Propensity score matching analysis of a phase II study on simultaneous modulated accelerated radiation therapy using helical tomotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinomas

The Acute Toxicities and Efficacy of Concurrent Chemotherapy With Docetaxel Plus Cisplatin, or Docetaxel, or Cisplatin and Helical Tomotherapy in Patients With Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Randomized Single-Center Phase II Trial

Objective: The objective of this trial is to evaluate and compare the acute toxicity in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) treated with docetaxel plus cisplatin, or docetaxel, or cisplatin concurrently with helical tomotherapy during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Methods: In a prospective, single-center, open-label, randomized phase II study, after 2 cycles of induction chemotherapy with docetaxel plus cisplatin regimen, 125 patients with LA-NPC (stage III and IVA, UICC eighth) diagnosed pathologically from June 2017 to November 2019 were randomized into CCRT with docetaxel plus cisplatin group (25 patients), CCRT with docetaxel group (50 patients), and CCRT with cisplatin group (50 patients). The incidence of grade 3 or 4 acute toxicities and clinical efficacy were analyzed among the 3 groups. Results: Safety evaluation was completed in all the 125 patients, during the CCRT period, 66.4% of patients completed 3 cycles of chemotherapy, 24.0% completed 2 cycles of chemotherapy, and 9.6% completed 1 cycle of chemotherapy according to the research plan. The incidence of grade 3 or 4 acute toxicity in CCRT with docetaxel plus cisplatin (DP), docetaxel (D), and cisplatin (P) groups was 88.0%, 72.0%, and 56.0%, respectively. The incidence of grade 3 or 4 acute toxicities in the DP group was significantly higher than that in the D and P groups (P = .015), no significant difference was detected between the D and P groups (P = .096). The most common toxicities were mucositis (40.0%), leukopenia (29.6%), neutropenia (26.4%), and pharyngo-esophagitis (12.0%); compared to D and P groups, DP group did not significantly improved the 3-year overall survival (96.0% vs 87.0% and 87.6%), progression-free survival (92.0% vs 79.7% and,76.9%), locoregional failure-free survival (96.0% vs 91.8% and 92.7%), and distant failure-free survival (100% vs 90.0% and 89.0%), there were no significant difference in survival data among the 3 groups (all P > .05). Conclusions: Higher survival benefits did not achieve from intensified CCRT with DP, CCRT with P or D obtained similar short-term survival outcomes with similar acceptable toxicities in LA-NPC patients.

Effect of SIB-IMRT-based selective dose escalation of local tumor on the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

To investigate the effect of SIB-IMRT-based selective dose escalation to local tumor on the prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer (EC).

METHODS

A total of 302 EC patients were enrolled. The prognostic factors of the entire group were initially analyzed, and the composition ratios of the two groups and the different doses of each fraction for PTV were compared. The propensity-score matching (PSM) was carried out (1:1 ratio), and the prognostic factors for the two groups were analyzed according to the results of COX.

RESULTS

The median overall survival (OS) for all patients was 30.0 months (23.495-36.505 months), and the median disease-free survival (DFS) was 21.3 months (7.698-24.902 months). In multivariate analysis, chemotherapy, cTNM stage and dose-per-fraction for the PTV were independent prognostic factors for OS (P = 0.013, 0.000, 0.028) and DFS (P = 0.033, 0.000, 0.047). Multivariate analysis of patients after PSM revealed that cTNM staging and dose-per-fraction were the independent prognostic factors for OS (P = 0.000, 0.015). Chemotherapy, cTNM staging and dose-per-fraction for the PTV were the independent prognostic factors for DFS (P = 0.025, 0.010, 0.015). There was no significant difference in grade ≥ 2 acute toxicities between the two groups. A subgroup analysis of patients with a single dose of 2 Gy and > 2 Gy in the SIB-IMRT group showed that OS and DFS of the latter were significantly better than those of the former.

CONCLUSION

The selective dose escalation to local tumors based on SIB-IMRT technique can improve the survival of patients received radical radiotherapy without increasing toxicities.

Diffusion-weighted imaging as a follow-up modality for evaluation of major salivary gland function in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients: a preliminary study

PURPOSE

To investigate the value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in assessing dynamic changes of major salivary gland function during follow-up post radiotherapy (RT) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

31 consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed NPC scheduled for RT underwent six routine follow-up MRI examinations including DWI sequence prior to (pre-RT) and 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post RT. Mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of bilateral parotid glands (PGs) and submandibular glands (SMGs) were measured. Objective measurement of salivary flow rate (SFR) under unstimulated (uSFR) and stimulated conditions (sSFR) as well as subjective xerostomia assessment according to a patient-rated questionnaire were conducted before each MRI. Variance analysis was used to evaluate dynamic changes of ADC, SFR and xerostomia questionnaire summary scores (XQ-sum) at different timepoints and the correlation between ADC and XQ-sum. Pearson's correlation test was used to evaluate the correlations between pre- and post-RT changes of ADC (ΔADC) and SFR (ΔSFR) or mean RT dose.

RESULTS

At each timepoint, ADCs of PGs were significantly lower than of SMGs, uSFR was significantly lower than sSFR. For both PGs and SMGs, ADC_post-RT were all higher than ADC_pre-RT, with significant differences. ADC_1m-post-RT initially increased and changed little to ADC_3m-post-RT, ADC_6m-post-RT, ADC_9m-post-RT, and ADC_12m-post-RT, then gradually declined over time. The dynamic change trends of SFR were negatively paralleled to those of ADC, while that of XQ-sum was similar. Dose-response relationships were detected between salivary gland mean RT dose and ΔADC. In PGs, negative correlations between ΔsSFR_9m-post-RT and ΔADC_9m-post-RT, and ΔsSFR_12m-post-RT and ΔADC_12m-post-RT were detected. In SMGs, negative correlations between ΔsSFR_12m-post-RT and ΔADC_12m-post-RT, and ΔuSFR_12m-post-RT and ΔADC_12m-post-RT were also detected. The ADCs of patients with severe subjective xerostomia were significantly higher, while patients with moderate subjective xerostomia presented a tendency toward higher ADCs compared to those with mild xerostomia from 6 to 12 months post RT.

CONCLUSION

As part of routine follow-up MRI in NPC patients, DWI might be a promising modality for follow-up assessing the dynamic changes of major salivary gland function and might be more powerful in the late post-RT period.