Upfront Radiotherapy Research Articles

EP-1361: Upfront cranial radiotherapy for EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastases

EP-1361: Upfront cranial radiotherapy for EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastases

Multiple treatment modalities for brain metastasis in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer.

BackgroundThere are many controversies concerning the best management of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases (BMs). The use of upfront EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and the withholding of local therapies or upfront radiation therapies (RTs) remain controversial. Available treatment options include local therapies such as whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and surgery, EGFR-TKIs, and chemotherapy. However, the optimal management of combination therapies is still under consideration.Patients and methodsA total of 45 EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients with BMs were included. All patients successively received EGFR-TKIs, RT (WBRT or SRS), and chemotherapy between 2010 and 2015 at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital. Patient follow-up was conducted by telephone until February 2017. The treatment response was evaluated, and survival data were collected and analyzed by Kaplan–Meier analysis and the Cox regression method.ResultsThe median overall survival (OS) was 28 months. Patients with the exon 19 deletion showed the strongest trend toward a longer median OS compared to patients with the exon 21 L858R mutation (not reached vs 26.5 months, P=0.0969). There was no difference in OS between the upfront RT group and the deferral group (26.5 vs 28 months, P=0.57), and similar results were found between the first-line chemotherapy group and the EGFR-TKI group (28 vs 23.2 months, P=0.499). In multivariate analysis, the prognosis correlated with EGFR mutation type (P=0.017).ConclusionEGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with BM benefited from the combination and sequential therapies of EGFR-TKIs, chemotherapy, and RTs. Patients with the EGFR exon 19 deletion may have a better OS. However, the optimal timing of RT interval remains to be explored.

Adult nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma: treatment modality utilization and survival.

Early‐stage nodular lymphocyte‐predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is associated with a favorable prognosis. Our aim was to evaluate the patterns of care of radiotherapy utilization in this disease and to define the relationship between treatment modality and survival. The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with stages I‐II NLPHL diagnosed from 2004 to 2012. Patients were compared based on primary therapy into four categories: radiotherapy, chemotherapy, both, or neither. Covariate‐adjusted and propensity score‐weighted (PS) Cox proportional hazards models were used, adjusting for potential factors confounding survival. After exclusions, 1420 patients were evaluated, 571 (40%) received radiotherapy alone, 318 (22%) received chemotherapy alone, 351 (25%) received both, and 180 (13%) received neither. Younger patient age (P = 0.001), female gender (P = 0.019), and chemotherapy use (P < 0.001) were associated with decreased radiotherapy utilization. On PS, radiation alone (HR = 0.298, P < 0.001) and chemoradiotherapy (HR = 0.258, P < 0.001) were associated with improved survival compared to no upfront therapy, but the use of chemotherapy alone did not statistically differ compared to no initial therapy (HR = 0.784, P = 0.078). In this large database analysis, over one‐third of patients with early‐stage NLPHL did not receive radiotherapy as a component of initial therapy. The omission of upfront radiotherapy was associated with inferior survival.

Impact of timing of radiation therapy on outcomes in atypical meningioma: A clinical audit

BackgroundThe role of early adjuvant radiation therapy (RT) in patients with atypical meningioma remains controversial. The goal of this work was to report the impact of timing of RT on outcomes in atypical meningioma. Methods and materialsPatients of atypical meningioma were identified through electronic search of institutional database. Following surgery, RT was delivered either in upfront adjuvant setting (early adjuvant RT) or after recurrence/progression (salvage RT). ResultsThere were 51 patients in the early adjuvant RT group and 30 patients in the salvage RT group. Six of 51 (12%) patients in the early adjuvant RT group recurred/progressed compared with 34 of 35 (97%) patients kept on observation after initial surgery. Thirty of these 34 patients received salvage RT, mostly after reexcision. Twelve of 30 (40%) patients recurred/progressed after salvage RT, compared with 6 of 51 (12%) patients after early adjuvant RT (P = .003). Post-RT 5-year progression-free survival was significantly better for early adjuvant RT compared to salvage RT (69% vs 28%, log-rank P < .001). ConclusionsWithin the limitations of any retrospective analysis, upfront early adjuvant RT can significantly reduce the risk of local recurrence/progression in atypical meningiomas compared with initial observation. A sizeable proportion of patients who are observed initially recur/progress over time necessitating salvage therapy; however, reexcision followed by salvage RT may not be as effective as early adjuvant RT.

Up-front short-course radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancers with distant metastasis: Does it provide meaningful benefit?

778 Background: The optimal sequencing of treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer with distant metastasis (mLARC) is not well established. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of mLARC patients receiving SCRT (25Gy/5#) and chemotherapy between July 2013 and December 2016. Patients were evaluated for surgery after SCRT and chemotherapy with the decision for further treatment being taken in a multidisciplinary team. Those patients who underwent surgery also received adjuvant chemotherapy as per the standard practice. Results: One hundred five consecutive mLARC patients were included in this study. Median age was 48 years (range 16-78) and 60 patients (57%) were male. Thirty-six patients (34%) had a single site of metastases. Sixty-one patients (58%) had obstruction at baseline and required stoma placement and another 19 patients (18%) had near obstructive lesions; these patients did not require stoma post SCRT and chemotherapy. With first line chemotherapy, objective response rate was 39% while 29% patients had stable disease. Twenty-four patients (23%) underwent definitive surgery. Median PFS and OS for entire cohort was 10.5 months (95% CI: 9.1-11.8) and 15.7 months (95% CI: 10.2-21.2), respectively. Median PFS was 23 months (95% CI: 18.7-27.7) for patients who could undergo surgery while it was 7.7 months (95% CI: 5.9-9.5, HR 5.0) (log rank &lt;0.001) for patients in whom surgery was not possible. Median OS was not reached for patients who underwent surgery while it was 10.9 months (95% CI: 9.6-12.3, HR 9.8) (log rank p&lt;0.001) for patients in whom surgery was not possible. OS at 3 years was 60% for patients who underwent surgery while it was only 7% in whom surgery was not possible. Conclusions: Upfront SCRT followed by systemic chemotherapy with delayed surgery in locally advanced rectal cancer with distant metastasis is an effective, feasible and attractive option. [Table: see text]

Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases: Changing Practice Patterns and Disparities in the United States.

Background: Management of brain metastases typically includes radiotherapy (RT) with conventional fractionation and/or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). However, optimal indications and practice patterns for SRS remain unclear. We sought to evaluate national practice patterns for patients with metastatic disease receiving brain RT. Methods: We queried the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) for patients diagnosed with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, or melanoma from 2004 to 2014 who received upfront brain RT. Patients were divided into SRS and non-SRS cohorts. Patient and facility-level SRS predictors were analyzed with chi-square tests and logistic regression, and uptake trends were approximated with linear regression. Survival by diagnosis year was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Of 75,953 patients, 12,250 (16.1%) received SRS and 63,703 (83.9%) received non-SRS. From 2004 to 2014, the proportion of patients receiving SRS annually increased (from 9.8% to 25.6%; P<.001), and the proportion of facilities using SRS annually increased (from 31.2% to 50.4%; P<.001). On multivariable analysis, nonwhite race, nonprivate insurance, and residence in lower-income or less-educated regions predicted lower SRS use (P<.05 for each). During the study period, SRS use increased disproportionally among patients with private insurance or who resided in higher-income or higher-educated regions. From 2004 to 2013, 1-year actuarial survival improved from 24.1% to 49.6% for patients selected for SRS and from 21.0% to 26.3% for non-SRS patients (P<.001). Conclusions: This NCDB analysis demonstrates steadily increasing-although modest overall-brain SRS use for patients with metastatic disease in the United States and identifies several progressively widening sociodemographic disparities in the adoption of SRS. Further research is needed to determine the reasons for these worsening disparities and their clinical implications on intracranial control, neurocognitive toxicities, quality of life, and survival for patients with brain metastases.

Curative Radiation Therapy at Time of Progression Under Active Surveillance Compared With Up-front Radical Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

To describe and compare outcomes in men with initially presumed indolent prostate cancer receiving definitive radiation therapy after active surveillance (AS) versus those in a risk-matched cohort undergoing up-front radiation therapy. Men prospectively enrolled in an AS program between 1992 and 2014 and subsequently undergoing curative radiation therapy (ie, image guided radiation therapy [IGRT] or low-dose-rate brachytherapy [LDR-BT]) were identified. Biochemical relapse-free rate (bRFR), metastasis-free rate (mFR), and overall survival (OS) were compared against a cohort of men treated up front, matched by age, clinical prognostic indices (risk group, prostate-specific antigen, cT category, Gleason score, percentage of involved biopsy cores), and radiation therapy modality. Of 1070 patients in the AS registry, 200 underwent definitive radiation therapy (143 IGRT and 57 LDR-BT) after a median of 32.9 (interquartile range [IQR] 20.6-59.8) months on surveillance. Main reasons for treatment were grade and volume upgrading (57.5% and 26%, respectively). Median follow-up after radiation therapy was 4.9 (IQR 3.1-7.5) years. At 5years the bRFR, mFR, and OS were, respectively, 97%, 99%, and 98.5%. No patient died of prostate cancer. Adequate risk-matching was confirmed in an independent cohort comprising 359 patients receiving up-front IGRT (71%) or LDR-BT (29%) and followed for a median of 9 (IQR 3.1-7.5) years. There was no difference in the disease-specific outcomes (bRFR, mFR) between the 2 cohorts (Gray's P value of .257 and .934, respectively). In multivariate analyses, timing of radical radiation therapy (deferred vs up-front) was not correlated to biochemical relapse or metastases occurrence. Curative-intent radiation therapy (ie, dose-escalated IGRT or LDR-BT) after a period of AS renders excellent oncologic outcomes at 5years. Deferring radical therapy after a period of AS does not seem to result in inferior oncologic outcomes compared with patients with similar risk characteristics undergoing up-front treatment.

Hypofractionated high-energy proton-beam irradiation is an alternative treatment for WHO grade I meningiomas

BackgroundRadiation treatment is commonly employed in the treatment of meningiomas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of hypofractionated high-energy proton therapy as adjuvant or primary treatment for WHO grade I meningiomas.MethodA total of 170 patients who received irradiation with protons for grade I meningiomas between 1994 and 2007 were included in the study. The majority of the tumours were located at the skull base (n = 155). Eighty-four patients were treated post subtotal resection, 42 at tumour relapse and 44 with upfront radiotherapy after diagnosis based on the typical radiological image. Irradiation was given in a hypofractionated fashion (3–8 fractions, usually 5 or 6 Gy) with a mean dose of 21.9 Gy (range, 14–46 Gy). All patients were planned for follow-up with clinical controls and magnetic resonance imaging scans at 6 months and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 years after treatment. The median follow-up time was 84 months. Age, gender, tumour location, Simpson resection grade and target volume were assessed as possible prognostic factors for post-irradiation tumour progression and radiation related complications.ResultsThe actuarial 5- and 10-year progression-free survival rates were 93% and 85% respectively. Overall mortality rate was 13.5%, while disease-specific mortality was 1.7% (3/170 patients). Older patients and patients with tumours located in the middle cranial fossa had a lower risk for tumour progression. Radiation-related complications were seen in 16 patients (9.4%), with pituitary insufficiency being the most common. Tumour location in the anterior cranial fossa was the only factor that significantly increased the risk of complications.ConclusionsHypofractionated proton-beam radiation therapy may be used particularly in the treatment of larger World Health Organisation grade I meningiomas not amenable to total surgical resection. Treatment is associated with high rates of long-term tumour growth control and acceptable risk for complications.

Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases: Practice Patterns and Disparities in the United States

Up to 20% of patients diagnosed with cancer will develop brain metastases. Management typically includes radiotherapy with conventional fractionation (CFRT), generally to the whole brain, and/or stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Studies over the past decade have demonstrated the efficacy of SRS for a limited number of brain metastases, though controversy remains regarding appropriateness, patient selection, and timing of SRS use. The uptake of SRS use in the United States during this period has not been evaluated. We evaluated national practice patterns for patients with metastatic disease receiving radiotherapy to the brain. We queried the National Cancer Data Base for patients diagnosed with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), breast cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer from 2004 to 2014 who received upfront radiotherapy to the brain with available dose information. Patients who received documented SRS or radiation with dose per fraction ≥6 Gy were assigned to the SRS cohort, and all others were assigned to the CFRT cohort. Patient- and hospital-level predictors of SRS use were analyzed with univariable chi-square tests and multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression. All statistical tests were two-sided and P < .05 was statistically significant. Of 75,962 patients treated among 1,215 facilities, 12,332 (16.2%) received SRS and 63,630 (83.8%) received CFRT. The proportion of patients receiving upfront SRS increased yearly, from 9.9% of patients in 2004 to 25.6% in 2014 (P < .001). The number of facilities using SRS also increased yearly from 264 (21.7%) in 2004 to 542 (44.6%) in 2014. SRS was utilized least among breast cancer patients (12.1%) and most among melanoma patients (26.9%). On multivariable analysis, predictors of CFRT use included Black or Hispanic race/ethnicity (OR: 1.27, 95%CI: 1.07 – 1.50), non-private insurance (OR: 1.20, 95%CI: 1.14 – 1.27), lower income (OR: 1.19, 95%CI: 1.12 – 1.26), non-academic facility (OR: 2.02, 95%CI: 1.73 – 2.37), and non-metropolitan area (OR: 1.12, 95%CI: 1.03 – 1.21). SRS use increased disproportionally among higher-income and privately insured patients during the study period. This national study demonstrates a steady increase in SRS utilization for patients with brain metastases over the past decade. The study identifies disparities in the adoption of SRS based on race/ethnicity, socioeconomic background, facility affiliation, and geographic location. Further research is needed to determine the reasons for these disparities and their clinical implications for patients with brain metastases.

Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy for Benign and Non-benign Intracranial Meningiomas

To assess and report long-term clinical outcomes regarding local control, overall survival, and toxicity-free survival after pencil beam scanning proton therapy for intracranial meningiomas at a single institution. Ninety-six patients (male/female, 29/67; median age 52.8years) with intracranial meningiomas (World Health Organization [WHO] grade 1, n=61 [63.5%]; WHO grade 2, n=33 [34.4%]; WHO grade 3, n=2 [2.1%]) were treated with pencil beam scanning proton therapy (n=53 [55.2%] at diagnosis, n=17 [17.7%] at recurrence, and n=26 [27.1%] for tumor progression). Median gross tumor volume before PBSPT was 21.4cm3 (range, 0.0-546.5cm3), with a median planning target volume of 123.4cm3 (range, 4.6-1142.0cm3). Median duration of follow-up was 56.9months (range, 12.1-207.2months). Late toxicity was graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0. Thirteen failures (14%) (male/female, 6/7) were observed, of which the majority (n=9, 69%) were of non-benign histology. The 5-year actuarial local control and overall survival were 86.4% and 88.2%, respectively. Five-year grade ≥3 toxicity-free survival was 89.1%. On univariate analysis, local control was worse for patients with higher WHO grade (P≤.001), those treated after at least 1 recurrence (P=.006), those with non-skull base tumor location (P=.014), and males (P=.032). Significant prognosticators for 5-year overall survival were local control (P≤.001), age (P=.002), and timing of proton therapy (initial vs recurrence) (P=.002). Pencil beam scanning proton therapy is an effective and safe treatment for patients with intracranial meningiomas, resulting in high local control rates with limited toxicity. Up-front radiation likely results in improved outcomes and should be considered, especially for patients with non-benign tumors and/or for those with incomplete resections.

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors in children treated with multimodal therapies: The necessity of upfront radiotherapy after surgery.

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) is a rare malignant pediatric brain tumor with a dismal prognosis. We evaluated the efficacy of multimodal therapy in children with ATRT. Nine children diagnosed with cranial ATRT, who received multimodal therapy between 2005 and 2014, including surgical resection followed by radiotherapy (RT), systemic chemotherapy (CT), and high-dose chemotherapy/stem cell transplantation (HDCT/SCT), were analyzed retrospectively. The median age at diagnosis was 32 months. Initial treatment included surgery in eight patients (88%), CT in all (100%), RT in eight (88%), and HDCT/SCT in seven (78%). The median follow-up period for survivors was 21 months. The 2-year progression-free rate was 66.7%. Two patients had progression 4 and 17 months after diagnosis. One received multimodal treatment, including surgery and upfront CT with delayed RT; the other underwent surgery and upfront CT without RT. The 2-year event-free survival and overall survival rates were 46.7% and 62.2%, respectively. Hematologic toxicity of grade 3 or more was observed in six patients treated with HDCT/SCT and two who underwent craniospinal irradiation. Deaths were attributed to progressive disease (n = 2) and treatment-related toxicity (n = 2) from sepsis and acute respiratory failure after CT and HDCT/SCT. Maximal safe resection in conjunction with upfront RT is a reasonable multimodal treatment in patients with ATRT for prolonging progression-free survival. Further research may help determine the optimal parameters for reducing treatment toxicity, such as intensity of HDCT/SCT and the RT field.

Impact of different timing of radiation therapy in patients with brain metastases from epidermal growth factor receptor-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

e20667 Background: To perform a retrospective analysis of patients with brain metastases (BM) from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to evaluate the preferred treatment timing of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in this population. Methods: Of 94 initial or recurrent patients diagnosed BM from EGFR-mutant NSCLC between Jan 1, 2012, and Jun 31, 2016, 30 received upfront brain RT followed by EGFR-TKI, 39 EGFR-TKI combined with concurrent brain RT, and 25 upfront EGFR-TKI then brain RT. Disease-specific-graded prognostic assessment was similar among all 3 groups. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and the second endpoint was intracranial progression-free survival. Results: Although the median OS was not significantly different among the upfront RT, concurrent treatment, and upfront EGFR-TKI groups (29.0 vs 24.0 vs 17.0 months; P = 0.186), however, it was longer in the upfront RT group compared with the upfront EGFR-TKI group (P = 0.035). On subgroup analysis, the exon 19 deletions patients had longer OS than the exon 21 mutations patients in upfront EGFR-TKI group (23.0 vs 15.0 months; P = 0.048), but the upfront RT (34.0 vs 23.0 months; P = 0.186) and the concurrent treatment groups (24.0 vs 13.0 months; P = 0.827) did not. According to multivariate COX analysis, KPS (≥ 70) and intracranial metastasis alone was associated with a longer OS. The median intracranial progression-free survival was significantly improved in patients receiving upfront RT compared with those receiving concurrent treatment or upfront EGFR-TKI (not reached vs 40.0 vs 9.0 months; P = 0.003). Conclusions: The present study suggests that the use of upfront brain radiotherapy, and the deferral of EGFR-TKI may result in superior OS in patients with brain metastases from EGFR-mutant NSCLC. Also, upfront brain radiotherapy management could significantly reduce the risk of intracranial progression. A prospective, multi-institutional, randomized trial of upfront EGFR-TKI then RT versus upfront RT followed by EGFR-TKI is urgently needed, especially based on different subgroup population.

Upfront short course radiotherapy (SCRT) in metastatic rectal cancer (mRC): A way forward.

3570 Background: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of SCRT followed by chemotherapy (CT) in locally advanced metastatic rectal cancer (LAmRC). Methods: Between May 2012 and August 2015, 70 patients having LAmRC with or without circumferential resection margin (CRM) positive disease treated with SCRT (25Gy/5#) followed by 3-6 cycles of capecitabine/5-FU, oxaliplatin or irinotecan based CT were assessed. Results: Fifty one had single site metastases (23 liver, 16 lung, 10 retroperitoneal lymph nodes and 2 peritoneum), 9 had combined lung and liver metastases and 10 had combined nodal and organ metastases. Sixty five (93%) patients could complete planned SCRT and 3-6 cycles of chemotherapy (starting 7-10 days after RT completion) with dose reduction in 21 (32%) patients owing to CT induced toxicities. Local tumor down-staging was achieved in 43 (61.4%) patients and the rest had a stable primary disease. Radiologically, CRM was free in 25 (46.3%) patients out of 54 initially involved. Surgery of the primary was planned in 38 (58%). R0 resection in 26 (40%), R1 in 7 (pCRM positive). Five refused surgery in spite of being resectable. Rest of the 27 (41%) received palliative CT due to progression of distant disease. Metastatectomy along with primary surgery was done in 16 (25%) patients. Median follow up was 29 months. Overall survival (OS) of entire cohort at 2 years was 40%. Median progression free survival (PFS) and OS of patients with resected primary was 17 (10-24) and 37 (28-45) months, respectively, which is significantly better than those who were not resected (p = &lt; 0.001). Of these 33 resected patients, 13 (39.4%) are disease free and 20 have progressed (16 distant, 2 loco-regional and 2 local and systemic). Conclusions: Upfront SCRT followed by systemic CT in an unresectable group of metastatic rectal cancer patients is safe and feasible and is having encouraging results in terms of downstaging and resectability of the primary. [Table: see text]

Cost-effectiveness analysis of first-line treatments for early-stage, low-grade follicular lymphoma.

6619 Background: Low-grade follicular lymphoma (FL) can present as localized stage I to II disease in up to one-third of patients. Upfront involved-site radiation therapy (RT) to 24-30Gy is the preferred first-line management strategy for these patients. However, the National LymphoCare Study found that less than one quarter of patients with early-stage, low-grade FL received upfront RT, while more than half received either chemoimmunotherapy or observation. Methods: We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis using a Markov state-transition model to simulate the progression of early-stage, low-grade FL in a cohort of 60-year-old men. The following first-line treatments were compared: RT, observation, rituximab induction (RI), rituximab and bendamustine (BR), and rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (RCHOP). Patients who relapsed received second-line therapies that were dependent on their first-line treatment: RT for RI and observation, RCHOP for RT and BR, and BR for RCHOP. Disease-progression probabilities and other model inputs were from published trials. Results: First-line RT followed by RCHOP for relapses had a quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) of 11.4 years, superior to first-line observation, RI, BR, and RCHOP strategies. First-line RT strongly dominated observation, BR, and RCHOP. Compared with RI, first-line RT resulted in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $2,740 per quality-adjusted life year. The probability of dying from other causes, the probability of a complete response to RT, and the probability of relapse had the greatest impact on both cost and effectiveness expected values. Conclusions: In contrast to current practice patterns, first-line RT is the most effective upfront treatment for patients with early-stage, low-grade FL. Further, first-line RT paired with RCHOP for relapses is a cost-effective treatment paradigm, relative to other strategies. [Table: see text]

EP-1350: Stereotactic re-irradiation for prostate cancer recurrence after upfront surgery and radiotherapy

EP-1350: Stereotactic re-irradiation for prostate cancer recurrence after upfront surgery and radiotherapy

Upfront radiation versus EGFR-TKI: which is the best approach for EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients with brain metastasis?

In The Journal of Clinical Oncology , William J. Magnuson (1) and colleagues have recently reported the results of a multicenter retrospective analysis comparing the impact of three different treatment strategies on survival outcomes of 351 patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and brain metastases (BM). Treatment options included stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) followed by EGFR-TKI (n=100), whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) followed by EGFR-TKI (n=120), or EGFR-TKI followed by SRS or WBRT at the time of intracranial progression (n=131). Results showed a significantly longer median overall survival (OS) in patients who received upfront SRS (46 months) as compared to WBRT (30 months) or upfront TKI (25 months) (P EGFR mutation, and extracranial metastases, which were included in the multivariable analysis. The upfront use of radiotherapy resulted also in a significantly longer median time to intracranial progression (23 vs . 18 months; P=0.025) and 2-year OS rate (78% vs . 51%; P<0.001), and it was maintained regardless of patients’ prognosis.

Effects of icotinib with and without radiation therapy on patients with EGFR mutant non-small cell lung cancer and brain metastases

EGFR-TKIs and radiation therapy (RT) are the principal treatment for patients with brain metastases (BM) and EGFR mutant NSCLC. However, the optimal use of brain RT for patients with asymptomatic BM remains undefined. A total of 152 patients were identified. 58 patients were excluded. Of the remaining 97 patients, 56 patients received upfront RT followed by icotinib, including WBRT or SRS. 41 patients received icotinib therapy alone. The mOS from diagnosis of BM was 27.0 months for the whole cohort (95% CI, 23.9–30.1 months). There was no difference in OS between the RT followed by icotinib group and the icotinib alone group (31.9 vs. 27.9 months, P = 0.237), and similar results were found in the SRS subgroup (35.5 vs. 27.9 months, P = 0.12). Patients with the EGFR Del19 mutation had a longer OS than patients with the exon 21 L858R mutation (32.7 vs. 27.4, P = 0.037). Intracranial progression-free survival (PFS) was improved in the patients who received RT followed by icotinib compared to those receiving icotinib alone (22.4 vs. 13.9 months, P = 0.043). Patients with EGFR-mutant adenocarcinoma and BM treated with icotinib exhibited prolonged survival. A longer duration of intracranial control was observed with brain RT.

Frontline Systemic Therapy With Pemetrexed-Platinum in Nonsquamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer With Asymptomatic Brain Metastases.

The incidence of brain metastases from nonsquamous non-small-lung cancer is increasing as a result of superior imaging techniques for early detection of distant metastases. Although whole-brain radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery along with systemic chemotherapy have shown to be effective in alleviating symptoms and improving outcomes, the approach to patients with asymptomatic brain metastases remains elusive. We explored the literature for a possible role of frontline systemic chemotherapy in asymptomatic brain metastases from nonsquamous non-small-lung cancer and found promising evidence that upfront systemic therapy with pemetrexed-platinum regimens might be a reasonable option for these patients and would forestall the need for upfront brain radiation therapy. More large-scale phase II and phase III clinical trials are needed to further investigate the frontline use of pemetrexed-platinum regimens in this setting.

Oncologic outcomes of radiation therapy following active surveillance for low- and intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer.

42 Background: To evaluate the oncologic outcomes and potential impact of delayed radical treatment in the form of radiotherapy (RT), in men with localized prostate cancer progressing after active surveillance (AS). Methods: We identified patients on AS subsequently treated with state-of-the-art RT (either dose-escalated image-guided intensity modulated radiotherapy [IG-IMRT] or low-dose-rate brachytherapy [LDR-BT]). Based on the clinical characteristics at time of AS progression, we compared the oncologic outcomes to matched patients treated with upfront RT after diagnose. One to two matching patients per AS case were identified from existing RT databases based on: age (+/- 3 years), clinical prognostic factors (NCCN risk group; PSA +/- 2ng/mL; cT category; primary and secondary Gleason score; percentage of diagnostic cores involved dichotomized at &lt; or &gt; 50%), and treatment modality (IG-IMRT or LDR-BT). We aimed to determine whether patients on AS have potentially compromised outcomes. Results: We identified 215 patients (out of 1070 AS cohort) undergoing RT after a median of 26 months (IQR 16-52.5) on AS. Median follow-up post RT was 4.8 years (IQR 2.9-7.2). No patient died of prostate cancer. At 5-years, the biochemical relapse free-, metastases free- and overall-survival rate were respectively 98.6%, 99.1%, 98.6% in the AS cohort. Matched cohort comprised 400 patients treated with IG-IMRT (71%) or LDR-BT (29%). Adequate matching was confirmed. The median follow-up post RT was 8.2 years (IQR 4.7-10). At 5-years, biochemical relapse free-, metastases free- and overall-survival rates of 98.5%, 98.7%, 93.7% respectively, which were not statistically different compared to those patients treated upon AS progression. Conclusions: Curative-intent radiotherapy (i.e. dose-escalated IG-IMRT or LDR-BT) after a period of AS renders excellent oncologic outcomes at 5 years. Moreover, the delay of therapy after a period of AS does not appear to result in inferior oncologic outcomes compared to patients with similar risk characteristics undergoing upfront radical radiotherapy.

Managing Brain Metastases in Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

It is unclear whether upfront radiotherapy or initiation of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy is the better approach for patients with