapy (EMBRACE, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-Guided Brachytherapy in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer). Moreover, patient selection impedes the comparison of INTERLACE with other studies as the patients included in INTERLACE were younger, had better performance status, and had less advanced disease than in other studies. Notably patients with involved para-aortic nodes were excluded. In this review, we discuss neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the frame of the EMBRACE studies and show how the impact of modern radiotherapy and patient selection affects the interpretation of the results of INTERLACE. This has led us to conclude that neoadjuvant chemotherapy is not needed for the majority of patients with cervical cancer treated with definitive modern radiotherapy, and may cause harm. However, it is possible that short course neoadjuvant chemotherapy may benefit a minor subgroup of patients who need to be identified. Comprehensive understanding, including cost utility analyses, are needed to draw conclusions regarding the potential benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in low and middle income countries with limited access to modern radiotherapy.

Stereotactic radiotherapy for managing ovarian cancer oligoprogression under poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi).

OBJECTIVE: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) have become a new standard of care for the maintenance treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combining stereotactic body radiotherapy with PARPi continuation as a strategy to treat ovarian cancer oligoprogression on PARPi. METHODS: This is a multicenter retrospective study including ovarian cancer patients treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy and PARPi continuation for oligoprogression under PARPi maintenance therapy between June 2012 and May 2023 in three Italian centers. PARPi treatment was continued until further disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was the next-line systemic therapy-free interval. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess local control, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate potential clinical outcomes predictors. RESULTS: 46 patients were included, with a total of 89 lesions treated over 63 radiotherapy treatments. Lymph nodes were the most frequently treated lesions (80, 89.9%), followed by visceral lesions (8, 9%) and one case with a bone lesion (1.1%). Median follow-up was 25.9 months (range 2.8-122). The median next-line systemic therapy-free interval was 12.4 months (95% CI 8.3 to 19.5). A number of prior chemotherapy lines greater than five was significantly associated with a reduced next-line systemic therapy-free interval (HR 3.21, 95% CI 1.11 to 9.32, p=0.032). At the time of analysis, 32 (69.6%) patients started a new systemic therapy regimen, while 14 (30.4%) remained on the PARPi regimen. The 2-year progression-free survival, local failure-free survival, and overall survival rates were 10.7%, 78.1%, and 76.5%, respectively. Four patients (8.7%) experienced acute toxicity with G1 gastrointestinal events. CONCLUSION: Stereotactic body radiotherapy combined with PARPi continuation may be an effective and safe strategy for managing ovarian cancer patients with oligoprogression on PARPi maintenance therapy. Prospective research is warranted to shed more light on this approach.

Chest wall pain after single-fraction thoracic stereotactic ablative Radiotherapy: Dosimetric analysis from the iSABR trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Concerns over chest wall toxicity has led to debates on treating tumors adjacent to the chest wall with single-fraction stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). We performed a secondary analysis of patients treated on the prospective iSABR trial to determine the incidence and grade of chest wall pain and modeled dose-response to guide radiation planning and estimate risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This analysis included 99 tumors in 92 patients that were treated with 25 Gy in one fraction on the iSABR trial which individualized dose by tumor size and location. Toxicity events were prospectively collected and graded based on the CTCAE version 4. Dose-response modeling was performed using a logistic model with maximum likelihood method utilized for parameter fitting. RESULTS: There were 22 grade 1 or higher chest wall pain events, including five grade 2 events and zero grade 3 or higher events. The volume receiving at least 11 Gy (V11Gy) and the minimum dose to the hottest 2 cc (D2cc) were most highly correlated with toxicity. When dichotomized by an estimated incidence of ≥ 20 % toxicity, the D2cc > 17 Gy (36.6 % vs. 3.7 %, p < 0.01) and V11Gy > 28 cc (40.0 % vs. 8.1 %, p < 0.01) constraints were predictive of chest wall pain, including among a subset of patients with tumors abutting or adjacent to the chest wall. CONCLUSION: For small, peripheral tumors, single-fraction SABR is associated with modest rates of low-grade chest wall pain. Proximity to the chest wall may not contraindicate single fractionation when using highly conformal, image-guided techniques with sharp dose gradients.

Accuracy of surveillance serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen for cervical cancer recurrence after definitive chemoradiation.

OBJECTIVE: Recurrence remains a significant clinical problem for patients with cervical cancer, and early detection may improve outcomes. Serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) is a biomarker of prognosis and response to chemoradiotherapy. We hypothesized that elevated serum SCCA during surveillance is sensitive and specific for recurrence. METHODS: Pre-treatment and follow-up serum SCCA from patients treated with definitive-intent radiotherapy were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified laboratory and analyzed retrospectively. Follow-up SCCA was defined as the value closest to recurrence, or as last available for patients without recurrence. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of follow-up SCCA for recurrence was determined for the whole cohort (Cohort 1), for patients with elevated (Cohort 2), and normal pre-treatment SCCA (Cohort 3). Patterns of failure were also evaluated. RESULTS: Of 227 patients in Cohort 1, 23% experienced recurrence, and 17% died of cervical cancer. Mean follow-up SCCA was 0.9 (±2.5) for patients with no recurrence and 6.0 (±18.7) for patients with recurrence (p=0.02). Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of follow-up SCCA for recurrence in Cohort 1 were 38.5%, 97.1%, 80%, and 84.2%, and for patients in Cohort 2 were 54.5%, 95%, 78.3%, and 86.5%, respectively. Four of 86 patients in Cohort 3 had an elevated follow-up SCCA, two of these at the time of recurrence. Elevated pre-treatment SCCA and follow-up SCCA were associated with isolated pelvic recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance serum SCCA has high specificity and NPV for recurrence, and may be of limited utility in patients with normal pre-treatment SCCA.

Deep learning-based target tracking with X-ray images for radiotherapy: a narrative review.

Background and Objective: As one of the main treatment modalities, radiotherapy (RT) (also known as radiation therapy) plays an increasingly important role in the treatment of cancer. RT could benefit greatly from the accurate localization of the gross tumor volume and circumambient organs at risk (OARs). Modern linear accelerators (LINACs) are typically equipped with either gantry-mounted or room-mounted X-ray imaging systems, which provide possibilities for marker-less tracking with two-dimensional (2D) kV X-ray images. However, due to organ overlapping and poor soft tissue contrast, it is challenging to track the target directly and precisely with 2D kV X-ray images. With the flourishing development of deep learning in the field of image processing, it is possible to achieve real-time marker-less tracking of targets with 2D kV X-ray images in RT using advanced deep-learning frameworks. This article sought to review the current development of deep learning-based target tracking with 2D kV X-ray images and discuss the existing limitations and potential solutions. Finally, it also discusses some common challenges and potential future developments. Methods: Manual searches of the Web of Science, and PubMed, and Google Scholar were carried out to retrieve English-language articles. The keywords used in the searches included "radiotherapy, radiation therapy, motion tracking, target tracking, motion estimation, motion monitoring, X-ray images, digitally reconstructed radiographs, deep learning, convolutional neural network, and deep neural network". Only articles that met the predetermined eligibility criteria were included in the review. Ultimately, 23 articles published between March 2019 and December 2023 were included in the review. Key Content and Findings: In this article, we narratively reviewed deep learning-based target tracking with 2D kV X-ray images in RT. The existing limitations, common challenges, possible solutions, and future directions of deep learning-based target tracking were also discussed. The use of deep learning-based methods has been shown to be feasible in marker-less target tracking and real-time motion management. However, it is still quite challenging to directly locate tumor and OARs in real-time with 2D kV X-ray images, and more technical and clinical efforts are needed. Conclusions: Deep learning-based target tracking with 2D kV X-ray images is a promising method in motion management during RT. It has the potential to track the target in real time, recognize motion, reduce the extended margin, and better spare the normal tissue. However, it still has many issues that demand prompt attention, and further development before it can be put into clinical practice.

Paediatric radiation therapy without anaesthesia - Are the children moving?

PURPOSE: Children who require radiation therapy (RT) should ideally be treated awake, without anaesthesia, if possible. Audiovisual distraction is a known method to facilitate awake treatment, but its effectiveness at keeping children from moving during treatment is not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate intrafraction movement of children receiving RT while awake. METHODS: In this prospective study, we measured the intrafraction movement of children undergoing treatment with fractionated RT, using pre- and post-RT cone beam CT (CBCT) with image matching on bony anatomy. Study CBCTs were acquired at first fraction, weekly during RT, and at last fraction. The primary endpoint was the magnitude of vector change between the pre- and post-RT scans. Our hypothesis was that 90 % of CBCT acquisitions would have minimal movement, defined as <3 mm for head-and-neck (HN) treatments and <5 mm for non-HN treatments. RESULTS: A total of 65 children were enrolled and had evaluable data across 302 treatments with CBCT acquisitions. Median age was 11 years (range, 2-18; 1st and 3rd quartiles 7 and 14 years, respectively). Minimal movement was observed in 99.4 % of HN treatments and 97.2 % of non-HN treatments. The study hypothesis of >90 % of evaluations having minimal movement was met. Children who were age >11 years moved less at initial evaluation but tended to move more as a course of radiation progressed, as compared to children who were younger. CONCLUSION: Children receiving RT with audiovisual distraction while awake had small magnitudes of observed intrafraction movement, with minimal movement in >97 % of observed RT fractions. This study validates methods of anaesthesia avoidance using audiovisual distraction for selected children.

MRI sequence optimisation methods to identify cranial nerve course for radiotherapy planning.

INTRODUCTION: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is being increasingly used to improve radiation therapy planning by allowing visualisation of organs at risk that cannot be well-defined on computed tomography (CT). Diagnostic sequences are increasingly being adapted for radiation therapy planning, such as the use of heavily T2-weighted 3D SPACE (Sampling Perfection with Application optimised Contrasts using different flip angle Evolution) sequence for cranial nerve identification in head and neck tumour treatment planning. METHODS: A 3D isotropic T2 SPACE sequence used for cranial nerve identification was adapted for radiation therapy purposes. Distortion was minimised using a spin-echo-based sequence, 3D distortion correction, isocentre scanning and an increased readout bandwidth. Radiation therapy positioning was accounted for by utilising two small flex, 4-channel coils. The protocol was validated for cranial nerve identification in clinical applications and distortion minimisation using an MRI QA phantom. RESULTS: Normal anatomy of the cranial nerves CI-CIX, were presented, along with a selection of clinical applications and abnormal anatomy. The usefulness of cranial nerve identification is discussed for several case studies, particularly in proximity to tumours extending into the base of skull region. In-house testing validated that higher bandwidths of 600 Hz resulted in minimal displacement well below 1 mm. CONCLUSION: The use of MRI for radiation therapy planning allows for greater individualisation and prediction of patient outcomes. Dose reduction to cranial nerves can decrease late side effects such as cranial neuropathy. In addition to current applications, future directions include further applications of this technology for radiation therapy treatments.

Improvement in radiation techniques for locally advanced cervical cancer during the last two decades.

Since the National Cancer Institute (NCI) alert of concurrent chemoradiotherapy, radiotherapy has been changed from external beam radiotherapy plus brachytherapy to platinum-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Therefore, concurrent chemoradiotherapy plus brachytherapy has become a standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer. Simultaneously, definitive radiotherapy has been changed gradually from external beam radiotherapy plus low-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy to external beam radiotherapy plus high-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy. Cervix cancer is uncommon in developed countries; hence, international collaborations have been critical in large-scale clinical trials. The Cervical Cancer Research Network (CCRN), created from the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG), has investigated various concurrent chemotherapy regimens and sequential methods of radiation and chemotherapy. Most recently, many clinical trials of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors with radiotherapy have been ongoing for sequential or concurrent settings. During the last decade, the method of standard radiation therapy has changed from three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy to intensity-modulated radiation therapy for external beam radiotherapy and from two-dimensional to three-dimensional image-guided approaches for brachytherapy. Recent improvements include stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy and MRI-guided linear accelerator (MRI-LINAC) using adaptive radiotherapy. Here we review the current progress of radiation therapy during the last two decades.

Effect of cone-beam computed tomography image-guidance on the setup errors of stereotactic body radiotherapy for spinal metastatic tumors / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To evaluate the effect of image-guided with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) based on volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT)-flattening filter free (FFF) on the setup errors of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in patients with spinal metastatic tumors.Methods:The clinical data of 15 patients with spinal metastatic tumors who underwent SBRT in Jilin Cancer Hospital from August 2020 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The radiotherapy dose of bone metastasis was 32 Gy per 4 times and CBCT scanning was performed before and after radiotherapy. Every patient received radiotherapy 4 times; all 15 patients underwent SBRT 60 times in total and 120 CBCT volume images were finally obtained and analyzed. The systematic error (Σ) and random error (σ) were calculated at different correction threshold levels. The translational setup error and rotational setup error at the left-right (X axis), head-foot (Y axis) and front-back (Z axis) directions before and after radiotherapy were compared, which were expressed as Σ ± σ.Results:The pre-SBRT and post-SBRT translational setup errors were (0.14±0.27) cm and (0.07±0.19) cm, respectively ( P<0.001) in the X direction, (-0.05±0.33) cm and (0.00±0.19) cm, respectively ( P = 0.001) in the Y direction, (-0.13±0.19) cm and (-0.02±0.14) cm, respectively ( P = 0.012) in the Z direction. The pre-SBRT and post-SBRT rotational setup errors were (-0.31±0.76)° and (-0.09±0.34)°, respectively ( P < 0.001) in the X direction, (-0.13±0.88)° and (-0.07±0.36) °, respectively ( P < 0.001) in the Y direction, (0.10±0.51)° and (0.16±0.38)°, respectively ( P < 0.001) in the Z direction. Conclusions:CBCT correction could reduce Σ and σof the translational setup and rotational setup, increase the accuracy of SBRT based on VMAT-FFF for patients with spinal metastatic tumors.

Significance of target volume delineation of tumor bed according to metal clips or seroma in determing tumor bed position during radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To investigate the differences between the mental clips placed intraoperatively and the tumor bed's target volume delineation of seroma based on CT scanning during radiotherapy for breast cancer patients who received breast-conserving surgery in the persuit of a better solution to determine the tumor bed position.Methods:The clinical data of 13 patients with early breast cancer who received postoperative radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery at Beijing Shijingshan Hospital and Beijing Shijitan Hospital of Capital Medical University from December 2020 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. They all had surgical clips implanted during the surgery. The following methods were used to delineate the target volume of tumor bed, including gross target volume delineation of tumor bed based on the mental clips (GTVtb-Clip), the tumor bed's gross target volume delineation of seroma based on CT scanning (GTVtb-Seroma), and the combination of both (GTVtb-C+S). The volume, diameter on three coordinate axis, neutral point displacement and conformability of these delineation methods were compared.Results:The volume of GTVtb-Clip, GTVtb-Seroma and GTVtb-C+S was (25±10) cm 3, (38±17) cm 3, (49±20) cm 3, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The diameter on X axis was (4.7±1.2) cm, (5.3±1.4) cm, (5.7±1.6) cm, respectively in GTVtb-Clip, GTVtb-Seroma and GTVtb-C+S; the diameter on Y axis was (4.6±1.7) cm, (5.0±1.6) cm, (5.7±1.7) cm, respectively in GTVtb-Clip, GTVtb-Seroma and GTVtb-C+S; the diameter on Z axis was (4.4±1.5) cm, (5.2±1.4) cm, (5.6±1.4) cm in GTVtb-Clip, GTVtb-Seroma and GTVtb-C+S. The differences in the diameter of GTVtb-Clip and GTVtb-C+S on X,Y, Z axis were statistically significant (all P<0.05); the differences in the diameter of GTVtb-Seroma and GTVtb-C+S on X, Z axis were statistically significant (all P<0.05); the difference in the diameter of GTVtb-Clip and GTVtb-Seroma on X axis was statistically significant ( P<0.05) .Neutral point displacement was (5.8±1.6) cm, (5.5±1.9) cm, (6.0±1.7) cm, respectively of GTVtb-Clip, GTVtb-Seroma, GTVtb-C+S, and the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conformability of GTVtb-Clip and GTVtb-Seroma, GTVtb-Clip and GTVtb-C+S, GTVtb-Seroma and GTVtb-C+S was 0.412±0.112, 0.525±0.095, 0.774±0.112,respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions:During radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer, compared with the single method, the combination of GTVtb-Clip and GTVtb-Seroma can better cover the real tumor bed, thus reducing the omission of tumor bed and recurrence rate. CT position should better take place at 4 to 8 weeks for patients receiving radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery, and target volume of tumor bed will be delineated based on the postoperative changes of both mental clips and seroma.

Use of magnetic resonance scanner with a linear accelerator during precision radiotherapy for breast cancer / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) not only offers real time magnetic resonance (MR) imags with high-resolution and good soft tissue contrast to guide the delineation of the target volume during simulation and daily radiotherapy, but also reveals the position and shape changes of the target volumes and organs at risk (OAR) during treatment dynamically, which provides the evidence for the individual-adptive planning revision. Thus, MRgRT has the potential to dramatically impact cancer research and treatment. And this treatment mode is theoretically more suitable for the disease with obvious tissue deformation, such as breast. In this review, application of MR scanner with a linear accelerator (MR-linac) in radiotherapy workflows for breast cancer patients was summarized, and its implications and opportunities on breast cancer irradiation were highlighted.

Radiofrequency and microwave ablation for treatment of recurrent gynecologic malignancies.

OBJECTIVE: Radiofrequency ablation and microwave ablation are used to vaporize tumors not amenable to surgical resection. We sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency and microwave ablation for the treatment of isolated lesions in patients with recurrent gynecologic malignancy. METHODS: Patients with gynecologic malignancies treated with radiofrequency or microwave ablation at a university-affiliated cancer center from April 2007 to January 2020 were evaluated. Clinical records were reviewed for number of prior chemotherapy regimens, response to ablation, time to progression, and location of progression. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients received ablative therapy for treatment of isolated recurrences. Seventeen (53%) patients had ovarian cancer, seven (22%) had endometrial cancer, and eight (25%) had cervical cancer. Thirteen (41%) patients received radiofrequency ablation and 19 (59%) received microwave ablation. Patients had a median of 2 (range 1-12) prior lines of chemotherapy. Sixteen (50%) patients achieved a partial or complete response with two patients experiencing no progression at time of submission. Six (19%) patients had stable disease and 10 (31%) patients had progression at time of initial follow-up imaging. Median progression-free survival for the cohort was 7.3 months (range 1.4-64.7). No significant improvement in median progression-free survival was seen with the addition of adjuvant systemic therapy to radiofrequency or microwave ablation (6.9 vs 7.7 months; HR 0.7, 95% CI 0.3 to 1.7). Clinical benefit, defined as absence of definitive progression at the site of ablation or new target lesions at 4 months, was seen in 22 (68.8%) patients. No major complications occurred, with two patients reporting pain or weakness at the site of ablation. CONCLUSION: Radiofrequency and microwave ablation demonstrated that 68.8% (n=22) of patients experienced clinical benefit at 4 months. Ablative therapy may be considered for the treatment of isolated lesions in patients with recurrent gynecologic malignancies.

Radiotherapy dose escalation on pelvic lymph node control in patients with cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Data supporting dose escalation for node-positive cervical cancer are currently limited to small retrospective studies. The goal of this study was to assess whether radiation dose was associated with lymph node control or gastrointestinal toxicity in patients with node-positive cervical cancer. METHODS: A total of 390 patients with carcinoma of the uterine cervix were treated between October 1997 and October 2017. Patients included in our analysis were those with squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma who were node-positive, treated definitively, and with at least one follow-up visit and post-treatment imaging scan. We excluded those without follow-up and those treated with palliative intent. All patients were treated with external beam radiation to pelvic±para-aortic fields with concurrent weekly cisplatin. All lymph nodes present at the time of treatment were stratified by size as <2 cm or ≥2 cm. Acute and late gastrointestinal toxicity were recorded for all patients. RESULTS: A total of 77 patients with 206 lymph nodes were identified. Median stage at presentation was FIGO IIB. Thirteen patients underwent definitive surgical resection followed by adjuvant radiation, of which 12 were treated to doses ≤5040 (range 2700-5940) cGy. Sixty-four patients were treated with definitive chemoradiation, of which 42 (66%) received ≤5040 (range 4500-5040) cGy and 22 (34%) received >5040 (range 5300-6640) cGy. Patients with pre-chemoradiation lymph nodes ≥2 cm had inferior lymph node control compared with patients with pre-chemoradiation lymph node <2 cm at 12 months (77% vs 100%, p=0.002). Radiation dose >5040 cGy was not significantly associated with improved lymph node control compared with ≤5040 cGy when analyzing all patients (12 months, 100% vs 89%, p=0.112). In patients with pre-chemoradiation lymph nodes ≥2 cm, radiation dose >5040 cGy was associated with improved lymph node control (12 months, 100% vs 60%, p=0.020). Acute grade ≥2 gastrointestinal toxicity was not associated with radiation dose >5040 cGy (20% vs 13%, p=0.424). Two patients developed grade ≥2 late gastrointestinal toxicity, both of whom were treated to ≤5040 cGy. CONCLUSIONS: This series supports the role of dose escalation for patients with lymph nodes ≥2 cm. Dose escalation is associated with improved control in patients with larger lymph nodes, and is not associated with greater gastrointestinal toxicity.

Stereotactic radiotherapy in patients with oligometastatic or oligoprogressive gynecological malignancies: a multi-institutional analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Data supporting stereotactic body radiotherapy for oligometastatic patients are increasing; however, the outcomes for gynecological cancer patients have yet to be fully explored. Our aim is to analyze the clinical outcomes of stereotactic body radiotherapy in the treatment of patients with recurrent or oligometastatic ovarian cancer or cervical cancer. METHODS: The clinical data of 29 patients (35 lesions) with oligometastatic cervical cancer (21 patients, 72%) and ovarian carcinoma (8 patients, 28%) who were treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy for metastatic sites were retrospectively evaluated. All patients had <5 metastases at diagnosis or during progression, and were treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy for oligometastatic disease. Patients with ≥5 metastases or with brain metastases and those who underwent re-irradiation for primary site were excluded. Age, progression time, mean biologically effective dose, and treatment response were compared for overall survival and progression-free survival. RESULTS: A total of 29 patients were included in the study. De novo oligometastatic disease was observed in 7 patients (24%), and 22 patients (76%) had oligoprogression. The median follow-up was 15.3 months (range 1.9-95.2). The 1 and 2 year overall survival rates were 85% and 62%, respectively, and the 1 and 2 year progression-free survival rates were 27% and 18%, respectively. The 1 and 2 year local control rates for all patients were 84% and 84%, respectively. All disease progressions were observed at a median time of 7.7 months (range 1.0-16.0) after the completion of stereotactic body radiotherapy. Patients with a complete response after stereotactic body radiotherapy for oligometastasis had a significantly higher 2 year overall survival and progression-free survival compared with their counterparts. In multivariate analysis, early progression (≤12 months) and complete response after stereotactic body radiotherapy for oligometastasis were the significant prognostic factors for improved overall survival. However, no significant factor was found for progression-free survival in the multivariable analysis. No patients experienced grade 3 or higher acute or late toxicities. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with early detection of oligometastasis (≤12 months) and with complete response observed at the stereotactic body radiotherapy site had a better survival compared with their counterparts. Stereotactic body radiotherapy at the oligometastatic site resulted in excellent local control rates with minimal toxicity, and can potentially contribute to long-term survival.

Outcomes analysis of pre-brachytherapy MRI in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Various brachytherapy options are available for treating cervical cancer. This study investigated whether pre-brachytherapy magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings could help identify the appropriate brachytherapy technique for cervical cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated patients with cervical cancer who underwent pre-brachytherapy MRI within 7 days before their first high-dose rate brachytherapy treatment between December 2009 and September 2015. Patients who could not undergo MRI at pre-treatment and/or pre-brachytherapy and complete radical radiotherapy were excluded. Conventional intracavitary brachytherapy was the preferred treatment for ≤4 cm and symmetrical tumors. Non-conventional intracavitary brachytherapy, including interstitial brachytherapy, was the preferred treatment for bulky tumors, asymmetrical tumors, tumors with severe vaginal invasion, or bulky barrel-shaped tumors. The 3-year rates of overall survival, disease-free survival, and local control were compared using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Overall survival and local control rates were assessed using Cox regression analysis to identify risk factors for poor overall survival and local control outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 146 patients were included in the study. The median tumor sizes were 52 mm (range 17-85) at the pre-treatment MRI and 30 mm (range 0-78) at the pre-brachytherapy MRI. Six patients had International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB2, 67 patients had stage II, 64 patients had stage III, and nine patients had stage IVA disease. A total of 124 (85%) patients had squamous cell carcinoma and 22 (15%) patients had adenosquamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma. The MRI findings showed severe vaginal invasion (pre-treatment: 19 patients, pre-brachytherapy: 10 patients), asymmetrical bulky tumors (pre-treatment: 28 patients, pre-brachytherapy: 16 patients), and severe corpus invasion (pre-treatment: 39 patients, pre-brachytherapy: 18 patients). Based on the pre-brachytherapy MRI findings, non-conventional intracavitary brachytherapy was administered to 34 (23.3%) patients. Brachytherapy seemed to be appropriate for 133 (91.1%) patients and inappropriate for 13 (8.9%) patients. The 3-year rates were 84.2% for overall survival and 90.1% for local control. Grade 3 late rectal complications occurred in two (1%) patients. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor characteristics (size, shape, and extent of invasion) were not risk factors, although inappropriate brachytherapy was significantly related to poor local control (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Pre-brachytherapy MRI may help to select appropriate brachytherapy for cervical cancer and reduce the likelihood of inappropriate brachytherapy leading to poor local control.

Factors influencing the short-term efficacy of CT-guided 125I seeds implantation in the treatment of recurrent and metastatic tumors of head and neck / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective@#To analyze the factors influencing the short-term efficacy of CT-guided 125I seeds implantation in the treatment of recurrent and metastatic tumors in head and neck.@*Methods@#A total of 73 patients (61 males, 12 females; age: (59.1±11.5) years) with head and neck tumors recurrence and metastasis treated by 125I seeds implantation in Hebei General Hospital from January 2015 to April 2019 were retrospectively enrolled. The implanted seeds activity was 11.1-29.6 MBq, and the prescription dose was 80.0-145.0 Gy. CT examination was conducted 3 months after 125I seeds implantation. According to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1, short-term efficacy was classified as effective (complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR)) and ineffective (stable disease (SD), progressive disease (PD)). Univariate analysis of factors affecting short-term effect (gender, age, history of radiation therapy, Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores, pathological type, the longest diameter of tumor, implantation patterns, seeds activity, immediate postoperative dose delivered to 90% gross tumor volume (D90), and with adjuvant chemotherapy post-surgery or not) were conducted. Variables with P<0.2 were enrolled in logistic multivariate regression analysis. In addition, artificial neural network (ANN) was constructed with all influencing factors as independent variables and short-term efficacy as dependent variables. Finally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for the common influencing factors in logistic regression analysis and ANN analysis.@*Results@#There were 34 with effective results and 39 with ineffective results. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the longest diameter of tumor, immediate postoperative D90, with adjuvant chemotherapy post-surgery or not had significant impacts on the short-term efficacy (Wald values: 6.950, 4.804, 4.790, all P<0.05); According to results of ANN analysis, the top 5 in order of importance for short-term efficacy prediction were immediate postoperative D90, the longest diameter of tumor, age, seeds activity and gender. ROC curve analysis indicated that the longest diameter of tumor and immediate postoperative D90 were the best predictors for short-term efficacy, with the threshold of 5.25 cm and 110.05 Gy respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.843 and 0.847 respectively (both P<0.001).@*Conclusions@#The short-term efficacy of 125I seeds implantation in the recurrence and metastasis of head and neck tumors is mainly related to the longest diameter of tumor and immediate postoperative D90. Patients with the longest diameter of tumor <5.25 cm and with D90>110.05 Gy can achieve better efficacy.

Factors influencing the short-term efficacy of CT-guided 125I seeds implantation in the treatment of recurrent and metastatic tumors of head and neck / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective To analyze the factors influencing the short-term efficacy of CT-guided 125I seeds implantation in the treatment of recurrent and metastatic tumors in head and neck.Methods A total of 73 patients (61 males,12 females;age:(59.1±11.5) years) with head and neck tumors recurrence and metastasis treated by 125I seeds implantation in Hebei General Hospital from January 2015 to April 2019 were retrospectively enrolled.The implanted seeds activity was 11.1-29.6 MBq,and the prescription dose was 80.0-145.0 Gy.CT examination was conducted 3 months after 125I seeds implantation.According to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1,short-term efficacy was classified as effective (complete remission (CR),partial remission (PR)) and ineffective (stable disease (SD),progressive disease (PD)).Univariate analysis of factors affecting short-term effect (gender,age,history of radiation therapy,Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores,pathological type,the longest diameter of tumor,implantation patterns,seeds activity,immediate postoperative dose delivered to 90％ gross tumor volume (D90),and with adjuvant chemotherapy post-surgery or not) were conducted.Variables with P＜ 0.2 were enrolled in logistic multivariate regression analysis.In addition,artificial neural network (ANN) was constructed with all influencing factors as independent variables and short-term efficacy as dependent variables.Finally,receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed for the common influencing factors in logistic regression analysis and ANN analysis.Results There were 34 with effective results and 39 with ineffective results.Logistic regression analysis indicated that the longest diameter of tumor,immediate postoperative D90,with adjuvant chemotherapy post-surgery or not had significant impacts on the shortterm efficacy (Wald values:6.950,4.804,4.790,all P＜0.05);According to results of ANN analysis,the top 5 in order of importance for short-term efficacy prediction were immediate postoperative D90,the longest diameter of tumor,age,seeds activity and gender.ROC curve analysis indicated that the longest diameter of tumor and immediate postoperative D90 were the best predictors for short-term efficacy,with the threshold of 5.25 cm and 110.05 Gy respectively,and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.843 and 0.847 respectively (both P＜0.001).Conclusions The short-term efficacy of 125I seeds implantation in the recurrence and metastasis of head and neck tumors is mainly related to the longest diameter of tumor and immediate postoperative D90.Patients with the longest diameter of tumor ＜5.25 cm and with D90＞110.05 Gy can achieve better efficacy.

MR-guidance in clinical reality: current treatment challenges and future perspectives.

Magnetic Resonance-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) marks the beginning of a new era. MR is a versatile and suitable imaging modality for radiotherapy, as it enables direct visualization of the tumor and the surrounding organs at risk. Moreover, MRgRT provides real-time imaging to characterize and eventually track anatomical motion. Nevertheless, the successful translation of new technologies into clinical practice remains challenging. To date, the initial availability of next-generation hybrid MR-linac (MRL) systems is still limited and therefore, the focus of the present preview was on the initial applicability in current clinical practice and on future perspectives of this new technology for different treatment sites.MRgRT can be considered a groundbreaking new technology that is capable of creating new perspectives towards an individualized, patient-oriented planning and treatment approach, especially due to the ability to use daily online adaptation strategies. Furthermore, MRL systems overcome the limitations of conventional image-guided radiotherapy, especially in soft tissue, where target and organs at risk need accurate definition. Nevertheless, some concerns remain regarding the additional time needed to re-optimize dose distributions online, the reliability of the gating and tracking procedures and the interpretation of functional MR imaging markers and their potential changes during the course of treatment. Due to its continuous technological improvement and rapid clinical large-scale application in several anatomical settings, further studies may confirm the potential disruptive role of MRgRT in the evolving oncological environment.

Image-Guided BrachyAblation (IGBA) en hepatocarcinoma: descripción de la técnica y reporte del primer caso en Chile / Image-guided brachyablation for hepatocarcinoma: report of one case

Eighty percent of hepatocarcinomas are inoperable at the moment of diagnosis. Liver transplantation is the treatment of choice in these cases, but local therapies are another alternative. Among these, Image-Guided BrachyAblation is a safe choice. We report a 76-year-old male with a hepatocarcinoma, who was considered inoperable due to the high surgical risk of the patient. A local treatment with Image-Guided BrachyAblation was decided. A brachytherapy needle was placed in the tumor under computed tomography guidance and a 15 Gy single dose was delivered from an Iridium-192 source. The patient had no immediate complications and at one month of follow up he continued without incidents.