Li-Na Zhao

Failure patterns and survival in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity modulated radiation in Northwest China: A pilot study

PurposeTo evaluate the clinical outcomes and patterns of failure in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in Northwest China.Methods and materialsFrom January 2006 to December 2009, 138 NPC patients were treated at Xijing Hospital. Of them, 25 cases with stage I-II received IMRT only, 113 cases with stage III-IVb received IMRT plus accomplished platinum-based chemotherapy. The IMRT prescribed dose was PTV 68-74 Gy to gross disease in nasopharynx and 66-72 Gy to positive lymph nodes in 30-33 fractions, and high risk and low risk region PTV was 60-63 Gy and 50.4~56 Gy in 30~33 and 28 fractions respectively. Plasma Epstein Barr virus (EBV) DNA load was measured before treatment. The clinical toxicities, outcomes and patterns of failure were observed.ResultsThe median follow up time was 23 months (range 2 to 53 months). EBV infection positive was only 15.9%. Overall disease failure developed in 36 patients, 99% belonged to stage III/IV disease. Among these, there were 26 distant metastases, 6 local recurrence, and 4 regional recurrence. The 3-year local control rate(LCR), distant metastasis-free survival (MFS), disease-free survival (DFS) and the overall survival (OS) was 93.9%, 79.5%, 70% and 83.1% respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that age and anemia pre-radiotherapy were independent predictors for OS.ConclusionIMRT with or without chemotherapy can improve the long term survival of NPC patients in Northwest China. Distant metastasis becomes the main cause of treatment failure. Age and anemia before radiotherapy were the main prognosis factors of NPC patients.

Prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with head and neck cancer: A meta‐analysis

The correlation between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) overexpression and the clinical outcome of head and neck cancer remains inconclusive. This meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of VEGF in patients with head and neck cancer.

Clinical outcome for nasopharyngeal carcinoma with predominantly WHO II histology treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy in non-endemic region of China

OBJECTIVESnTo evaluate the clinical outcomes of using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in the primary treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in Northwest China, including assessments of failure patterns, toxicities and potential prognostic factors.nnnMETHODS AND MATERIALSnBetween January 2006 and June 2010, 193 newly diagnosed non-metastatic NPCs were treated by IMRT with simultaneous-integrated boost (SIB) technique in Xijing Hospital of Northwest China. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy was offered to 85.5% patients. Acute and late toxicities were graded according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) scoring criteria. Prognostic factors were assessed by univariate or multivariate analysis. Statistical analyses were performed on survival and failure patterns.nnnRESULTSnMedian follow-up was 34 months. WHO type II was the predominant histology for NPCs (69.9%) in our study group. Twelve patients experienced local regional failure and total distant metastasis occurred in 34 patients, representing the major mode of failure. The 3-year local recurrence-free (LRFS), regional recurrence-free (RRFS), distant metastasis-free (DMFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 86.6%, 86.7%, 86.4%, and 85.7%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed N-classification, age (≤ 50 vs. >50) and WHO type (WHO II vs. WHO III) were independent predictors for DMFS, LRFS and OS. Tumor volume (≤ 50 cm(3) vs. >50 cm(3)) and presence of anemia were independent significant prognostic factors for profession-free survival (PFS). No significant difference was observed between different T categories. Acute and late toxicities were mild or moderate. No grade IV toxicities were observed.nnnCONCLUSIONSnWHO II was the predominant histology and a significant poor prognostic factor in our study group, indicating different carcinogenetic pathways of NPC between endemic and non-endemic regions. Our experience of using IMRT in the treatment of NPC in non-endemic region showed excellent locoregional control and favorable toxicity profiles.

Early radiotherapy has an essential role for improving survival in patients with stage I-II nasal-type of NK/T cell lymphoma treated with l-asparaginase-containing chemotherapy—a single institution experience

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of early radiotherapy in patients with localized-stage nasal-type natural killer (NK)/T cell lymphoma treated with l-asparaginase-containing chemotherapy. Sixty-four patients with stage I-II nasal-type NK/T cell lymphoma were enrolled in this study. All patients received an l-asparaginase-containing regimen. Thirty-four patients received late radiotherapy (RT), which was defined as receiving 6xa0cycles of prior chemotherapy (CT) followed by RT, and 30 patients received early RT, which was defined as receiving no more than 3xa0cycles of CT followed by early RT. With a median follow-up of 35xa0months (range, 12–49xa0months), 19 patients (29.7xa0%) died from lymphoma-related causes, and 22 patients (34.4xa0%) developed local and/or distant relapse. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 84.2 and 74.3xa0% for early RT and 57.6 and 55.9xa0% for late RT, respectively, and these differences were significant (OS, pu2009=u20090.027; PFS, pu2009=u20090.034). After 2xa0cycles of initial CT, 58 patients achieved treatment response (complete response and partial response). For the 58 patients, there were still significant differences for 3-year OS and PFS when early RT was compared with late RT (3-year OS 94.4 vs. 58xa0%, Pu2009=u20090.005; 3-year PFS 82.9 vs. 56.3xa0%, Pu2009=u20090.01). Early RT has an essential role in improving survival for localized-stage nasal-type NK/T cell lymphoma (TCL) patients even when used in combination with l-asparaginase-containing CT. Prospective, randomized studies should to be performed to confirm these results.

Clinical outcomes for early‐stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma with predominantly WHO II histology treated by intensity‐modulated radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy in nonendemic region of China

The clinical outcomes for early‐stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in northwest China were evaluated.

Patterns of failure and clinical outcomes of definitive radiotherapy for cervical esophageal cancer

Purpose Because of the scarcity of cervical esophageal cancer (CEC), data for this disease entity is limited. We aim to evaluate the outcomes, prognostic factors and failure patterns of CEC treated by contemporary radiotherapy (RT). Methods We retrospectively analyzed 86 CEC patients consecutively treated between 2007 and 2015 by definitive RT with or without concurrent chemotherapy. RT was mainly delivered with Intensity Modulated Irradiation Therapy (IMRT) or Volumetric-Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). Statistical analyses were performed on survival, prognostic factors and failure patterns. Results The median follow-up time was 19.4 months. The 3-year overall survival (OS), local regional failure free survival (LRFFS), distant metastatic free survival (DMFS), and progression free survival (PFS) were 53.6%, 57.9%, 81.5% and 41.5%, respectively. Independent predictors for poorer OS were N stage, hoarseness and recurrent laryngeal nerve lymph node (RLN) involvement, and predictors for LRFFS were N stage and EQD2 (equivalent dose in 2 Gy fraction) to gross tumor volume (GTV), with ≥ 66Gy achieving local control of 94.7%. Patients receiving elective nodal irradiation (ENI) had better nodal regional control than those receiving involved field irradiation (IFI). 31 (36%) patients had treatment failure and 15 (17.4%), 8 (9.3%) and 14 (16.2%) patients had local, regional, and distant failure, respectively. 86.7% (13/15) local failures were within GTV, and supraclavicular region (62.5%, 5/8) was the most common regional failure site. No severe toxicities were observed. Conclusions Our results seem to indicate that good locoregional control might be achieved for CEC with adequate radiation dose and treatment planning approaches.

Radiotherapy alone or concurrent chemoradiation for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in elderly patients

Purpose: The reported data of elderly ESCC are rather limited and there is a lack of information to guide treatment decisions for elderly patients with esophageal cancer. This study aims to identify the efficacy and factors for optimal treatment approaches for elderly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with radiotherapy (RT) alone or concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT). Methods: This study included 184 I-III elderly ESCC patients aged ≥70 years treated by oral single agent CCRT (sCCRT) or double agents CCRT (dCCRT) or RT alone at a single institution in China. RT was delivered with Intensity Modulated Irradiation Therapy (IMRT) or Volumetric-Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). Sequential or simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) approach was applied for GTV dose escalation. Toxicities were evaluated by criteria of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. Statistical analyses were performed on survival and failure patterns. Results: At a median follow-up time of 15.5 months, the 2- and 3-year estimated overall survival (OS) were 43.5% and 35.2%, respectively. T and N stage, GTV dose (cutoff value 56Gy), simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique and CCRT were significant predictors for the outcomes. sCCRT was significantly associated with higher OS, LRFS, and DFS when compared with RT alone and no difference was observed between sCCRT and dCCRT. 44% patients experienced treatment failure, among whom 65.4% developed local failure. 81.3% local failure occurred in GTV and 70.6% regional failures occurred out of radiation field. dCCRT was the only independent prediction factor for grade ≥ 2 neutropenia and gastrointestinal reactions compared with sCCRT and RT alone. No significant difference of toxicities was observed between sCCRT and RT alone. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that CCRT in elderly patients had significant survival benefit compared to RT alone, especially using Single oral agent. sCCRT had less toxicities compared to dCCRT, and the toxicity was similar to RT alone. GTV dose ≥ 56 Gy and SIB technique were optimal approaches for radiotherapy.

Prognostic Model of Death and Distant Metastasis for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients Receiving 3DCRT/IMRT in Nonendemic Area of China

AbstractFew studies were conducted to explore the prognostic factors for nonendemic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the era of 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT)/intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential prognostic factors for nonendemic NPC.Between January 2004 and December 2011, a total of 393 nonendemic NPC patients receiving 3DCRT/IMRT were reviewed according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The prognostic factors we analyzed included age, T stage, N stage, lymph node diameter, primary tumor volume, WHO histology types, and cranial nerve related symptoms. All patients were staged according to the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) system. The factors found to be associated with the endpoints by univariate analyses were then entered into multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.The median follow-up time was 61.4 months (range: 4–130 months). The 5-year local recurrent-free survival (LRFS), nodal relapse-free survival (NRFS), distant metastasis free survival (DMFS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) for all patients were 89.3%, 96.4%, 73.5%, and 74.3%, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that N stage (N2–3), WHO pathologic type II, and primary tumor volume (>23u200amL) were 3 independent prognostic factors for DSS and DMFS. According to the number of prognostic factors, patients were divided into 3 risk groups: low-risk group (patients without any risk factors); intermediate-risk group (patients with only 1 risk factor); and high-risk group (patients with more than 2 risk factors). The 5-year DSS for low, intermediate, and high-risk groups were 91.5%, 75.2%, and 49.3%, respectively (Pu200a<u200a0.001). The 5-year DMFS for low, intermediate, and high-risk groups were 89.4%, 77.9%, and 49.4%, respectively (Pu200a<u200a0.001).Advanced N stage (N2–3), larger tumor volume (>23u200amL), and histological WHO type II are independently prognostic factors for nonendemic NPC patients in China.

The Prognosis and Risk Stratification Based on Pelvic Lymph Node Characteristics in Patients With Locally Advanced Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy.

Background The purpose of this study is to determine the prognostic significance of pelvic lymph node (PLN) characteristics and perform risk stratification in patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of 609 patients with Federation Internationale de Gynecologie et d’Obstetrique (FIGO) stage II to IVa who underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy, compared overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and pelvic recurrence-free survival between patients with or without PLN involvement. We further analyzed prognostic factors for OS and DMFS including FIGO stage, tumor volume, and lymph node (LN) characteristics in 300 patients with PLN involvement. Results The 3-year OS rate was 81.7% versus 92.8% (P = 0.002) and the 3-year DMFS rate was 79.3% versus 92.7% (P = 0.006) in patients with or without PLN involvement, respectively. With univariable analysis, FIGO stage, LN-volume, LN-number, LN-diameter, and matted/necrotic LN affected both OS and DMFS. Based on multivariable analysis, we created a risk stratification model. For OS, the independent risk factors were FIGO stage III or IVa, LN-volume of 3 cm3 or more, LN-diameter of 1.5 cm or more, and matted/necrotic LN. The low-risk group (no risk factors), mid-risk group (1 or 2 risk factors), and high-risk group (3 or 4 risk factors) had a 3-year OS of 96.6%, 84.9%, and 64.7%, respectively (P = 0.005). For DMFS, LN-diameter of 1.5 cm or more, LN-number of 3 or more, and matted/necrotic LN were the independent risk factors. The subgroups for DMFS were the low-risk group (no risk factors), the mid-risk group (1 risk factor), and the high-risk group (2 or 3 risk factors), and the 3-year DMFS was 92.4%, 76.2%, and 64.6%, respectively (P = 0.001). Conclusions The prognosis was significantly poorer for patients with high-risk lymph node characteristics. Using this risk stratification, we should select the most appropriate and individualized treatment modality to improve outcomes in those patients with a poorer prognosis.

Late rectal toxicity determined by dose–volume parameters in computed tomography-based brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer

The aim of this study was to observe the relationship between dose–volume histogram (DVH) parameters and rectal late side effects (LSE) in computed tomography (CT)‐based brachytherapy (BT) for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. In total, 144 cervical cancer patients received external beam radiotherapy and CT‐based BT. The data from 111 survival cases with pelvic local control (LC) were used to analyze the relationship between DVH parameters and rectal LSE. The total doses, manifesting 2, 1, and 0.1 cm3 (D2cc, D1cc, and D0.1cc) of the rectum, and D90 for high‐risk clinical target volume (HR CTV) were computed and normalized to 2 Gy fractions (EQD2) using a linear‐quadratic model. The rectal LSE were evaluated by the late effects in normal tissues‐subjective, objective, management, and analytic (LENT‐SOMA) scale. A dose–response relationship was evaluated by probit analyses. For all patients, the total rate of rectal LSE was 56%, and the rate of ≥Grade 2 LSE was 27.4%. For the 111 survival cases with pelvic LC, the total mean for D2cc was 71.23 ± 5.54 Gy for the rectum, and the D2cc, D1cc, and D0.1cc values for Grades 2 and 3 were higher than those for Grades 0 and 1. In addition, the number of complications increased, and the complications became more severe as the dose increased, with a dose of 73.5 Gy resulting in a 10% probability of ≥Grade 3 LSE. In conclusion, DVH parameters could predict the incidence and grades of rectal LSE in CT‐based BT. D2cc showed an excellent predictive value, and 73.5 Gy for D2cc of the rectum might be considered as an alternative dose limit.