Whole Brain Radiotherapy Research Articles

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Primary Vitreoretinal Lymphoma in Northern Thailand

OBJECTIVE This study aims to describe clinical characteristics and outcomes after treatment of primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL). METHODS Fifteen patients with a proven diagnosis of PVRL by histology, cytology and/or flow cytometry were analyzed. RESULTS The median age of the 15 patients was 59 years (range 41-71). Median follow-up time was 37 months (IQR 22.5-80) (range 4-106). Ophthalmic presentations of 25 eyes included vitritis (72%), chorioretinal infiltrations (60%), and retinal vasculitis (20%). Bilateral involvement was observed in 10 patients at presentation and in 4 patients during follow up. Ten patients (67%) developed brain involvement after ocular presentation with a median time of 22.5 months (range 2-84). Treatment modalities were included: 1) isolated intravitreal (IVT) methotrexate (6/15 patients; 40%) with a median number of injections of 4 (IQR 1,6) (range 1-16) 2) combined with IVT metho-trexate and/or rituximab and systemic chemotherapy and/or radiation (8/15; 53%) with a median of 6 injections (IQR 1,11) (range 1-16) and 3) systemic chemotherapy alone (1/15; 7%). Whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) was performed in 10 of 15 patients (67%). Among the 6 patients who received isolated IVT methotrexate, 3 patients had complete remission (3/6; 50%), one died at 96 months after treatment, and one was lost to follow up after a single injection. Nine of 15 patients who received systemic chemotherapy with or without IVT chemotherapy and/or WBRT had complete remission (8/9; 89%). CONCLUSIONS Vitritis and chorioretinal infiltrations were the main ocular presentations of PVRL. Two-thirds of the patients developed brain involvement which resolved after treatment. Systemic chemotherapy tends to provide a higher rate of complete remission compared to local therapy alone.

The longitudinal risk of hemorrhage of melanoma brain metastases after Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

The objective of this study was to analyze the hemorrhagic risk of melanoma brain metastases after Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS). A prospective institutional database was retrospectively queried to identify patients who underwent GKRS for melanoma brain metastases between 1990 and 2021. Lesional hemorrhage was defined as definite or possible based on radiologists' readings, and severity was graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Two hundred ninety-one patients with 1083 lesions treated in 419 sessions were identified. The mean (± SD) patient age was 60 ± 15 years, and 61% were male. The median follow-up period for overall survival (OS) was 11 (range 0-214) months with 581 patient-years. Definite/possible lesional hemorrhages occurred in 13% of lesions, with grade 3 hemorrhages observed in 4% of lesions. Surgical intervention was required in 2% of cases (5% of patients), and all resected lesions were pathologically consistent with melanoma. A decreased risk of definite/possible lesional hemorrhage was associated with a later time period between 2015 and 2021 (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.266-0.75, p = 0.0021), increased marginal dose (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83-0.99, p = 0.037), antiplatelet use post-GKRS (OR 0.195, 95% CI 0.083-0.46, p < 0.001), and whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT; OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.344-0.82, p = 0.0042). After 2015, more patients received anticoagulation, B-Raf proto-oncogene inhibitors, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, and fewer received bevacizumab (p < 0.001). The cumulative risk of lesional hemorrhage was 17%-20% at 36 months from GKRS, with 95%-96% of cases occurring within 12 months. The median patient OS was 11 (95% CI 9-13) months, and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that antiplatelet agents (hazard ratio [HR] 0.66, 95% CI 0.45-0.96, p = 0.031) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (HR 0.35, 95% CI 0.26-0.48, p < 0.001) were associated with longer OS, while WBRT (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.02-1.81, p = 0.037) and definite/possible hemorrhage (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.04-1.85, p = 0.024) were associated with shorter OS. The definite hemorrhage risk of melanoma brain metastases after GKRS was 17% in the first 3 years and 95% of the lesional hemorrhage occurred within the 1st year. Surgical intervention was needed in 5% of patients. Antiplatelet agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors were associated with improved OS, while definite/possible hemorrhage was associated with worse OS.

Dosimetric evaluation of a hybrid treatment planning for whole-brain radiation with hippocampal sparing

Dosimetric evaluation of a hybrid treatment planning for whole-brain radiation with hippocampal sparing

Comparative Efficacy of Whole-Brain Radiotherapy Combined with Supplemental Precision Radiotherapy and Whole-Brain Radiotherapy Alone for Brain Metastases

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of whole-brain radiotherapy combined with supplemental precision radiotherapy compared to whole-brain radiotherapy alone for brain metastasis. Methods: Twenty-six cases of patients with brain metastasis were observed from January 2020 to June 2023. Thirteen cases each were randomly assigned to the observation group and the control group. The patients in the observation group received whole-brain radiotherapy combined with supplemental precision radiotherapy, while those in the control group received only whole-brain radiotherapy. Results: Comparing the quality of life scores between the two groups, the data from the observation group was significantly superior (P &lt; 0.05). The survival rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group, and their survival time was longer (P &lt; 0.05). Additionally, compared with the control group, the observation group exhibited lower levels of various serum tumor factors after treatment (P &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: Whole-brain radiotherapy combined with supplemental precision radiotherapy demonstrates improved clinical efficacy, prolonged survival time, and enhanced quality of life for patients with brain metastasis. These findings warrant further study and promotion.

Factors associated with overall survival in breast cancer patients with leptomeningeal disease (LMD): a single institutional retrospective review.

Breast cancer-related leptomeningeal disease (BC-LMD) is a dire diagnosis for 5-8% of patients with breast cancer (BC). We conducted a retrospective review of BC-LMD patients diagnosed at Moffitt Cancer Center from 2011 to 2020, to determine the changing incidence of BC-LMD, factors which are associated with the progression of BC CNS metastasis to BC-LMD, and factors which are associated with OS for patients with BC-LMD. Patients with BC and brain/spinal metastatic disease were identified. For those who eventually developed BC-LMD, we used Kaplan-Meier survival curve, log-rank test, univariable, and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model to identify factors affecting time from CNS metastasis to BC-LMD and OS. 128 cases of BC-LMD were identified. The proportion of BC-LMD to total BC patients was higher between 2016 and 2020 when compared to 2011-2015. Patients with HR+ or HER2 + BC experienced longer times between CNS metastasis and LMD than patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Systemic therapy and whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) was associated with prolonged progression to LMD in all patients. Hormone therapy in patients with HR + BC were associated with a delayed BC-CNS metastasis to LMD progression. Lapatinib treatment was associated with a delayed progression to LMD in patients with HER2 + BC. Patients with TNBC-LMD had shorter OS compared to those with HR + and HER2 + BC-LMD. Systemic therapy, intrathecal (IT) therapy, and WBRT was associated with prolonged survival for all patients. Lapatinib and trastuzumab therapy was associated with improved OS in patients with HER2 + BC-LMD. Increasing rates of BC-LMD provide treatment challenges and opportunities for clinical trials. Prospective trials testing lapatinib and/or similar tyrosine kinase inhibitors, IT therapies, and combination treatments are urgently needed.

Gamma knife radiosurgery following whole-brain radiation

In this study, we aimed to determine outcomes for patients requiring salvage stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) who have progression of brain metastatic disease after initial treatment with whole-brain radiation (WBRT). This is a retrospective analysis of a prospective database of 112 patients who were treated with salvage SRS after experiencing failure following WBRT treatment with salvage SRS. Collectively, the patients had a median overall survival of 7 months after salvage SRS. Patients who had more than two brain metastases had a significantly shorter median survival but were not subjected to increased risk for distant brain failure. We also found that a short intervening time between WBRT and central nervous system (CNS) failure did not seem to worsen the nervous system control or reduce patient survival. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) was associated with decreased overall survival and CNS control. In conclusion, SRS use following WBRT is safe and effective in the majority of patients. Patients with rapid failure after WBRT can be successfully salvaged with SRS. The findings also shed light on the overall poor outcomes, coupled with low median survival and high rates of CNS failure, in patients suffering multiple metastases stemming from SCLC.

A new updated prognostic index for patients with brain metastases (BMs) treated with palliative whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) in the era of precision oncology. METASNCore project.

Palliative WBRT is the main treatment for multiple BMs. Recent studies report no benefit in survival after WBRT compared to palliative supportive care in patients (pts) with poor prognosis. A new era of systemic treatment strategies based on targeted therapies are improving the prognosis of patients with BMs. The purpose of this study is to develop a prognostic score in palliative pts with BMs who undergo WBRT in this new setting. 239 pts with BMs who received palliative WBRT between 2013-2022 in our center were analyzed retrospectively. The score was designed according to the value of the β coefficient of each variable with statistical significance in the multivariate model using Cox regression. Once the score was established, a comparison was performed according to Kaplan-Meier and was analyzed by log-rank test. 149 pts (62.3%) were male and median (m) age was 60 years. 139 (58,2%) were lung cancer and 35 (14,6%) breast cancer. All patients received 30Gys in 10 sessions. m overall survival (OS) was 3,74 months (ms). 37 pts (15,5%) had a specific target mutation. We found that 62 pts were in group < 4 points with mOS 6,89ms (CI 95% 3,18-10,62), 84 in group 4-7 points with mOS 4,01ms (CI 95% 3,40-4,62) and 92 pts in group > 7 points with mOS 2,72ms (CI 95% 1,93-3,52) (p < 0,001). METASNCore items are associated with OS and they could be useful to select palliative pts to receive WBRT. More studies are necessary to corroborate our findings.

Dosimetric Comparison of The Effects of Different Treatment Plan Techniques on Reduction in Critical Organs in Whole Brain Radiotherapy Application

Different radiotherapy treatment techniques can be used in whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT). This study aims to investigate the dosimetric advantages of the anterior isocenteric (AI) technique which is produced as an alternative to the central isocentric (CI) technique. 25 whole brain patients were included in this retrospective study. Plans were made with two treatment techniques for each patient. One central isocenter (CI) was made using a conventional helmet field (HF) to center the whole brain, which is the isocenter of the target volume. An automatic margin of 5 mm was given to the planning target volume (PTV) with multileaf collimators (MLC) for both plans. For CI and AI techniques, a total dose of 30 Gy was given in 10 fractions with 6 MV photon energy. The two planning techniques were compared dosimetrically. The dose homogeneity index (DHI) had lower values in the AI plan according to CI plans significantly (p=0.049). There was a 6,57% difference between CI and AI planning techniques for the maximum dose of the right lens. For the minimum dose and mean dose AI plans significantly had lower values according to the CI plan (p=0.001 and p=0.028 respectively). In this dosimetric study, we found that the AI treatment technique for WBRT was superior to the CI technique for DHI and organs at risk. We recommended to use the AI technique, especially to better protect organs at risk in WBRT.

Abstract 2229: Clinico-pathologic analysis and survival of patients with breast cancer diagnosed with de novo brain metastasis: An NCDB-based analysis

Abstract Introduction: Patients with breast cancer with brain metastasis (BCBM) have poor survival outcomes. In this study, we aimed to explore the clinico-pathologic and therapeutic factors predicting the survival in de novo BCBM patients using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Methods: The NCDB was queried for patients with BC between 2010-2020. Survival analysis with Kaplan-Meier curves and log rank tests were used to find median overall survival (OS) in months (95% CI) across the different variables. A multivariate cox regression model was computed to identify significant predictors of survival. All values in the results were statistically significant at p&amp;lt;0.05. Results: N=9,005 (0.34%) had de novo BM out of 2,610,598 BC patients with a median OS of 10.9 (10.3-11.5). A trend of decreasing median OS was observed with increasing age: highest in the ≤50 group at 18.96 (16.92-20.86) and lowest in the ≥70 group at 4.70 (4.07-5.29), Charlson-Deyo score (CDS): 12.42 (11.76-13.17) in the 0 score and 2.86 (2.17-3.78) in ≥3 score, and number of extracranial metastatic sites (EMS): 13.17 (12.02-14.36) in the 1 site and 7.59 (6.70-8.84) in the ≥3 sites group. The HR(+)/HER2(+) subgroup had the highest median OS at 22.05 (18.73-24.67) compared to the lowest in the HR(-)/HER2(-) group at 5.62 (5.19-6.18). Based on treatment regimen, surgery + whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), chemotherapy + hormonal therapy + immunotherapy (biologic therapy including anti-HER2), and combination of BM + BC therapy achieved the highest median OS in their respective subgroups of 32.33 (23.98-40.44), 42.35 (35.48-54.14), and 16.30 (15.11-17.38), respectively. Similar trends were found in the BC subgroup analysis with immunotherapy demonstrating a survival benefit when added to systemic therapy.The multivariate cox regression model showed that age, race, ethnicity, insurance, median income, facility type, CDS, BC subtype, metastatic location sites, and treatment combinations received were significantly associated with risk of death. Age ≥70 years, CDS ≥3, ≥3 EMS, and receiving no treatment for either BM or BC had the highest risks of death with Hazard Ratio (95% CI) of 1.53 (1.31-1.79), 1.74 (1.39-2.18), 2.06 (1.78-2.38), and 2.65 (2.36-2.98), respectively. The HR(+)/HER2(+) subgroup had the lowest risk of death at 0.43 (0.38-0.49) and receiving only local treatment for BM increased the risk of death 2.3 (2.00-2.63). Conclusions: This analysis suggests that treatment of systemic disease is the major factor influencing survival in BCBM patients and surgery + WBRT yields the best survival outcomes. Moreover, anti-HER2 therapy and biologic treatment increased survival when added to systemic therapy. To date, this represents the biggest cohort of de novo BCBM survival analysis which provides critical insights that may guide clinical management. Citation Format: Ali Hijazi, Mohamed Mohanna, Saad Sabbagh, Maria Jose Herran Montes, Barbara Dominguez, Kaylee Sarna, Zeina Nahleh. Clinico-pathologic analysis and survival of patients with breast cancer diagnosed with de novo brain metastasis: An NCDB-based analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2229.

Abstract 703: GABA(A) receptor activation drives GABARAP-Nix mediated autophagy to radiosensitize primary and metastatic lung adenocarcinoma tumors

Abstract In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment, targeted therapies help a subset of patients, and radiotherapy responses are not durable and toxicity limits therapy. Most advanced-stage NSCLC patients have brain metastases that render an abysmal prognosis. Standard-of-care radiation therapy for NSCLC brain metastasis includes stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) if the number of lesions is less than ten, otherwise whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) is administered. Challenges in applying radiotherapy include overcoming radiation resistance and reducing significant associated co-morbidities. Cancer neuroscience is an evolving area, and the purpose of this study is to determine if activation of GABA(A) receptors intrinsic to NSCLC cells can improve radiation efficacy in primary NSCLC and its brain metastasis. We find that a GABA(A) receptor activator, AM-101, impairs the viability and clonogenicity of NSCLC primary and brain metastatic cells. Employing a human-relevant ex vivo ‘chip’, AM-101 is as efficacious as docetaxel, a chemotherapeutic used with radiotherapy for advanced-stage NSCLC. In vivo, AM-101 potentiates radiation, including conferring a significant survival benefit to mice bearing NSCLC intracranial tumors generated using a patient-derived metastatic line. GABA(A) receptor activation stimulates a selective-autophagic response via multimerization of GABA(A) Receptor-Associated Protein (GABARAP), stabilization of mitochondrial receptor Nix, utilization of ubiquitin-binding protein p62, and upregulation of Beclin-1. A high-affinity peptide disrupting Nix binding to GABARAP inhibits the cytotoxicity of AM-101. This supports a model of GABA(A) receptor activation driving a GABARAP-Nix multimerization axis that triggers autophagy. In NSCLC brain metastases patients, GABA(A) receptor activation may improve radiation efficacy and tumor control while allowing radiation dose de-intensification to reduce toxicity. Citation Format: Debanjan Bhattacharya, Riccardo Barrile, Donatien Kamdem Toukam, Vaibhavkumar S. Gawali, Laura Kallay, Taukir Ahmed, Hawley Brown, Sepideh Rezvanian, Aniruddha Karve, Pankaj B. Desai, Mario Medvedovic, Kyle Wang, Dan Ionascu, Nusrat Harun, Chenran Wang, Andrew M. Baschnagel, Joshua A. Kritzer, James Cook, Daniel A. Pomeranz Krummel, Soma Sengupta. GABA(A) receptor activation drives GABARAP-Nix mediated autophagy to radiosensitize primary and metastatic lung adenocarcinoma tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 703.

Abstract 6465: A population-based analysis of brain metastasis burden and management in 8705 small cell lung cancer patients

Abstract Introduction: Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) have historically been characterized by poor overall survival (OS) and high risk for brain metastases (BM), but large-scale real-world evidence on clinical presentation and treatment in this population is lacking. Methods: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with SCLC and BM in Ontario, Canada. This retrospective cohort study included all patients in Ontario, Canada, who were diagnosed with SCLC between April 2010 and March 2018. Data were analyzed between June 2022 and July 2023. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to compare overall survival (OS) between patient cohorts stratified by disease stage, BM diagnosis, or first-line intracranial treatment modality. Results: 8705 patients were included. Median age at diagnosis was 68 years (range 18-103). Median OS of all patients was 7.46 months (95% confidence interval, CI, 7.23-7.69). 32% (n=2686) of patients developed BM (synchronous, 43.7%; asynchronous, 56.3%) and had median OS of 9.76 months (95% CI, 9.36-10.22). 102, 1654, and 880 patients received stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), and no treatment, respectively, for their BM in the first-line setting or after prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). In propensity score-matched analyses, OS was equivocal between SRS- and WBRT-treated cohorts among patients who did not receive PCI (hazard ratio, HR, 1.18, 95% CI, 0.75-1.81) and those who received PCI prior to BM development (HR, 0.77, 95% CI, 0.53-1.13). Conclusions: Survival for patients with SCLC remains poor, and many patients present with BMs. With careful selection, patients with SCLC may benefit from SRS treatment. Citation Format: Karolina Gaebe, Anders W. Erickson, Sarah Chen, Arjun Sahgal, Benjamin H. Lok, Kelvin K. Chan, Sunit Das. A population-based analysis of brain metastasis burden and management in 8705 small cell lung cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 6465.

Temporal Considerations in Brain Metastases Radiation Therapy: The Intersection of Chronobiology and Patient Profiles.

The circadian system, a vital temporal regulator influencing physiological processes, has implications for cancer development and treatment response. Our study assessed circadian timing's impact on whole-brain radiotherapy outcomes in brain metastases for personalized cancer therapy insights. The aim of the study was to evaluate circadian influence on radiation treatment timing and its correlation with clinical outcomes and to identify patient populations benefiting from interventions synchronizing circadian rhythms, considering subgroup differences and potential disparities. An IRB-approved retrospective analysis of 237 patients undergoing whole-brain radiotherapy for brain metastases (2017-2021), receiving over 80% of treatments in the morning or afternoon, was performed. Survival analyses utilized Kaplan-Meier curves. This was a single-institution study involving patients receiving whole-brain radiotherapy. Demographic, disease, and socioeconomic parameters from electronic medical records were collected. Morning treatment (n = 158) showed a trend toward improved overall survival vs. afternoon (n = 79); the median survival was 158 vs. 79 days (p = 0.20, HR = 0.84, CI95% 0.84-0.91). Subgroup benefits for morning treatment in females (p = 0.04) and trends in controlled primary disease (p = 0.11) and breast cancer metastases (p = 0.08) were observed. Black patients exhibited diminished circadian influence. The present study emphasized chronobiological factors' relevance in brain metastases radiation therapy. Morning treatment correlated with improved survival, particularly in specific subgroups. Potential circadian influence disparities were identified, laying a foundation for personalized cancer therapy and interventions synchronizing circadian rhythms for enhanced treatment efficacy.

Hypofractionated Stereotactic Radiosurgery in the Management of Brain Metastases.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an important weapon in the management of brain metastases. Single-fraction SRS is associated with local control rates ranging from approximately 70% to 100%, which are largely dependent on lesion and postoperative cavity size. The rates of local control and improved neurocognitive outcomes compared with conventional whole-brain radiation therapy have led to increased adoption of SRS in these settings. However, when treating larger targets and/or targets located in eloquent locations, the risk of normal tissue toxicity and adverse radiation effects within healthy brain tissue becomes significantly higher. Thus, hypofractionated SRS has become a widely adopted approach, which allows for the delivery of ablative doses of radiation while also minimizing the risk of toxicity. This approach has been studied in multiple retrospective reports in both the postoperative and intact settings. While there are no reported randomized data to date, there are trials underway evaluating this paradigm. In this article, we review the role of hypofractionated SRS in the management of brain metastases and emerging data that will serve to validate this treatment approach. Pertinent articles and references were obtained from a comprehensive search of PubMed/MEDLINE and clinicaltrials.gov .

Hippocampal subfield volumetric changes after radiotherapy for brain metastases.

Changes in the hippocampus after brain metastases radiotherapy can significantly impact neurocognitive functions. Numerous studies document hippocampal atrophy correlating with the radiation dose. This study aims to elucidate volumetric changes in patients undergoing whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) or targeted stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) and to explore volumetric changes in the individual subregions of the hippocampus. Ten patients indicated to WBRT and 18 to SRT underwent brain magnetic resonance before radiotherapy and after 4 months. A structural T1-weighted sequence was used for volumetric analysis, and the software FreeSurfer was employed as the tool for the volumetry evaluation of 19 individual hippocampal subregions. The volume of the whole hippocampus, segmented by the software, was larger than the volume outlined by the radiation oncologist. No significant differences in volume changes were observed in the right hippocampus. In the left hippocampus, the only subregion with a smaller volume after WBRT was the granular cells and molecular layers of the dentate gyrus (GC-ML-DG) region (median change -5mm3, median volume 137 vs. 135mm3; P = .027), the region of the presumed location of neuronal progenitors. Our study enriches the theory that the loss of neural stem cells is involved in cognitive decline after radiotherapy, contributes to the understanding of cognitive impairment, and advocates for the need for SRT whenever possible to preserve cognitive functions in patients undergoing brain radiotherapy.

Surgical excision and radiotherapy for brain metastasis from colorectal cancer: How frailty and comorbidity indices influence outcome.

The incidence of brain metastasis (BM) from colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasing. This study aims to identify the clinical prognosticators and evaluate the prognostic validity of common comorbidity indices in patients with BM from CRC. This retrospective single-center study analyzed 93 patients with BM from CRC who received surgical excision and/or radiotherapy. The clinical characteristics and prognostic indices including the 5-item modified frailty index (mFI-5) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) were calculated from the collected patient data and analyzed. In this study, 66 (71.0%), 10 (10.8%), and 17 (18.3%) patients received whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) alone, surgery alone, and surgery plus WBRT, respectively. The median survival of all patients was 3.98 months (IQR: 1.74-7.99). The 2- and 3-year survival rates were 7.4% and 3.7%, respectively. Controlled primary tumor (p = 0.048), solitary BM (p = 0.001), surgery + radiation (p < 0.001), and greater PNI (p = 0.001) were independent predictors of favorable survival. In surgically treated patients, uncontrolled primary tumor (p = 0.006), presence of multiple BM (p < 0.001), and MFI-5 ≥ 2 (p = 0.038) were independent prognosticators. For patients who received WBRT, the presence of two (p = 0.004) or multiple (p < 0.001) BM and PNI (p < 0.001) were independent survival predictors MFI-5, multiple BM, and the status of the primary tumor were independent prognosticators for patients who underwent surgery for CRCBM. For patients who received WBRT, the PNI and the number of BM were independent survival predictors.

Neurologic Changes Induced by Whole-Brain Synchrotron Microbeam Irradiation: 10-Month Behavioral and Veterinary Follow-Up

PurposeNovel radiotherapy approaches have increased the therapeutic efficacy for malignant brain tumors over the last decades but the balance between therapeutic gain and radiotoxicity remains a medical hardship. Synchrotron Microbeam Radiation Therapy (MRT), an innovative technique, deposes extremely high (peak) doses in micron-wide, parallel microbeam paths, while the diffusing inter-beam (valley) doses lie in the range of conventional radiotherapy doses. In this study, we evaluated normal tissue toxicity of whole-brain microbeam irradiation (MBI) versus that of a conventional, hospital broad beam (hBB). Methods and MaterialsNormal Fischer rats (n=6-7/group) were irradiated with one of the two modalities, exposing the entire brain to 0, 5/200, 10/400, 13/520, 17/680 or 25/1000 Gy MBI valley/peak dose, or to 7, 10, 13, 17 or 25 Gy hBB dose. Two additional groups of rats received 10 Gy MBI valley dose coupled with 7 or 15 Gy BB dose (groups MBI17* and MBI25*). Behavioral parameters were evaluated for 10 months post irradiation, combined with veterinary observations. ResultsMBI peak doses of ≥680 Gy caused acute toxicity and death. Animals exposed to hBB or MBI dose-dependently gained less weight than controls; rats in the hBB25 and MBI25* groups deceased within 6 months post irradiation. Increasing doses of MBI caused hyperactivity but no other detectable behavioral alteration in our tests. Importantly, no health concerns were seen up to 17 Gy MBI valley dose. ConclusionsWhile acute toxicity of microbeam exposures depends on very high peak doses, late toxicity mainly relates to delivery of high MBI valley doses. MBI seems to elicit low impact on normal rat behavior but further tests are warranted to fully explore this hypothesis. However, high peak and valley doses are well tolerated from a veterinary point of view. This normal tissue tolerance to whole-brain, high-dose MBI reveals a promising avenue for MRT, i.e., therapeutic applications of microbeams which are poised for translation to a clinical environment.

How Does the Number of Brain Metastases Correlate With Normal Brain Exposure in Single-Isocenter Multitarget Multifraction Stereotactic Radiosurgery

PurposeTo investigate the relationship between normal brain exposure in linac-based single-isocenter multi-target multi-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) and the number or volume of treated brain metastases, especially for high numbers of metastases. Methods and MaterialsA cohort of 44 SRT patients with 709 brain metastases was studied. Renormalizing to a uniform prescription of 27 Gy in 3 fractions, normal brain dose volume indices, including V23Gy (volume receiving >23Gy), V18Gy (volume receiving >18Gy), and mean dose, were evaluated on these plans against the number and the total volume of targets for each plan. To compare with exposures from whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT), the SRT dose distributions were converted to equivalent dose in 3 Gy fractions (EQD3) using an alpha-beta ratio of 2 Gy. ResultsWith increasing number of targets and increasing total target volume, normal brain exposures to dose ≥18 Gy increases, and so does the mean normal brain dose. The factors of number of targets and total target volume are both significant, though the number of targets has a larger effect on the mean normal brain dose and the total target volume has a larger effect on V23Gy and V18Gy. The EQD3 mean normal brain dose with SRT planning is lower than conventional WBRT. On the other hand, SRT results in higher hot spot (i.e. maximum dose outside of tumor) EQD3 dose than WBRT. ConclusionsBased on clinical SRT plans, our study provides information on correlations between normal brain exposure and the number and total volume of targets. As SRT becomes more greatly utilized for patients with increasingly extensive brain metastases, more clinical data on outcomes and toxicities is necessary to better define the normal brain dose constraints for high-exposure cases and to optimize the SRT management for those patients.

A large open access dataset of brain metastasis 3D segmentations on MRI with clinical and imaging information

Resection and whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) are standard treatments for brain metastases (BM) but are associated with cognitive side effects. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) uses a targeted approach with less side effects than WBRT. SRS requires precise identification and delineation of BM. While artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have been developed for this, their clinical adoption is limited due to poor model performance in the clinical setting. The limitations of algorithms are often due to the quality of datasets used for training the AI network. The purpose of this study was to create a large, heterogenous, annotated BM dataset for training and validation of AI models. We present a BM dataset of 200 patients with pretreatment T1, T1 post-contrast, T2, and FLAIR MR images. The dataset includes contrast-enhancing and necrotic 3D segmentations on T1 post-contrast and peritumoral edema 3D segmentations on FLAIR. Our dataset contains 975 contrast-enhancing lesions, many of which are sub centimeter, along with clinical and imaging information. We used a streamlined approach to database-building through a PACS-integrated segmentation workflow.

Synchronous double primary small cell lung cancer and invasive ductal breast carcinoma: a case report

BackgroundAlthough lung and breast cancers are common malignancies, the occurrence of primary synchronous neoplasms involving these organs has been rarely reported in literature.Case presentationA 75-year-old female patient presented at a local hospital with a ten-day history of dizziness and slurred speech. A CT contrast-enhanced scan revealed a 4.2 cm mass in the lower lobe of the right lung and a 3.8 cm space-occupying lesion in the right breast. Subsequent breast ultrasound identified a hypoechoic lesion measuring5.41 × 4.75 × 3.06 cm in the right breast, and an ultrasound-guided biopsy confirmed the presence of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the right breast. The immunohistochemistry analysis of the breast mass revealed positive staining for ER, PR, HER-2, AR and Ki67 in the tumor cells, while negative staining was observed for P63, Calponin, CK5/6 and CK14. MR imaging of the head detected abnormal signals in the right frontal lobe (3.6 cm×2.9 cm in size), left cerebellar hemisphere, and punctate enhancement in the left temporal lobe, indicating potential metastasis. Pathological examination of a lung biopsy specimen confirmed the presence of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Furthermore, immunohistochemistry analysis of the lung lesions demonstrated positive staining for TTF-1, CK-Pan, Syn, CgA, CD56, P53 (90%) and Ki67 (70%), and negative staining for NapsinA and P40 in the tumor cells. The patient’s diagnosis of SCLC with stage cT2bN0M1c IVB and brain metastases (BM), as well as invasive ductal breast carcinoma (IDC), was confirmed based on the aforementioned results. Whereupon we proposed a treatment plan consisting of whole-brain radiation (40 Gy/20fractions), focal radiotherapy (60 Gy/20fractions), and adjuvant concurrent chemotherapy with oral etoposide (50 mg on days 1 to 20).ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, the present case is the first of its kind to describe the synchronous double cancer, consisting of primary SCLC and IDC.

Feasibility of board tilt angle on critical organs during hippocampus-sparing whole-brain radiotherapy

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of altering the board angle on critical organ doses during whole-brain irradiation. Tomography images of the head region of the rando phantom were taken at angles of 0°, 10°, 20°, 30°, and 40°. Target volume (PTV) and organ at risk (OAR) contours were created on CT images using RTOG 0933 criteria. Tomography images of the head region of the rando phantom were taken at angles of 0°, 10°, 20°, 30°, and 40°. Target volume (PTV) and critical organ contours were created on CT images using RTOG 0933 criteria. During this comparative study, we aimed to achieve a standardized dose distribution in the PTV. We evaluated the doses received by D2 (minimum dose received by 2% of the target volume), D98 (minimum dose received by 98% of the target volume), D50 (dose received by 50% of the target volume), and organs at risk (OAR) in the PTV using CT scans taken at different angles. Additionally, we compared the homogeneity index (HI), conformity index (CI), and treatment time (MU) values. This method aimed to decrease the dose of the OAR region near the target volume, specifically the hippocampus. Our findings indicate that a board angle of 300 offers the greatest protection in terms of critical organ doses.