Successful treatment of infantile fibrosarcoma spinal metastasis by chemotherapy and stereotactic hypofractionated radiotherapy

Malignant Superficial Mesenchymal Tumors in Children

Malignant superficial mesenchymal tumors are a very diverse group of neoplasms with few clinical and radiological discriminatory factors. Hence, some of these cancers are rarely suspected based on clinical and radiological grounds, others may be easily misdiagnosed, and the histological analysis of a biopsy or resection is central in the diagnostic process. In children, the age at presentation is a major element of the differential diagnosis. Some tumors have a very distinct epidemiology, while others may be seen at any age. More recently, the advances in molecular biology have greatly improved the diagnosis of mesenchymal tumors and new entities are still being described. In the present review, we provide an overview of the diversity of malignant superficial mesenchymal tumors in children, including new and/or rare entities. We discuss the important diagnostic features, be they clinical, histological, or molecular. Special attention was given to the genetic features of these tumors, particularly when they were helpful for the diagnosis or treatment.

Applications of Frameless Image-Guided Robotic Stereotactic Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

CyberKnife-based robotic radiosurgery (RRS) is a widely used treatment modality for various benign and malignant tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) in adults due to its high precision, favorable safety profile, and efficacy. Although RRS is emerging in pediatric neuro-oncology, scientific evidence for treatment indications, treatment parameters, and patient outcomes is scarce. This systematic review summarizes the current experience and evidence for RRS and robotic stereotactic radiotherapy (RSRT) in pediatric neuro-oncology.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review based on the databases Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and PubMed to identify studies and published articles reporting on RRS and RSRT treatments in pediatric neuro-oncology. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were applied herein. Articles were included if they described the application of RRS and RSRT in pediatric neuro-oncological patients. The quality of the articles was assessed based on their evidence level and their risk for bias using the original as well as an adapted version of the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). Only articles published until 1 August 2021, were included.

RESULTS

A total of 23 articles were included after final review and removal of duplicates. Articles reported on a broad variety of CNS entities with various treatment indications. A majority of publications lacked substantial sample sizes and a prospective study design. Several reports included adult patients, thereby limiting the possibility of data extraction and analysis of pediatric patients. RRS and RSRT were mostly used in the setting of adjuvant, palliative, and salvage treatments with decent local control rates and acceptable short-to-intermediate-term toxicity. However, follow-up durations were limited. The evidence level was IV for all studies; the NOS score ranged between four and six, while the overall risk of bias was moderate to low.

CONCLUSION

Publications on RRS and RSRT and their application in pediatric neuro-oncology are rare and lack high-quality evidence with respect to entity-related treatment standards and long-term outcomes. The limited data suggest that RRS and RSRT could be efficient treatment modalities, especially for children who are unsuitable for surgical interventions, suffer from tumor recurrences, or require palliative treatments. Nevertheless, the potential short-term and long-term adverse events must be kept in mind when choosing such a treatment. Prospective studies are necessary to determine the actual utility of RRS and RSRT in pediatric neuro-oncology.

Treatment of infantile fibrosarcoma: A tertiary care center experience

OBJECTIVE

Infantile fibrosarcoma (IFS) is a highly locally aggressive nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcoma that most commonly occurs in young infants. There exists no standard treatment this lesion due to its rarity. We shared our treatment experience for IFS in this study.

METHODS

Patients' record between January 2013 and December 2018 were reviewed and patients with newly diagnosed IFS were included. The clinical characteristics, treatment strategy, treatment-related toxicities and clinical outcome were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTS

Eleven patients were admitted in our center, including 4 girls and 7 boys, and the median age at diagnosis was 5 months (range 1-23 months). Ten patients achieved complete remission (CR) after the completion of initial treatment. The main short-term adverse effects was myelosuppression. Three patients experienced relapse, including two patients with local progression and one patient with distant metastasis. After a median follow-up of 3.5 years (range 1.5-7 years), 9 patients were alive and 2 patients died. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was 93.5% (95% CI 83.7-98.2).

CONCLUSION

We formulated the treatment strategy according to group grade and the experience from previous studies, which may be effective and feasible for the treatment of IFS.

The rationale and development of a CyberKnife© registry for pediatric patients with CNS lesions

BACKGROUND

CyberKnife© Radiosurgery (CKRS) is a recognized treatment concept for CNS lesions in adults due to its high precision and efficacy beside a high patient comfort. However, scientific evidence for this treatment modality in pediatric patients is scarce. A dedicated registry was designed to document CyberKnife© procedures in children, aiming to test the hypothesis that it is safe and efficient for the treatment of CNS lesions.

METHODS

The CyberKnife© registry is designed as a retrospective and prospective multicenter observational study (German Clinical Trials Register ( https://www.drks.de ), DRKS-ID 00016973). Patient recruitment will be ongoing throughout a 5-year period and includes collection of demographic, treatment, clinical, and imaging data. Follow-up results will be monitored for 10 years. All data will be registered in a centralized electronic database at the Charité-Universitätsmedizin. The primary endpoint is stable disease for benign and vascular lesions at 5 years of follow-up and local tumor control for malign lesions at 1- and 2-year follow-up. Secondary endpoints are radiation toxicity, side effects, and neurocognitive development.

CONCLUSION

The CyberKnife© registry intends to generate scientific evidence for all treatment- and outcome-related aspects in pediatric patients with treated CNS lesions. The registry may define safety and efficacy of CKRS in children and serve as a basis for future clinical trials, inter-methodological comparisons and changes of treatment algorithms.

Efficacy and Safety of Chemotherapy Combined with Stereotactic Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy (CT) combined with stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Material/Methods

A total of 329 NPC patients without any previous treatment were included in this study between January 2009 and November 2013. These patients were divided into three groups: CT group (n=114), SRT group (n=109), and CT + SRT group (n=106). Contrast-enhanced nasopharyngeal computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance (MR) scan was performed on the third month after treatment. Short-term efficacy was evaluated according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). Toxicity was graded according to the Acute Radiation Morbidity Scoring Criteria (RTOG) and the World Health Organization (WHO) toxicity grading scale. Overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), and incidence rate of acute toxicity (grade ≥3) were calculated after a 24 month follow-up.

Results

Total response rate of all patients was 85.41%. Compared with the CT group and the SRT group, the CT + SRT group showed a substantially improved efficacy in NPC treatment. The incidence rate of the acute toxicity in the CT + SRT group was slightly higher than in the CT group and the SRT group, but the difference was not statistically significant. No treatment-related deaths were observed. The CT + SRT group had the highest two-year OS and PFS, followed by the CT group and the SRT group.

Conclusions

It was shown that NPC patients treated with CT + SRT had better short- and long-term efficacy than those treated with CT or SRT alone.

[Combination of stereotactic irradiation and chemotherapy or targeted therapies: state of the art and preliminary recommendations]

The clinical management of systemic treatments and irradiation has long been studied for conventional irradiation. Yet, many associations are of difficult management and some drugs are contra-indicated in the concomitant setting owing to excessive toxicities. Sequential regimens using a therapeutic window of variable duration (based on drug half-life and tissue wash out) between each modality may be preferred for easier logistics and to avoid toxicities. The use of intra- and extracranial stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (hypofractionated) is expanding rapidly. Yet, little is known regarding associations between stereotactic ablative radiation therapy and systemic treatments. The short stereotactic ablative radiation therapy course in one day to two weeks offers a theoretical advantage compared to longer conventional irradiation with respect to shorter discontinuation of therapy. This may be of particular interest in situations where cancer is addicted to systemic treatment. While it is believed that stereotactic ablative radiation therapy might be safer because of limited irradiation volumes and steep gradients sparing most organs at risk, it should be noted that irradiation of normal tissues cannot be considered null; that stereotactic ablative radiation therapy has vascular effects in addition to other cell death radiation-induced mechanisms and cancer progression with discontinuation of systemic treatment is often reversible. To date, based on several phase II studies, combined stereotactic ablative radiation therapy and cetuximab can be recommended in head and neck tumours. Other stereotactic ablative radiation therapy-based combinations require prospective phase I-II studies and sufficient therapeutic window (in the order of at least 5 half-lives) between the systemic and local modalities must be left in routine practice.