Proton FLASH Radiotherapy for the Treatment of Symptomatic Bone Metastases: The FAST-01 Nonrandomized Trial

Importance

To our knowledge, there have been no clinical trials of ultra-high-dose-rate radiotherapy delivered at more than 40 Gy/sec, known as FLASH therapy, nor first-in-human use of proton FLASH.

Objectives

To assess the clinical workflow feasibility and treatment-related toxic effects of FLASH and pain relief at the treatment sites.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In the FAST-01 nonrandomized trial, participants treated at Cincinnati Children's/UC Health Proton Therapy Center underwent palliative FLASH radiotherapy to extremity bone metastases. Patients 18 years and older with 1 to 3 painful extremity bone metastases and life expectancies of 2 months or more were eligible. Patients were excluded if they had foot, hand, and wrist metastases; metastases locally treated in the 2 weeks prior; metal implants in the treatment field; known enhanced tissue radiosensitivity; and implanted devices at risk of malfunction with radiotherapy. One of 11 patients who consented was excluded based on eligibility. The end points were evaluated at 3 months posttreatment, and patients were followed up through death or loss to follow-up for toxic effects and pain assessments. Of the 10 included patients, 2 died after the 2-month follow-up but before the 3-month follow-up; 8 participants completed the 3-month evaluation. Data were collected from November 3, 2020, to January 28, 2022, and analyzed from January 28, 2022, to September 1, 2022.

Interventions

Bone metastases were treated on a FLASH-enabled (≥40 Gy/sec) proton radiotherapy system using a single-transmission proton beam. This is consistent with standard of care using the same prescription (8 Gy in a single fraction) but on a conventional-dose-rate (approximately 0.03 Gy/sec) photon radiotherapy system.

Main Outcome and Measures

Main outcomes included patient time on the treatment couch, device-related treatment delays, adverse events related to FLASH, patient-reported pain scores, and analgesic use.

Results

A total of 10 patients (age range, 27-81 years [median age, 63 years]; 5 [50%] male) underwent FLASH radiotherapy at 12 metastatic sites. There were no FLASH-related technical issues or delays. The average (range) time on the treatment couch was 18.9 (11-33) minutes per patient and 15.8 (11-22) minutes per treatment site. Median (range) follow-up was 4.8 (2.3-13.0) months. Adverse events were mild and consistent with conventional radiotherapy. Transient pain flares occurred in 4 of the 12 treated sites (33%). In 8 of the 12 sites (67%) patients reported pain relief, and in 6 of the 12 sites (50%) patients reported a complete response (no pain).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this nonrandomized trial, clinical workflow metrics, treatment efficacy, and safety data demonstrated that ultra-high-dose-rate proton FLASH radiotherapy was clinically feasible. The treatment efficacy and the profile of adverse events were comparable with those of standard-of-care radiotherapy. These findings support the further exploration of FLASH radiotherapy in patients with cancer.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04592887.

Intratumoral Injection of HSV1716, an Oncolytic Herpes Virus, Is Safe and Shows Evidence of Immune Response and Viral Replication in Young Cancer Patients

Purpose: HSV1716 is an oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) studied in adults via injection into the brain and superficial tumors. To determine the safety of administering HSV1716 to pediatric patients with cancer, we conducted a phase I trial of image-guided injection in young patients with relapsed or refractory extracranial cancers.Experimental Design: We delivered a single dose of 105 to 107 infectious units of HSV1716 via computed tomography-guided intratumoral injection and measured tumor responses by imaging. Patients were eligible for up to three more doses if they achieved stable disease. We monitored HSV-1 serum titers and shedding by PCR and culture.Results: We administered a single dose of HSV1716 to eight patients and two doses to one patient. We did not observe any dose-limiting toxicities. Adverse events attributed to virus included low-grade fever, chills, and mild cytopenias. Six of eight HSV-1 seronegative patients at baseline showed seroconversion on day 28. Six of nine patients had detectable HSV-1 genomes by PCR in peripheral blood appearing on day +4 consistent with de novo virus replication. Two patients had transient focal increases in metabolic activity on 18fluorine-deoxyglucose PET, consistent with inflammatory reactions. In one case, the same geographic region that flared later appeared necrotic on imaging. No patient had an objective response to HSV1716.Conclusions: Intratumoral HSV1716 is safe and well-tolerated without shedding in children and young adults with late-stage, aggressive cancer. Viremia consistent with virus replication and transient inflammatory reactions hold promise for future HSV1716 studies. Clin Cancer Res; 23(14); 3566-74. ©2017 AACR.