Abstract
ObjectiveThe microscopic tumor spread (MS) beyond the macroscopic tumor borders of esophageal tumors is crucial for determining the clinical target volume (CTV) in radiotherapy. The question arises whether current voluminous CTV margins of 3–5 cm around the macroscopic gross tumor volume (GTV) to account for MS are still accurate when fiducial markers are used for GTV determination. We aimed to pathologically validate the use of fiducial markers placed on the (echo)endoscopically determined tumor border (EDTB) as a surrogate for macroscopic tumor borders and to analyse the MS beyond EDTBs.MethodsThirty-three consecutive esophageal cancer patients treated with neo-adjuvant chemoradiotherapy after (echo)endoscopic fiducial marker implantation at cranial and caudal EDTB were included in this study. Fiducial marker positions were detected in the surgical specimens under CT guidance and demarcated with beads, and subsequently analysed for macroscopic tumor spread and MS beyond the demarcations. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine predicting factors for MS beyond EDTB.ResultsA total of 60 EDTBs were examined in 32 patients. In 50% of patients no or only partial regression of tumor in response to therapy (≥Mandard 3) or higher was seen (i.e., residual tumor group) and included for MS analysis. None had macroscopic tumor spread beyond EDTBs. In the residual tumor group, only 20 and 21% of the cranial and caudal EDTBs were crossed with a maximum of 9 mm and 16 mm MS, respectively. This MS was corrected for each individual determined contraction rate (mean: 93%). Presence of MS beyond EDTB was significantly associated with initial tumor length (p = 0.028).ConclusionOur results validate the use of fiducial markers on EDTB as a surrogate for macroscopic tumor and indicate that CTV margins around the GTV to compensate for MS along the esophageal wall can be limited to 1–1.5 cm, when the GTV is determined with fiducial markers.
Highlights
Radiotherapy (RT) with concurrent chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients with operable or inoperable esophageal cancer [1, 2]
Improvements in gross tumor volume (GTV) determination were introduced focusing on exact demarcation of the GTV. 18-F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computer tomography (FDGPET/CT) scans are nowadays often used to aid in GTV delineation [3]
Six patients had at least 1 fiducial marker placed at a certain distance from the endoscopically determined tumor borders (EDTB)
Summary
Radiotherapy (RT) with concurrent chemotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients with operable or inoperable esophageal cancer [1, 2]. Modern radiation techniques can deliver radiation dose with high precision to the target volume, precise target volume localization is of utmost clinical importance. Improvements in gross tumor volume (GTV) determination were introduced focusing on exact demarcation of the GTV. The GTV can be more determined with the aid of fiducial markers placed on the (echo)endoscopically determined tumor borders (EDTB), resulting in a significant delineation variation reduction [4]. In the absence of fiducial markers, a very large delineation variation in longitudinal direction was seen, resulting in a Machiels et al Radiation Oncology (2019) 14:219 bulky CTV-to-PTV margin [4]. With other research focusing on measurement-driven planning target volume (PTV) definitions, the PTV can be tailored to individual patients’ set up uncertainties [5, 6]
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