Baseline shift corrections towards the heart: External validation of the impact on survival in early-stage NSCLC patients

PURPOSE

To externally validate Johnson-Hart et al. findings: the association of tumor baseline shifts towards the heart with overall survival (OS) in SBRT for NSCLC. Further analysis included investigating the presence of interfractional heart baseline shifts and the association of OS with heart dose change during treatment.

METHODS

Data from 416 SBRT early-stage NSCLC patients was collected. Pearson's correlations (PCCs) between clinical variables and treatment-averaged tumor shifts towards/away from the heart were explored. Validation of published multivariable Cox model was performed. PCCs between heart and tumor baseline shifts were analyzed. Dose accumulation was performed following daily CBCT-to-pCT deformable registration. Maximum heart dose (D0) was computed for planned and accumulated doses. Differences in OS according to shifts towards/away from the heart or D0 increase/decrease were analyzed. Significant D0 differences between patients with D0 increase/decrease and different tumor locations were explored.

RESULTS

Tumor shifts towards/away from the heart showed no significant association with OS (p = 0.91). Distance between PTV and heart correlated significantly (PCC = 0.18) with shifts to the heart. Cox model did not validate in our cohort. Heart presented baseline shifts positively correlated with tumor baseline shifts in all three directions (PCC ≥ 0.38; p < 0.001). Counterintuitively, patients experiencing increased D0 during treatment showed significantly better OS (p = 0.0077). Upper-lobe tumor patients with increased D0 had lower D0 than those with decreased D0 (right-upper-lobe p ≤ 0.018).

CONCLUSIONS

In our SBRT cohort, the shifts towards the heart were not associated with worse OS. Moderate correlations were found between tumor and heart baseline shifts in each direction. Moreover, the distance between the PTV and the heart showed a significant correlation with shifts to the heart.

The impact of baseline shifts towards the heart after image guidance on survival in lung SABR patients

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Baseline shifts in the direction of the heart are significantly related to overall survival.

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There is an increased risk with increasing shifts towards the heart.

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Shifts away from the heart reduce the risk, suggesting survival can be improved.

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We recommend stricter heart dose constraints for lung SABR treatment planning.

Background and purpose

A recent study of NSCLC patients showed small residual shifts of the high dose region towards/away from the heart after image-guidance were significantly related to overall survival. This study investigates whether the effect is observed in a SABR cohort, who have significantly different baseline outlook and are treated using an imaging protocol matching on the tumour rather than bony-anatomy alone.

Materials and methods

136 NSCLC patients treated with SABR were studied. The mean baseline shift of the tumour in the direction of the heart over the course of treatment was determined for each patient and used to categorise patients into risk groups. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted and multivariable analysis performed to assess significance of the vector shift to the heart alongside common clinical variables.

Results

The vector shift to the heart was independent of all tested clinical variables. A significant difference was seen in patient survival, with patients with shifts towards the heart having significantly worse prognosis as compared to patients with shifts away. Multivariable analysis found a hazard ratio of 1.262 per mm (p = 0.013) for the vector shift to the heart, i.e. for every 1 mm shift of the high dose region towards the heart there is a 1.262 higher chance of death.

Conclusions

Baseline shifts towards the heart significantly correlate with overall survival in a cohort of NSCLC SABR patients, with increased risk with increasing shifts towards the heart. These results provide further evidence for the use of stricter heart dose planning constraints for thoracic radiotherapy and suggest a heart planning organ at risk volume may be required for SABR treatments to account for baseline shifts.