|
1
|
Possiel J, Ammon HE, Guhlich M, Conradi LC, Ghadimi M, Wolff HA, Schirmer MA, Samel S, Mügge M, Rieken S, Leu M, Dröge LH. Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy Improves Outcomes in Definitive Radiochemotherapy for Anal Cancer Whilst Reducing Acute Toxicities and Increasing Treatment Compliance. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13112533. [PMID: 34064061 PMCID: PMC8196749 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the standard of care in definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for anal cancer. Only a limited number of studies have analyzed the clinical results with VMAT (volumetric modulated arc therapy, the advanced form of IMRT). We conducted a retrospective study on patients treated at our institution. We compared the outcomes of VMAT-treated and 3DCRT (3D conformal radiotherapy)-treated patients. VMAT reduced acute toxicities (i.e., primarily dermatitis and enteritis) to a great extent. Additionally, VMAT relevantly improved treatment compliance (i.e., less CRT interruptions/delays, shorter overall treatment time, and higher absolute 5-fluorouracil dose applied). Finally, we found improved cancer-specific survival and distant control in VMAT-treated patients. The present study underlines the great progress that has been achieved with IMRT/VMAT in the CRT of anal cancer. Our study is the first to demonstrate an improvement in treatment compliance and outcomes with VMAT. Future studies could address whether VMAT is advantageous when compared to conventional IMRT. Abstract Background: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the standard of care in chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for anal cancer. Until now, only a limited number of studies have analyzed the results with VMAT (volumetric modulated arc therapy). We conducted a retrospective study on patients treated at our institution. Patients and Methods: We included patients who received curative CRT for anal cancer. We compared VMAT-treated and 3DCRT (3D conformal radiotherapy)-treated patients. We analyzed toxicities (acute: CTCAE criteria; late: LENT/SOMA criteria), treatment compliance, overall survival, cancer-specific survival (CSS), distant control (DC), and locoregional control. Results: A total of 149 patients (3DCRT: n = 87, VMAT: n = 62) were included. The median follow-up was longer in 3DCRT-treated patients (3DCRT: 61.3 months; VMAT: 39.1 months; p < 0.05). VMAT-treated patients had more G3 tumors (3DCRT: 12/87 (13.8%); VMAT: 18/62 (29.0%), p < 0.001). VMAT reduced acute toxicities ≥grade 3 (3DCRT: n = 48/87 (55.2%); VMAT: n = 11/62 (17.7%), p < 0.001). VMAT improved treatment compliance (less interruptions/delays) (3DCRT: 37/87, 42.5%; VMAT: 4/62, 6.5%; p < 0.001), provided a shorter median overall treatment time (3DCRT: 41 days; VMAT: 38 days; p = 0.02), and gave a higher median absolute 5-fluorouracil dose (3DCRT: 13,700 mg; VMAT: 14,400 mg; p = 0.001). Finally, we found improved CSS (p = 0.02; 3DCRT: 81.9% at 3 years; VMAT: 94.1% at 3 years) and DC (p = 0.01; 3DCRT: 89.4% at 3 years; VMAT: 100.0% at 3 years) with VMAT. Summary: Our study is the first to demonstrate improved treatment compliance and outcomes with VMAT for anal cancer. Previous studies have indicated that organs at risk sparing might be more improved with the use of VMAT vs. with conventional IMRT. Future studies should address whether these advantages lead to a further reduction in CRT-associated morbidity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Possiel
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (J.P.); (H.E.A.); (M.G.); (M.A.S.); (S.R.); (M.L.)
| | - Hanne Elisabeth Ammon
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (J.P.); (H.E.A.); (M.G.); (M.A.S.); (S.R.); (M.L.)
| | - Manuel Guhlich
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (J.P.); (H.E.A.); (M.G.); (M.A.S.); (S.R.); (M.L.)
| | - Lena-Christin Conradi
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (L.-C.C.); (M.G.)
| | - Michael Ghadimi
- Department of General, Visceral and Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (L.-C.C.); (M.G.)
| | - Hendrik Andreas Wolff
- University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany;
- Department of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy, Radiology Munich, 80333 Munich, Germany
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Markus Anton Schirmer
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (J.P.); (H.E.A.); (M.G.); (M.A.S.); (S.R.); (M.L.)
| | - Stephan Samel
- Praxis für Koloproktologie und chirurgische Endoskopie, Waldweg 1, 37073 Göttingen, Germany; (S.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Michael Mügge
- Praxis für Koloproktologie und chirurgische Endoskopie, Waldweg 1, 37073 Göttingen, Germany; (S.S.); (M.M.)
| | - Stefan Rieken
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (J.P.); (H.E.A.); (M.G.); (M.A.S.); (S.R.); (M.L.)
| | - Martin Leu
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (J.P.); (H.E.A.); (M.G.); (M.A.S.); (S.R.); (M.L.)
| | - Leif Hendrik Dröge
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany; (J.P.); (H.E.A.); (M.G.); (M.A.S.); (S.R.); (M.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-551-398-866
| |
Collapse
|
|
2
|
Xu H, You G, Zhang M, Song T, Zhang H, Yang J, Jia Y, Tang J, Liang X. Association of pre-surgery to pre-radiotherapy lymphocyte counts ratio with disease-free survival in rectal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy. World J Surg Oncol 2019; 17:199. [PMID: 31785609 PMCID: PMC6885325 DOI: 10.1186/s12957-019-1747-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer globally and neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and surgery are the standard treatments for locally advanced colorectal carcinoma. This study investigated the association between dynamic changes in absolute lymphocyte counts (ALCs) and disease-free survival (DFS) in rectal cancer patients receiving nCRT and identified factors associated with these changes. Methods We retrospectively examined 34 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who received nCRT followed by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. The association between ALCs and DFS and that between ALCs and downstaging were analyzed and potential clinical- and treatment-related factors related to dynamic changes in ALCs were subsequently evaluated. The patient eligibility criteria were as follows: pathologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma, clinical stages II–III, ≥ 18 years of age, and so on. Pre-RTL was defined as ALCs obtained before the initiation of nCRT and pre-SL was defined as ALCs obtained before surgery. We measured pre-SL to pre-RTL ratio (pre-SLR), DFS, and ALCs. Results The median ALC declined significantly during nCRT. A lower pre-SLR was associated with poorer DFS with statistical significance in Kaplan–Meier (p = 0.007), univariate regression (hazard ratio [HR] = 6.287, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.374–28.781, p = 0.018), and multivariable regression (HR = 7.347, 95% CI 1.595–33.850, p = 0.011) analyses. Neither patient characteristics nor treatment-related factors were related to downstaging. The pelvic bone marrow (PBM) volume receiving at least 30 Gy (V30) was significantly associated with pre-SLR in the univariate (HR = 5.760, 95% CI 1.317–25.187, p = 0.020) and multivariable (HR = 5.760, 95% CI 1.317–25.187, p = 0.020) regression analyses. Limitations Our study had several limitations. The sample size was small and the study was performed in a selected population, which may limit the generalization of the findings. Conclusions Radiotherapy had a profound impact on the change in ALCs. A lower pre-SLR was significantly associated with poorer DFS in rectal cancer patients receiving nCRT. The V30 of PBM was a predictor of pre-SLR.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongen Xu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, No. 158, Shangtang Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Guangxian You
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Taizhou Cancer Hospital, Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Minjun Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, No. 158, Shangtang Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, 310014, China.,Graduate Department, Bengbu Medical College, No. 2600 Donghai Avenue, Bengbu, 233000, China
| | - Tao Song
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, No. 158, Shangtang Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Haibo Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, No. 158, Shangtang Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Jia Yang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, No. 158, Shangtang Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Yongshi Jia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, No. 158, Shangtang Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Jianming Tang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, No. 158, Shangtang Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, 310014, China.
| | - Xiaodong Liang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, No. 158, Shangtang Road, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou, 310014, China.
| |
Collapse
|
|
3
|
Abstract
Anal cancer is a rare condition, although its incidence has been increasing over the past several decades, particularly in women. The majority of anal cancers are squamous cell cancers and are linked with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Recent work in HPV basic science has delineated the mechanism by which the virus leads to the development of anal cancer. With widespread availability of an HPV vaccine since 2006, vaccination has become an important strategy for anal cancer prevention. However, in the US, there remain no guidelines for anal cancer screening. Treatment of anal cancer is dictated largely by accurate staging, which is generally accomplished with a combination of physical exam, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and positron emission tomography. Chemoradiation remains the mainstay of treatment for most patients, with surgery reserved for salvage therapy. Recent trials have identified the optimal use of available chemotherapeutics. Exciting developments in immune therapies targeting HPV oncoproteins as well as therapeutic vaccines may soon dramatically change the way patients with anal cancer are managed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M. Symer
- New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Surgery, 525 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Heather L. Yeo
- New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, Department of Surgery, 525 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065, USA
| |
Collapse
|