an-Chih Hsu

Quality of Life and Survival Outcome for Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Receiving Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy vs. Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy—A Longitudinal Study

PURPOSE To investigate the changes of quality of life (QoL) and survival outcomes for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) vs. intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). METHODS AND MATERIALS Two hundred and three newly diagnosed NPC patients, who were curatively treated by 3D-CRT (n = 93) or IMRT (n = 110) between March 2002 and July 2004, were analyzed. The distributions of clinical stage according to American Joint Committee on Cancer 1997 were I: 15 (7.4%), II: 78 (38.4%), III: 74 (36.5%), and IV: 36 (17.7%). QoL was longitudinally assessed by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires at the five time points: before RT, during RT (36 Gy), and 3 months, 12 months, and 24 months after RT. RESULTS The 3-year locoregional control, metastasis-free survival, and overall survival rates were 84.8%, 76.7%, and 81.7% for the 3D-CRT group, respectively, compared with 84.2%, 82.6%, and 85.4% for the IMRT group (p value > 0.05). A general trend of maximal deterioration in most QoL scales was observed during RT, followed by a gradual recovery thereafter. There was no significant difference in most scales between the two groups at each time point. The exception was that patients treated by IMRT had a both statistically and clinically significant improvement in global QoL, fatigue, taste/smell, dry mouth, and feeling ill at the time point of 3 months after RT. CONCLUSIONS The potential advantage of IMRT over 3D-CRT in treating NPC patients might occur in QoL outcome during the recovery phase of acute toxicity.

Intensity-modulated or conformal radiotherapy improves the quality of life of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: comparisons of four radiotherapy techniques.

It was reported previously that the dosimetric superiority of conformal radiotherapy (RT), either 3‐dimensional conformal RT (3D‐CRT) or intensity‐modulated RT (IMRT), over conventional 2D‐RT translated into clinical benefits for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this study, the authors compared quality‐of‐life (QOL) outcomes of NPC survivors who received treatment with 1 of 4 different RT techniques at a single institute during different periods.

Is the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program system an adequate weighting for survival of hepatocellular carcinoma? Evaluation of intrascore prognostic value among 36 subgroups

Background: The Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) staging system for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was subdivided into 36 subgroups. We aimed to validate the prognostic value of CLIP scoring.

The treatment responses in cases of radiation therapy to portal vein thrombosis in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE To review the response to radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and determine the factors favoring its efficacy. METHODS AND MATERIALS Patients with HCC and PVT referred for radiation therapy between 1997 and 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who had undergone treatment to primary HCC before radiation or had extrahepatic metastasis were excluded. A radiation dose of 60 Gy with 2 to 3Gy per fraction was prescribed. Clinical features before therapy were investigated, and the most significant imaging change after radiotherapy was regarded as the treatment response. Survival times were compared and the hazard ratios of independent variables were determined. RESULTS The treatment response rate of the 326 patients included in the study was 25.2% (n = 82). The median survival times were 13.3, 11.6, 9.0, 4.5, and 2.1 months for complete response, partial response, vascular transformation, no response, and the lost follow-up patients, respectively. Statistically significant differences in survival were not found among responder groups (p = 0.224-0.916) but were found between responders and nonresponders (p = 0.002). The most significant independent variables associated with survival (p < 0.001) were performance status and radiation dose. Minor independent factors were ascites, alfa-fetoprotein, albumin, and HBsAg (p = 0.009-0.038). In patients with favorable performance status, those with no more than one minor risk factor had a superior prognosis after radiation therapy (p = 0.013). This result was verified by a review of similar patients in 2006. CONCLUSION Radiation therapy is the treatment of choice for selected HCC patients with PVT.

Multivariate analysis of quality of life outcome for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients after treatment

PURPOSE The study analyzed the prognostic factors of quality of life (QoL) for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after treatment, with focusing on the therapeutic benefits of the technological advances in radiotherapy (RT). MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional investigation was conducted to assess the QoL of 356 NPC patients with cancer-free survival of more than 2 years. Among them, 106 patients were treated by two-dimensional RT (2DRT), 108 by 2DRT plus three-dimensional conformal RT (3DCRT) boost, 58 by 3DCRT alone, and 84 by intensity-modulated RT (IMRT). The QoL was assessed by the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire and QLQ-H&N35 module. The clinical difference of QoL scores between groups was calculated using Cohens D coefficient. RESULTS We found NPC survivors who had a higher education level or annual family income and who had received more advanced RT treatments had better QoL outcomes. Compared with 2DRT, the impact of 3DCRT was small on most scales and moderate (Cohens D: 0.53-0.67) on emotional functioning, pain, and mouth opening; the impact of IMRT was moderate on nine scales and large (Cohens D: 0.80-0.88) on swallowing, social eating, teeth, and mouth opening. CONCLUSIONS In addition to socioeconomic levels, advances in RT technique played a significant role in improving QoL of NPC patients.

Incidence of needle tract seeding and responses of soft tissue metastasis by hepatocellular carcinoma postradiotherapy.

Aim: To determine the incidence of needle tract seeding after fine needle aspiration (FNA) or percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) and compare iatrogenic or spontaneous soft tissue metastasis (STM) by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) postradiotherapy (RT) in responses.

Pretreatment Quality of Life As a Predictor of Distant Metastasis and Survival for Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to examine the prognostic value of pretreatment quality of life (QoL) data on locoregional control (LRC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 347 new patients with NPC, who were curatively treated by conformal radiotherapy from March 2003 to December 2007, were recruited. The Taiwan Chinese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 was completed before treatment. Multivariate Coxs proportional hazards models were used to analyze the impact of clinical and QoL variables on the treatment results. RESULTS The 5-year LRC, DMFS, and OS rates were 72.9%, 79.1%, and 68.4%, respectively. After adjusting the clinical variables, 10 QoL variables were observed to be significantly (P < .05) related to OS, and four QoL variables were related to DMFS. No QoL variable was predictive of LRC. Among the QoL variables that significantly predicted OS and DMFS, physical functioning was the most powerful predictor. A 10-point increase in the physical functioning score was associated with a 23% (95% CI, 12% to 34%) reduction in the likelihood of death and a 22% (95% CI, 9% to 36%) reduction in the likelihood of distant metastasis. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that pretreatment QoL variables, especially physical functioning, provide easily available prognostic value for distant metastasis and survival in patients with NPC.

Treatment Results and Prognostic Factors in Patients with Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma

The objective of this study is to investigate the treatment results, prognostic factors, the role of postoperative radiotherapy, and the usefulness of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging System (2002) for soft tissue sarcomas in malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH). Between November 1987 and December 2000, 76 patients with localized MFH underwent surgery as the primary treatment modality with or without radiotherapy in our institution and were reviewed retrospectively. Patients with regional nodal disease, distant metastases or retroperitoneal disease were excluded from our study. All patients had at least 27 months of follow-up. The 5-year overall survival rate, local control rate, and distant metastasis-free rate were 74%, 62%, and 87%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, AJCC 2002 staging system was the only independent prognostic factor for overall survival rates (p=0.0017). Postoperative radiotherapy was the only significant factor for local control rates (p=0.0024). In conclusion, staging system is a prognostic predictor for overall survival rates and postoperative radiotherapy can improve local control. However, the optimal adjuvant treatment strategy for MFH should still be further explored.

Multivariate Analysis of Para-Aortic Lymph Node Recurrence After Definitive Radiotherapy for Stage IB-IVA Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Uterine Cervix

PURPOSE To evaluate the pretreatment risk factors of para-aortic lymph node (PALN) recurrence after primary radiotherapy for cervical cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS Between May 1992 and January 2006, the data from 758 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix were retrospectively analyzed. No patient had undergone PALN radiotherapy as their initial treatment. PALN recurrence was diagnosed by computed tomography. PALN relapse-free status was determined clinically or radiographically. We analyzed the actuarial rates of PALN recurrence using Kaplan-Meier curves. Multivariate analyses were performed with Cox regression models. RESULTS Of the 758 patients, 38 (5%) and 42 (6%) had isolated and nonisolated PALN recurrences after a median follow-up of 50 months (range, 2-159 months), respectively. The 3-year and 5-year overall survival rate after PALN recurrence was 35% and 28%, respectively. A squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) level >40 ng/mL (p <0.001), advanced parametrial involvement (score 4-6; p = 0.002), and the presence of pelvic lymphadenopathy (p = 0.007) were independent factors associated with PALN relapse on multivariate analysis. The 5-year PALN recurrence rate in patients with a SCC-Ag level >40 ng/mL, SCC-Ag level of 20-40 ng/mL, parametrial score of 4-6, pelvic lymphadenopathy, and no risk factors was 57%, 22%, 34%, 37%, and 9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix and a high SCC-Ag level, pelvic lymphadenopathy, or advanced PM involvement were predisposed to PALN recurrence after definitive radiotherapy. More intensive follow-up schedules are suggested for early detection and salvage in high-risk patients.

Dosimetric Comparison of Helical Tomotherapy and Dynamic Conformal Arc Therapy in Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Vestibular Schwannomas

The dosimetric results of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for vestibular schwannoma (VS) performed using dynamic conformal arc therapy (DCAT) with the Novalis system and helical TomoTherapy (HT) were compared using plan quality indices. The HT plans were created for 10 consecutive patients with VS previously treated with SRS using the Novalis system. The dosimetric indices used to compare the techniques included the conformity index (CI) and homogeneity index (HI) for the planned target volume (PTV), the comprehensive quality index (CQI) for nine organs at risk (OARs), gradient score index (GSI) for the dose drop-off outside the PTV, and plan quality index (PQI), which was verified using the plan quality discerning power (PQDP) to incorporate 3 plan indices, to evaluate the rival plans. The PTV ranged from 0.27-19.99 cm(3) (median 3.39 cm(3)), with minimum required PTV prescribed doses of 10-16 Gy (median 12 Gy). Both systems satisfied the minimum required PTV prescription doses. HT conformed better to the PTV (CI: 1.51 ± 0.23 vs. 1.94 ± 0.34; p < 0.01), but had a worse drop-off outside the PTV (GSI: 40.3 ± 10.9 vs. 64.9 ± 13.6; p < 0.01) compared with DCAT. No significant difference in PTV homogeneity was observed (HI: 1.08 ± 0.03 vs. 1.09 ± 0.02; p = 0.20). HT had a significantly lower maximum dose in 4 OARs and significant lower mean dose in 1 OAR; by contrast, DCAT had a significantly lower maximum dose in 1 OAR and significant lower mean dose in 2 OARs, with the CQI of the 9 OARs = 0.92 ± 0.45. Plan analysis using PQI (HT 0.37 ± 0.12 vs. DCAT 0.65 ± 0.08; p < 0.01), and verified using the PQDP, confirmed the dosimetric advantage of HT. However, the HT system had a longer beam-on time (33.2 ± 7.4 vs. 4.6 ± 0.9 min; p < 0.01) and consumed more monitor units (16772 ± 3803 vs. 1776 ± 356.3; p < 0.01). HT had a better dose conformity and similar dose homogeneity but worse dose gradient than DCAT. Plan analysis confirmed the dosimetric advantage of HT, although not all indices revealed a better outcome for HT. Whether this dosimetric advantage translates into a clinical benefit deserves further investigation.