Patterns Of Failure In Patients Research Articles

Treatment Pattern for End-Stage Kidney Failure Patterns in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematous.

This study aims to examine the treatment patterns of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) among SLE patients and to compare the outcome of hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). SLE patients identified from the national administration dataset in 2005-2021 were linked to the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry to identify ESKD cases. The adjusted odds ratio of having PD instead of HD as the first treatment for ESKD for Asian, Māori, and Pacific compared with European/others was estimated with the logistic regression model. The adjusted hazards ratio of all-cause mortality for patients having PD first compared with HD first was calculated. Two hundred ten ESKD patients with SLE were identified. Two thirds (137/210) of the ESKD patients had HD as the first treatment, and one third (68, 32.4%) had PD first. Around 60% of Asian patients had PD as the first treatment, compared with 30% in other ethnic groups. The adjusted odds ratio of having PD as the first treatment for Asian patients compared with European/others was 3.00 (95% confidence interval, 1.16-7.73). The adjusted hazards ratio of all-cause mortality for patients in the PD group compared with the HD group was 0.60 (95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.97). Asian patients with ESKD were more likely to have PD as the first treatment. The optimal dialysis type for ESKD patients with SLE might be different from ESKD patients caused by other diseases. ESKD patients with SLE receiving PD first had superior outcomes than patients receiving HD first.

Patterns of failure in patients with nasopharyngeal cancer of Northeastern region of India: a retrospective observational study.

We aimed to analyzepatterns of failure and disease volume-treatment outcomes in patients with Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with definitive radiation with or without concurrent chemotherapy at a tertiary cancer centre in northeast India. From February 2018 to February 2022, 99 histopathologically proved non-metastatic NPC patients treated with curative-intent RT with or without chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. Locally advanced patients received neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate the impact of various prognostic factors on locoregional free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis free survival (DMFS), progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The log-rank test and Kaplan-Meir curves compared outcome variables based on ROC analysis-classified tumor volume. During a median follow up of 25.4months (17.3-39.2), 35(35.4%) patients developed recurrence. Twenty-three patients developed locoregional failures, of which 11 were in-field; 12 patient showed an out-field failure. The 3-year LRFS, DMFS, PFS and OS was 71.10%, 70.90%, 64.10% and 74.10% respectively. There was statistically significant difference in LRFS according to T staging (p < 0.0001). Gross tumor volume (GTVp) and gross nodal volume (GTVn) were an independent prognostic factor for OS, PFS, LRFS and DMFS. The cut-off volumes for GTVp and GTVn for distant metastases and locoregional failure, respectively, were found to be 13 and 22.7mL and 3.7 and 39.2mL, respectively, by ROC curve analysis. Based on this, 99 patients were divided into three subgroups. OS demonstrated significant differences among patients in different volume subgroups for GTVp (p = 0.03) and GTVn (p = 0.00024). For NPC patients who undergo curative IMRT, primary tumour and nodal volumes are independent prognostic indicators. GTVp and GTVn are highly predictive of local control, distant metastases, disease-free survival, and overall survival. This justifies their use as quantitative prognostic indicator for NPC.

Adult head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma: radiotherapy- based treatment, outcomes, and predictors of survival

BackgroundAdult head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma (HNRMS) is an exceptionally rare malignancy, and there is a paucity of data and research dedicated to understanding its characteristics and management in adult populations. This study aimed to assess the outcomes and identify survival predictors in adult HNRMS.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated 42 adult patients (> 16 years) with HNRMS who received radiotherapy (RT)-based treatment at our institute between 2008 and 2022. We analysed the clinical characteristics and prognosis of these patients, including the locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS), using the Kaplan–Meier method. The chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to analyse differences between groups for dichotomous and categorical variables, respectively. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Prognostic variables were assessed through univariate Cox analyses.ResultsThe median patient age was 28 years (range, 16–82 years). Alveolar RMS was the most common histological type, observed in 21 patients (50.0%), followed by embryonal in 16 patients (38.1%). The anatomic sites of origin were orbital in one (2.4%), parameningeal in 26 (61.9%), and non-orbital/non-parameningeal in 15 (35.7%) patients. Nineteen patients (45.2%) had regional lymph node metastasis, and five patients (11.9%) presented with distant metastatic disease. Distant metastasis (n = 17) was the primary cause of treatment failure. At a median follow-up of 47.0 months, the 5-year LRFS, PFS, and OS rates were 69.0%, 39.7%, and 41.0%, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed that tumour size, lymph node involvement, and the local treatment pattern (surgery and RT vs. RT alone) were significant predictors of survival.ConclusionsThe main failure pattern in patients with HNRMS receiving RT-based treatment was distant metastasis. Tumour size > 5 cm and lymph node involvement were predictors of worse LRFS. Multimodality local treatment, combining surgery and RT, is effective and provides survival benefits.

Patterns of Failure in Patients With Borderline Resectable/Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer After Preoperative Chemotherapy and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

The role of preoperative stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in pancreatic cancer is controversial, and questions regarding the optimal dose and radiation treatment field remain. To better inform future investigations of SBRT dose and radiation fields, we evaluated the patterns of failure in patients with borderline resectable/locally advanced pancreatic cancer (BR/LAPC) after preoperative chemotherapy and SBRT in patients who underwent surgical resection. We performed a single-institution retrospective review of consecutive patients treated from September 2017 to January 2022 with BR/LAPC. Patients who underwent preoperative chemotherapy and SBRT followed by surgical resection were reviewed. SBRT was delivered to a dose of 33 Gy in 5 fractions. Kaplan-Meier overall survival and progression-free survival estimates were calculated. In total, 18 patients (12 BRPC, 6 LAPC) were included. Median age was 69 years (range 41-84 years). Median follow-up was 30 months (range 13-59 months). Seventeen patients (94%) had a R0 resection and 13 (72%) underwent vascular reconstruction. Median overall survival and progression-free survival was 42 months (range 13-59 months) and 23 months (range 1-45 months), respectively. In total, 61% (11/18) patients experienced progression at any point during follow-up. Of the patients who experienced recurrence, 27% (3/11) experienced local progression as component of their first recurrence, whereas 100% (11/11) experienced distant progression as a component of their first recurrence. When examining all recurrences that occurred at any point in follow-up, 28% (5/18) of patients experienced local or locoregional recurrence and 61% (11/18) experienced distant progression. Local control and margin negative resection rates were excellent with preoperative chemotherapy and nondose-escalated SBRT in surgically resected patients with BR/LAPC. Distant recurrence was the predominant site of failure with lower incidences of isolated locoregional recurrences. Additional research is needed to determine the ideal treatment volume and patients who may benefit from dose escalation.

Patterns of failure after radiosurgery for WHO grade 1 or imaging defined meningiomas: Long-term outcomes and implications for management

BackgroundWe analyzed long-term control and patterns of failure in patients with World Health Organization Grade 1 meningiomas treated with definitive or postoperative stereotactic radiosurgery at the authors’ affiliated institution. Methods96 patients were treated between 2004 and 2019 with definitive (n = 57) or postoperative (n = 39) stereotactic radiosurgery. Of the postoperative patients, 17 were treated adjuvantly following subtotal resection and 22 were treated as salvage at time of progression. Patients were treated to the gross tumor alone without margin or coverage of the dural tail to a median dose of 15 Gy. Median follow up was 7.4 years (inter-quartile range 4.8–11.3). Local control, marginal control, regional control, and progression-free survival were analyzed. ResultsLocal control at 5 and 10 years was 97 % and 95 %. PFS at 5 and 10 years was 94 % and 90 % with no failures reported after 6 years. Definitive and postoperative local control were similar at 5 (95 % [82–99 %] vs. 100 %) and 10 years (92 % [82–99 %] vs. 100 %). Patients treated with postoperative SRS did not have an increased marginal failure rate (p = 0.83) and only 2/39 (5 %) experienced recurrence elsewhere in the cavity. ConclusionsStereotactic radiosurgery targeting the gross tumor alone provides excellent local control and progression free survival in patients treated definitively and postoperatively. As in the definitive setting, patients treated postoperatively can be treated to gross tumor alone without need for additional margin or dural tail coverage.

Accelerated Hypofractionated Chemoradiation Followed by Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy Boost for Locally Advanced, Unresectable Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Intrathoracic progression remains the predominant pattern of failure in patients treated with concurrent chemoradiation followed by a consolidation immune checkpoint inhibitor for locally advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and use of hypofractionated concurrent chemoradiation with an adaptive stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) boost. This was an early-phase, single-institution, radiation dose-escalation nonrandomized controlled trial with concurrent chemotherapy among patients with clinical stage II (inoperable/patient refusal of surgery) or III NSCLC (American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual, seventh edition). Patients were enrolled and treated from May 2011 to May 2018, with a median patient follow-up of 18.2 months. Patients advanced to a higher SABR boost dose if dose-limiting toxic effects (any grade 3 or higher pulmonary, gastrointestinal, or cardiac toxic effects, or any nonhematologic grade 4 or higher toxic effects) occurred in fewer than 33% of the boost cohort within 90 days of follow-up. The current analyses were conducted from January to September 2023. All patients first received 4 Gy × 10 fractions followed by an adaptive SABR boost to residual metabolically active disease, consisting of an additional 25 Gy (low, 5 Gy × 5 fractions), 30 Gy (intermediate, 6 Gy × 5 fractions), or 35 Gy (high, 7 Gy × 5 fractions) with concurrent weekly carboplatin/paclitaxel. The primary outcome was to determine the MTD. Data from 28 patients (median [range] age, 70 [51-88] years; 16 [57%] male; 24 [86%] with stage III disease) enrolled across the low- (n = 10), intermediate- (n = 9), and high- (n = 9) dose cohorts were evaluated. The protocol-specified MTD was not exceeded. The incidences of nonhematologic acute and late (>90 days) grade 3 or higher toxic effects were 11% and 7%, respectively. No grade 3 toxic effects were observed in the intermediate-dose boost cohort. Two deaths occurred in the high-dose cohort. Two-year local control was 74.1%, 85.7%, and 100.0% for the low-, intermediate-, and high-dose cohorts, respectively. Two-year overall survival was 30.0%, 76.2%, and 55.6% for the low-, intermediate-, and high-dose cohorts, respectively. This early-phase, dose-escalation nonrandomized controlled trial showed that concurrent chemoradiation with an adaptive SABR boost to 70 Gy in 15 fractions with concurrent chemotherapy is a safe and effective regimen for patients with locally advanced, unresectable NSCLC. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01345851.

Long-term disease-free survival following comprehensive involved site radiotherapy for oligometastases.

Despite recent advances in drug development, durable complete remissions with systemic therapy alone for metastatic cancers remain infrequent. With the development of advanced radiation technologies capable of selectively sparing normal tissues, patients with oligometastases are often amenable to comprehensive involved site radiotherapy with curative intent. This study reports the long-term outcomes and patterns of failure for patients treated with total metastatic ablation often in combination with systemic therapy. Consecutive adult patients with oligometastases from solid tumor malignancy treated by a single high volume radiation oncologist between 2014 and 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Oligometastases were defined as 5 or fewer metastatic lesions where all sites of active disease are amenable to local treatment. Comprehensive involved site radiotherapy consisted of stereotactic radiotherapy to a median dose of 27 Gy in 3 fractions and intensity modulated radiation therapy to a median dose of 50 Gy in 15 fractions. This study analyzed overall survival, progression-free survival, patterns of failure and toxicity. A total of 130 patients with 209 treated distant metastases were treated with a median follow-up of 36 months. The 4-year overall survival, progression-free survival, local control and distant control was 41%, 23%, 86% and 29%. Patterns of failure include 23% alive and free of disease (NED), 52% distant failure only, 9% NED but death from comorbid illness, 7% both local and distant failure, 4% NED but lost to follow-up, 4% referred to hospice before restaging, 1% local only failure, 1% alive with second primary cancer. Late grade 3+ toxicities occurred in 4% of patients, most commonly radionecrosis. Involved site radiotherapy to all areas of known disease can safely achieve durable complete remissions in patients with oligometastases treated in the real world setting. Distant failures account for the majority of treatment failures and isolated local failures are exceedingly uncommon. Oligometastases represents a promising setting to investigate novel therapeutics targeting minimal residual disease.

Clinical Outcome and Patterns of Failure in Patients with Solitary Plasmacytoma Treated with Radical Radiotherapy

We intended to assess the patterns of care and failure in patients with solitary plasmacytoma (SP), treated at our institute from 2011-21. Data pertaining to the management of patients with SP was abstracted by retrospective chart review. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were defined as the time intervals from the date of diagnosis to the date of progression (local, systemic or both) and death or last follow up, respectively. PFS and OS were analyzed by Kaplan Meier method. Atotal of 72 patients were diagnosed with SP (61-bone plasmacytoma; 11-extramedullary plasmacytoma) in between 2011 and 2021. The median age at diagnosis was 52 years. The male: female ratio was 2.27. The ECOG PS were 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 in 1, 46, 11, 10, and 3 patients, respectively. The median diameter of the lesion was 6.7 cm (range 2.3-18.4 cm). The median M protein was 0.375 g/dl (range 0.63-5.3 g/dl). On bone marrow examination, 8 and 64 patients had no and minimal marrow involvement, respectively (median bone marrow plasma cells 4%). Radical radiotherapy (RT) was administered in 71 patients, the techniques being 2D-conventional in 35, 3D-conformal in 14, IMRT in 8 and VMAT in 5 patients (details not available in 9). The median RT dose was 45 Gy in 25 fractions over 5 weeks (range 45-50 Gy). In addition, 5(7%) patients underwent surgery prior to RT and 6(8.5%) patients received systemic chemotherapy. After RT, the median quantum of symptom relief was 75% (range 0-100%). The best response to RT was CR, PR, SD and PD in 41(57.7%),18(25.4%),3(4.2%) and 4(5.6%) patients, respectively (response assessment could not be done in 5). Local control with primary RT was achieved in 58(81.7%) patients. No RT related grade 3/4 acute or late toxicity was reported. The median follow up was 48.3 months (range 1.3-141.6 months). A total of 28(39.4%) patients experienced disease progression (systemic in 15, local in 7 and both in 6), out of which 13 could be successfully salvaged with further systemic chemotherapy (mostly bortezomib, lenalidomide/pomalidomide and dexamethasone based) with or without local treatment. On progression to multiple myeloma, 9 patients underwent high dose chemotherapy(melphalan) followed by autologous stem cell transplant. Nine (12.7%) patients died, the causes being COVID-19 infection in 1, surgical complications in 1, PD in 2, second malignancies in 3 and unknown in 2. The actuarial rates of PFS & OS were 58.4% & 92.5% at 3 years and 50.3% & 89.4% at 5 years, respectively. Metachronous second malignancies were noted in 4 patients (B-ALL-1, lung cancer-1, metastatic carcinoma cervix-1, metastatic carcinoma gall bladder-1). In patients with SP, radical RT with a modest dose (45-50 Gy) leads to satisfactory symptom relief, response and local control. Close to 40% patients eventually progress to multiple myeloma, out of which 50% can be successfully salvaged with further systemic chemotherapy. The 5-year OS approaches 90% in this cohort.

Clinical Outcomes and Patterns of Failure in Patients with High-Risk Atypical Meningioma Treated with Single Fraction vs. Hypofractionated Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

The recently completed RTOG 0539 supports fractionated radiation therapy for patients categorized as having intermediate (3 yr PFS 93.8%) or high-risk (3 yr LC 68.9%) meningiomas. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has not been widely established in the treatment of WHO grade 2 atypical meningiomas given concern that there is a greater risk of microscopic infiltration and therefore requires larger margins than safely achievable with SRS. We look to review a consecutive cohort of patients at our institution who have been diagnosed with atypical meningioma treated with either single fraction Gamma Knife SRS (GK-sfSRS) or hypofractionated Gamma Knife SRS (GK-hfSRS). We review both control rates and patterns of failure. Patients diagnosed with intermediate or high-risk WHO grade 2 meningioma per RTOG 0539 classification, without a history of prior radiation (RT) and treated with either GK-sfSRS or GK-hfSRS between 2014 to 2021 at our institution, were included. Patient charts were reviewed, and follow-up data were analyzed for local control (LC) and failure patterns. Local failure was defined as tumor recurrence within the prescription isodose line, marginal was ≤5 mm outside the prescription isodose line, and distant was >5 mm outside of the prescription isodose line Primary outcome was LC, and secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). We identified 47 pathologically confirmed WHO grade 2 meningiomas in 27 patients. 33 lesions were treated with GK-sfSRS and 14 lesions with GK-hfSRS. 6 lesions were intermediate risk, and 41 were high-risk per RTOG 0539. With a median follow up of 36 months (range 2-86 mo), the 3yr LC was 82.7%, PFS was 83.1%, and OS was 96.3%. A total of 4 patients with 8 lesions failed treatment - all with high-risk disease. All failures were local (4) or marginal (4). The 4 local failures were all from a single patient with 4 distinct meningiomas that were treated with GK-sfSRS without surgical resection. The 4 marginal failures were all in patients treated with GK-sfSRS. There were no failures in patients treated with GK-hfSRS. Our institutional data for patients with atypical meningiomas treated with radiosurgical techniques compare favorably to the patients treated with EBRT in RTOG 0539, though longer follow-up is needed to confirm these findings. Outside of one patient, no patients developed recurrence within the prescription volume. There were 4 tumors with marginal failures, suggesting that additional dural margins than what were prescribed may be meaningful. At our institution, we are increasingly moving to hypofractionated radiosurgery with 5 mm of dural margin when using radiosurgical techniques for high-risk atypical meningioma. However, longer term follow-up is needed to validate the use of radiosurgical techniques in atypical meningioma.

Patterns of Failure for Poor Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer

Peri-operative chemotherapy has emerged as the standard of care in the treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer. Improved treatment strategies are needed for patients with a poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative chemoradiation has been proposed as a potential method of treatment intensification. We aimed to describe the patterns of failure for patients with no or partial response (NR, PR) to pre-operative chemotherapy. We retrospectively reviewed charts of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer treated at our institution from 2008 to 2022 with pre-operative chemotherapy followed by surgery with a D2 resection. We excluded patients who received pre-operative or post-operative radiation therapy, or patients who had a complete response (CR) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cumulative incidence of locoregional failure (LRF) and distant metastases (DM) were calculated from the time of diagnosis with competing risk analysis with death as a competing risk and censored at the last follow up. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier. A total of 57 patients were identified and 60% are male. Median follow-up time was 31.3 months (range 6.9-181.5 months), and the median age at diagnosis was 68 years old (range 30-86). The most used pre-operative chemotherapy regimen was FLOT (38.6%), followed by FOLFOX (29.8%), and ECF/ECX/EOX (19.3%), and a majority of patients (57.9%) received adjuvant chemotherapy. The most common histology was adenocarcinoma (85.9%), and 61.4% of patients had poorly differentiated disease. Thirty-three (57.9%), and 9 patients (15.8%) were characterized as PR and NR to neoadjuvant therapy by pathology, respectively. The distribution of pathologic stages following neoadjuvant chemotherapy were as follows: 17 patients (29.8%) with Stage IA-B, 12 patients (21.1%) with Stage IIA-B, 15 patients (26.3%) with Stage IIIA, 9 patients (15.8%) with Stage IIIB, and 3 patients (5.3%) with Stage IIIC disease. Two patients had positive lymph nodes with a T0 primary tumor. Median OS was 51.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 39.8-68.4) for the entire cohort, and 92.1 months (95% CI 34.6-73.0) versus 42.8 months (95% CI 23.1-88.0) for patients with a PR, and NR, respectively (p = 0.14). The 2-year cumulative incidence of LRF and DM was 7.4% (95% CI 0.4-14.3) and 36.3% (95% CI 23.6-49.1), respectively. Of the five patients who experienced LRF, three of the patients also eventually or concurrently developed DM. 60% of these patients would have had their first site of recurrence covered by standard post-operative radiation treatment volumes. Patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who do have less than a CR to chemotherapy have poor outcomes due to high rates of DM. Adjuvant locoregional therapy such as radiation is unlikely to affect survival while DM is the predominant pattern of progression. Further studies are needed to identify adjuvant therapies to improve distant control.

Involved Site Radiotherapy in HPV Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer: Patterns of Failure Analysis Across Prospective De-Escalation Trials

HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers (HPV+OPC) have a favorable prognosis with ongoing efforts to reduce long term toxicity while maintaining oncologic outcomes. One method under investigation includes lowering the elective radiation dose or in some cases omitting radiation to elective lymphatic nodal stations. Furthermore, pre-clinical evidence demonstrates that elective nodal irradiation blunts the anti-tumor immune response in head and neck cancer. This is a pooled secondary analysis reporting patterns of failure in patients (pts) with HPV+OPC enrolled on consecutive induction chemo- or chemoimmunotherapy (IC) based response-adaptive de-escalation trials and treated with involved-site radiotherapy (ISRT). Pts treated on two prospective phase II trials as well as on a prospective cohort registry were included for analysis. Pts with ≥ 50% response to IC based on RECIST 1.1 who received de-escalated definitive radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) with ISRT were evaluable. Pts with locally advanced low risk or high-risk HPV+OPC (LR and HR, respectively) were eligible for enrollment. Pts were considered to have HR if at least one of the following criteria was met: T4 primary, N2c-N3 disease (AJCC 7th ed.), or > 10-20 pack years smoking. In the first trial, pts with ≥ 50% response to IC received RT to gross disease plus a 1.5 cm margin (PTV1) and to the next echelon of uninvolved nodes (PTV2). Pts with LR received 50 Gy in 2 Gy daily fractions without chemotherapy; pts with HR received 30 Gy in 1.5 Gy BID fractions to PTV2 with a 15 Gy sequential boost to PTV1 with CRT. In the subsequent trial, pts with ≥ 50% response received RT to PTV1 alone to 50 Gy in 2 Gy daily fractions; concurrent CRT was included if pts had HR. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan Meier method for progression free survival (PFS), locoregional PFS (LRPFS), and overall survival (OS). Patterns of failure analysis was performed by comparing RT plans to radiographic surveillance scans. Of 172 evaluable pts, 119 (69.2%) achieved a ≥ 50% response to IC and received definitive ISRT. 45 (37.8%) pts evaluated received RT to gross disease only plus margin without the next nodal echelon included. With a median follow up of 46 (IQR 34-65) months, 3-year PFS, LRPFS, and OS with their 95% confidence intervals were 96.2% (90.1-98.5%), 97.1% (91.1-99.0%), and 96.2% (90.3-98.6%), respectively. All locoregional failures were in-field and in the high dose region. No failures were observed in the RT omitted neck. This prospective experience demonstrates feasible volume de-escalation using IC response-based selection with progressively smaller elective volumes over time. Notably, despite a marked reduction in elective treatment volume, there were no regional out-of-field failures. IC may allow for selection of pts with favorable tumor biology and microscopic disease sterilization in the regional nodes. Further efforts at elective nodal de-escalation are needed.

Outcomes of Head and Neck Cutaneous Angiosarcoma Treated in the IMRT Era

Clinical behavior, natural history, and varied presentations of cutaneous angiosarcomas of the head and neck region (HN), in conjunction with its rarity, have rendered standardization of treatment elusive. We aimed to assess outcomes and patterns of failure for patients treated with surgery and radiation (Sx+RT), and radiation alone (RT). A retrospective review of all HN angiosarcoma patients amenable for upfront Sx or RT in our institution between 2004-2018 was completed. Generally, treatment included Sx when feasible, and RT for large or extensive/ill-defined tumors. Demographic, tumor characteristics, local (LC), regional (RC), distant control (DC), and overall survival (OS), as well as patterns (in-field, marginal, out-of-field) of local failure at 5-year were estimated. Univariate analysis (UVA) was conducted to assess association with outcomes. A total of 33 patients were eligible (14 Sx+RT and 19 RT). Tumor locations were: scalp (16, 48%). face (n = 12, 36%), and overlapping (5, 15%). Lesion types were: nodular (n = 23, 70%), flat (n = 4, 12%) and mixed (n = 6, 18%). Tumor size was larger in the RT group (median: 10.00 vs 2.85 cm, p<0.01). RT and Sx+RT patients had otherwise similar baseline characteristics: median age 74.3; male 70%; and ECOG performance status ≤1 85%. RT dose fractionations ranged from 50-70 Gy in 25-35 fractions in the RT group and 50-66 Gy in 25-33 fractions in the Sx+RT group. Four (12%) patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Median follow up was 5.5 years. Five-year LC, RC, DC, and OS for RT vs Sx+RT groups were 68% vs 85% (p = 0.28); 95% vs 86% (p = 0.89); 79% vs 86% (p = 0.39); and 45% vs 55% (p = 0.71), respectively. The in-field/marginal/out-of-field local failure rate at 5 years were 16% vs 7% (p = 0.46), 26% vs 15% (p = 0.41), and 13% vs 0% (p = 0.24) for the RT vs Sx+RT groups, respectively. UVA showed that scalp location and ulceration/bleeding were strong adverse features for OS. Bone invasion was significantly associated with lower DC (Table). Lesion type (nodular/flat/mixed), tumor size, and treatment type (Sx+RT vs RT), were not significantly associated with LC or pattern of local failure. Scalp tumors, as compared to face, portended poorer prognosis, and ulceration/bleeding and bone invasion were associated with increased distant metastases. Sx+RT was the preferred treatment modality when possible and typically used for smaller and better defined tumors. RT was reserved for larger and extensive/ill-defined disease; despite this, in the IMRT era, RT achieves reasonable rates of control, markedly superior to historical series.

Outcomes and Failure Patterns after Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer with Positive Lateral Pelvic Lymph Nodes: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) combined with positive lateral pelvic lymph nodes (LPLN) tends to present worse prognosis. However, for those patients it remains unclear whether other combination high-risk factors affect the prognosis. This study aimed to use propensity score matching (PSM) to examine long-term outcomes and failure patterns in patients with positive vs. negative LPLN. Patients with LARC were retrospectively divided into LPLN-positive and LPLN-negative groups. LPLN-positivity was defined as lymph node short diameter greater than or equal to 7 mm with specific morphological features. Clinical characteristics were compared between the groups using the chi-square test. PSM was applied to balance these differences. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and local-regional recurrence (LRR) and distant metastasis (DM) rates were compared between the groups using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests. Prior to PSM, a total of 651 LARC patients were included. The LPLN-positive group had higher rates of lower location (53.1% vs. 43.0%, P = 0.025), mesorectal fascia (MRF)-positive (53.9% vs. 35.4%, P<0.001) and extramural venous invasion (EMVI)-positive (51.2% vs. 27.2%, P<0.001) disease than the LPLN-negative group. After PSM, there were 114 patients for each group along with the balanced clinical factors, and both groups had comparable surgery, pathologic complete response (pCR), and ypN stage rates. The median follow-up time was 45.9 months, 3-year OS (88.3% vs. 92.1%, P = 0.276) and LRR (5.7% vs. 2.8%, P = 0.172) rates were comparable between LPLN-positive and LPLN-negative groups. Meanwhile, despite no statistical difference, 3-year PFS (78.8% vs. 85.9%, P = 0.065) and DM (20.4% vs. 13.3%, P = 0.061) rates slightly differed between the groups. Among 10 patients with LRR, seven (70.0%) had lateral pelvic recurrence, among them, five patients were LPLN-positive, and four (80.0%) of these patients did not receive simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB- IMRT).45 patients were diagnosed with DM, 11 (40.7%) LPLN-positive and 3 (17.6%) LPLN-negative patients were diagnosed with oligometastases (P = 0.109). Our study shows there is a tendency of worse PFS and DM in LPLN-positive than LPLN-negative patients, for LPLN-positive patients, oligometastases account for a large proportion of all distant metastases.

Patterns of Recurrence After Poor Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer and the Role for Adjuvant Radiation.

Improved treatment strategies are needed for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer with poor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We aimed to describe patterns of failure for patients with no or partial response (NR, PR) to preoperative chemotherapy. We analyzed patients with locally advanced gastric cancer treated from 2008 to 2022 with preoperative chemotherapy followed by surgery with D2 resection. We excluded patients who received radiation. Cumulative incidence of locoregional failure (LRF) and distant metastases (DM) were calculated. For patients with recurrent abdominal disease, hypothetical radiation clinical treatment volumes (CTV) were contoured on postoperative scans and compared with patterns of recurrence. A total of 60 patients were identified. The most used preoperative chemotherapy was FLOT (38.6%), followed by FOLFOX (30%) and ECF/ECX/EOX (23.3%). Four (6.7%), 40 (66.7%), and 9 patients (15%) had a complete pathologic response (CR), PR, and NR to neoadjuvant therapy, respectively. Among patients without a CR, 3-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 62.3% (95% CI 48-76.6%) and 51.3% (95% CI 36.9-65.7%), respectively. Three-year cumulative incidence of LRF and DM were 8.4% (95% CI 0.4-16.4%) and 41.0% (95% CI 26.3-55.4%), respectively. Absolute rates of patients having the first site of recurrence encompassed by a postoperative radiation CTV was 2.0% for patients without a CR and 0% for patients with NR. Patients with locally advanced gastric cancer with less than a CR to chemotherapy have poor outcomes due to high rates of DM. Adjuvant locoregional therapy such as radiation is unlikely to affect survival.

Lateral Pelvic Nodal Management and Patterns of Failure in Patients Receiving Short-Course Radiation for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Management of lateral pelvic lymph nodes in locally advanced rectal cancer is controversial, with limited data indicating the optimal approach. Additionally, no data exists regarding treatment of lateral nodes in the setting of short course radiation and nonoperative intent. We evaluate a novel approach incorporating simultaneous integrated boost to suspicious lateral nodes. This was a retrospective study. This study was conducted at a large, tertiary referral center. Patients treated with radiation and consolidation chemotherapy were included. All primary tumors were biopsy confirmed and disease-staged with pelvic magnetic resonance imaging. Primary tumors were biopsy proven and staged with pelvic magnetic resonance imaging. A subset of lateral pelvic lymph nodes patients received simultaneous integrated boost to 35 Gy in 5 fractions. Then, chemotherapy was administered with the majority receiving mFOLFOX (modified folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin). Clinical partial response required total mesorectal excision. Patterns of failure and survival analyses by subgroup were assessed. Outcomes based on receipt of radiation were compared across node status. Between January 2017 - January 2022, 155 patients were treated with short course and chemotherapy with 121 included in final analysis. Forty-nine percent underwent nonoperative management. Median follow-up was 36 months and median age was 58 years. Thirty-eight patients (26%) had positive lateral pelvic lymph nodes. Comparing lateral node status, progression-free survival was significantly worse for patients with positive disease (p < 0.001) with a trend for worse overall survival. Receipt of nodal boost in patients with lateral nodes resulted in meaningful locoregional control. Nodal boost did not contribute to additional acute or late GI toxicity. Limitations included retrospective nature and lack of lateral nodes pathology; however, thorough radiographic review was performed. Lateral node positive rectal cancer is correlated with worse oncologic outcomes and higher locoregional failure. Boost to clinically positive lateral nodes is a safe approach in the setting of short course and in those receiving nonoperative intent.

Failure Patterns Within Different Histological Types in Sinonasal Malignancies: Making the Complex Simple.

To analyze the failure patterns in patients with different histological subtypes of sinonasal malignancies (SNMs). Retrospectively gathered data. Academic university hospital. Patients with SNMs treated at a tertiary referral center between January 1999 and January 2019 were included. We assessed the failure patterns within different histological subtypes. The study included 897 patients. The median follow-up time was 100 months. Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) had a moderate risk of developing local recurrence (LR) and distant metastasis (DM). Compared with ACC, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenocarcinoma (AC), soft tissue sarcoma (STS), and mucosal melanoma (MM) were classified as a high LR risk group. For DM, neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), STS, and MM were in the high-risk group. ACC had intermediate local and distant failure risks, while SCC, AC, STS, and MM were at high LR risks. NEC, STS, and MM were at high DM risk.

Survival Outcomes and Failure Patterns in Patients with Inoperable Non-Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Treated with Definitive Radiotherapy

This study investigated the long-term results, failure patterns, and prognostic factors of patients with initially inoperable non-metastatic pancreatic cancer (PC) receiving definitive radiotherapy (RT). Between January 2016 and December 2020, a total of 168 non-metastatic PC patients, who were surgically unresectable or medically inoperable, were enrolled to receive definitive RT, with or without chemotherapy. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method with a log-rank test. The cumulative incidence of locoregional and distant progression was estimated using the competing risks model. The Cox proportional-hazards model was used to determine the influence of prognostic variables on OS. With a median follow-up of 20.2 months, the median OS (mOS) and median PFS (mPFS) from diagnosis were 18.0 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 16.5-21.7 months] and 12.3 months (95% CI, 10.2-14.3 months), respectively. The mOS and mPFS from RT were 14.3 months (95% CI, 12.7-18.3 months) and 7.7 months (95% CI, 5.5-12.0 months), respectively. The corresponding 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year OS from diagnosis and RT were 72.1%, 36.6%, and 21.5% as well as 59.0%, 28.8%, and 19.0%, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, stage I-II (p = 0.032), pre-RT CA19-9 ≤ 130 U/mL (p = 0.011), receiving chemotherapy (p = 0.003), and a biologically effective dose (BED10) > 80 Gy (p = 0.014) showed a significant favorable influence on OS. Among the 59 available patients with definite progression sites, the recurrences of local, regional, and distant progression were 33.9% (20/59), 18.6% (11/59), and 59.3% (35/59), respectively. The 1-year and 2-year cumulative incidences of locoregional progression after RT were 19.5% (95% CI, 11.5-27.5%) and 32.8% (95% CI, 20.8-44.8%), respectively. Definitive RT was associated with long-term primary tumor control, resulting in superior survival in patients with inoperable non-metastatic PC. Further prospective randomized trials are warranted to validate our results in these patients.

Patterns of failure in glioblastoma multiforme following Standard (60Gy) or Short course (40Gy) radiation and concurrent temozolomide.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the patterns of failure in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) treated using chemoradiotherapy in the Standard radiotherapy (60Gy/30 fractions; Standard) or Short course (40Gy/15 fractions: Short). Ninety-three consecutive patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma treated at our hospital between April 2007 and December 2016, and 68 patients who could be followed up were included. All patients underwent surgical resection followed by radiotherapy with concurrent temozolomide. We retrospectively analyzed treatment outcomes and recurrence patterns. The median follow-up period of the surviving patients was 82.8months (range: 46.0-158.9months). Of the 68 patients, 58 patients (85%) had recurrences, 34 underwent the Standard and 24 Short course. The Standard course was seen in younger age groups and had a better Karnofsky performance status (KPS) than the Short course. The median survival time (MST) was 25.8months for the Standard and 15.4months with the Short in all cases. Standard course had significantly longer MST than the Short (p = 0.001) course. For recurrent cases only, there was no significant difference between Standard and Short courses in OS (p = 0.06). The recurrences occurred at the radiation fields alone (Standard/Short: 85%/83%), only at distant sites (Standard/Short: 12%/13%), and at both the radiation fields and distant sites (Standard/Short: 3%/4%). There was no significant difference in recurrence pattern and frequency between the two protocols (p = 0.11). Standard course tended to be significant in younger age groups and have a better KPS than the Short course; therefore, the Standard course has a longer OS, but the recurrence pattern of the Short course is similar to that of the Standard treatment.

An audit of pattern of failure in patients with buccal mucosa/retromolar trigone carcinoma treated at a single UK centre

An audit of pattern of failure in patients with buccal mucosa/retromolar trigone carcinoma treated at a single UK centre

Survival Outcomes and Patterns of Failure in Patients with Carcinoma Stomach Who Underwent D2 Lymphadenectomy Followed by Either Adjuvant Chemoradiation or Chemotherapy Alone: A Retrospective Review from a Tertiary Care Cancer Research Institute

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> Surgery remains the mainstay of curative treatment for gastric cancer. However, there is varied practice across the globe regarding adjuvant treatment. This single institute retrospective study analyzed all gastric cancer patients who underwent curative surgery with D2 lymph nodal dissection, followed by either adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) alone or concurrent chemoradiation (CRT). <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> The study period was from January 2010 to December 2017. The patient data was gathered from electronic files and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 23. A comparison was made between the two adjuvant arms in terms of clinical outcomes, including overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and failure patterns. <h3>Results</h3> 247 eligible patients who met the criteria were considered for analysis. There was a male preponderance, with 65.99% (163) males and 34.01% (84) females. The median age at diagnosis was 58 (18 to 87 years). The distal stomach was the most common location of tumors, with 64.3% occurring in the antro-pyloric region. Histopathological examination revealed stage-III cancer in the majority of the patients {44.53% (110)}, followed by stage-II {29.14% (72)}, and stage-I {12.96% (32)}. Adjuvant CRT was received by 49.39% (122) patients, and perioperative or adjuvant CT alone by 50.61% (125) patients. 19.02% (47) developed disease recurrence following treatment. Amongst these 47 patients, 61.70 % (29/47) had a locoregional, and 38.30% (18/47) failed distally. Lymph nodes were the most common sites of local failure accounting for 48.93% (23/47) of all cases, and the liver was the most common site of isolated distal failure 10% (5/47), followed by lung and bone (8%) each. Local recurrence was lower in the CRT group {34.49% (10/29) in the CRT arm and 65.51% (19/29) in CT alone arm, p-value – 0.087}. While distant metastasis was lower in CT alone arm {38.89% (7/18) vs. 61.11% (11/18), p-value – 0.302}. Of the entire study, the 5-year OS and RFS were 66.7% and 64.3%, respectively. The OS was 63.2% in the CRT arm and 67.8% in CT alone arm (p-value – 0.607). The RFS was 61.9% in the CRT arm and 65.6% in CT alone arm (0.138) <h3>Conclusion</h3> In our analysis, patients on the CRT arm had lower local recurrence; however, patients on the CT alone arm had lower distant metastasis. The CT alone arm showed a trend towards improved survival compared to the CRT arm; nevertheless, the difference was statistically non-significant. This warrants further studies to effectively combine radiation and chemotherapy in the adjuvant setting to lower both locoregional and distal metastasis.