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Nguyen NP, Mohammadianpanah M, SunMyint A, Page BR, Vinh-Hung V, Gorobets O, Arenas M, Mazibuko T, Giap H, Vasileiou M, Dutheil F, Tuscano C, Karlsson ULFL, Dahbi Z, Natoli E, Li E, Kim L, Oboite J, Oboite E, Bose S, Vuong T. Immunotherapy and radiotherapy for older patients with locally advanced rectal cancer unfit for surgery or decline surgery: a practical proposal by the International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1325610. [PMID: 38463223 PMCID: PMC10921228 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1325610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer is total neoadjuvant therapy followed by surgical resection. Current evidence suggests that selected patients may be able to delay or avoid surgery without affecting survival rates if they achieve a complete clinical response (CCR). However, for older cancer patients who are too frail for surgery or decline the surgical procedure, local recurrence may lead to a deterioration of patient quality of life. Thus, for clinicians, a treatment algorithm which is well tolerated and may improve CCR in older and frail patients with rectal cancer may improve the potential for prolonged remission and potential cure. Recently, immunotherapy with check point inhibitors (CPI) is a promising treatment in selected patients with high expression of program death ligands receptor 1 (PD- L1). Radiotherapy may enhance PD-L1 expression in rectal cancer and may improve response rate to immunotherapy. We propose an algorithm combining immunotherapy and radiotherapy for older patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who are too frail for surgery or who decline surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nam P. Nguyen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Mohammad Mohammadianpanah
- Colorectal Research Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Namazi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Arthur SunMyint
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Clatterbridge Cancer Center, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Brandi R. Page
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Vincent Vinh-Hung
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Institut Bergonie, Bordeaux, France
| | - Olena Gorobets
- Department of Oral Surgery, Martinique University, Fort de France, France
| | - Meritxell Arenas
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sant Joan de Reus University, University of Rovira, I Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Thandeka Mazibuko
- Department of Radiation Oncology, International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Huan Giap
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Maria Vasileiou
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Fabien Dutheil
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Clinique Sainte Clotilde, Saint Denis, La Reunion, Saint Denis, France
| | - Carmelo Tuscano
- Department of Radiation Oncology, A.O Bianchi Melacrino, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - ULF Lennart Karlsson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Zineb Dahbi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences, Casablanca, Morocco
| | - Elena Natoli
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Eric Li
- Department of Pathology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Lyndon Kim
- Division of Neurooncology, Mt Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joan Oboite
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Eromosele Oboite
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Satya Bose
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Te Vuong
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Mc Gill University, Montreal, Canada
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Nguyen NP, Thariat J, Gorobets O, Vinh-Hung V, Kim L, Blanco SC, Vasileiou M, Arenas M, Mazibuko T, Giap H, Vincent F, Chi A, Loganadane G, Mohammadianpanah M, Rembielak A, Karlsson U, Ali A, Bose S, Page BR. Immunotherapy and Hypofractionated Radiotherapy in Older Patients with Locally Advanced Cutaneous Squamous-Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: A Proposed Paradigm by the International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4981. [PMID: 37894347 PMCID: PMC10605563 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15204981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous skin carcinoma is a disease of older patients. The prevalence of cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma (cSCC) increases with age. The head and neck region is a frequent place of occurrence due to exposure to ultraviolet light. Surgical resection with adjuvant radiotherapy is frequently advocated for locally advanced disease to decrease the risk of loco-regional recurrence. However, older cancer patients may not be candidates for surgery due to frailty and/or increased risk of complications. Radiotherapy is usually advocated for unresectable patients. Compared to basal-cell carcinoma, locally advanced cSCC tends to recur locally and/or can metastasize, especially in patients with high-risk features such as poorly differentiated histology and perineural invasion. Thus, a new algorithm needs to be developed for older patients with locally advanced head and neck cutaneous squamous-cell carcinoma to improve their survival and conserve their quality of life. Recently, immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) has attracted much attention due to the high prevalence of program death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in cSCC. A high response rate was observed following CPI administration with acceptable toxicity. Those with residual disease may be treated with hypofractionated radiotherapy to minimize the risk of recurrence, as radiotherapy may enhance the effect of immunotherapy. We propose a protocol combining CPIs and hypofractionated radiotherapy for older patients with locally advanced cutaneous head and neck cancer who are not candidates for surgery. Prospective studies should be performed to verify this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nam P. Nguyen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA;
| | - Juliette Thariat
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Francois Baclesse Cancer Center, 14000 Cain, France;
| | - Olena Gorobets
- Department of Oral Surgery, University of Martinique, 97213 Martinique, France;
| | - Vincent Vinh-Hung
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Institut Bergonie, 33076 Bordeaux, France;
| | - Lyndon Kim
- Division of Neuro-Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY 10029, USA;
| | - Sergio Calleja Blanco
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA;
| | - Maria Vasileiou
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15771 Athens, Greece
| | - Meritxell Arenas
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sant Joan de Reus University Hospital, University of Rovira, I Virgili, 43204 Tarragona, Spain;
| | - Thandeka Mazibuko
- Department of Radiation Oncology, International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Washington, DC 20001, USA; (T.M.); (U.K.)
| | - Huan Giap
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
| | - Felix Vincent
- Department of Surgery, Southern Regional Health System, Lawrenceburg, TN 29425, USA;
| | - Alexander Chi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 101125, China;
| | | | - Mohammad Mohammadianpanah
- Colorectal Research Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 71348-14336, Iran;
| | - Agata Rembielak
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester M20 4BX, UK;
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biomedicine and Health, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Ulf Karlsson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Washington, DC 20001, USA; (T.M.); (U.K.)
| | - Ahmed Ali
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA;
| | - Satya Bose
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA;
| | - Brandi R. Page
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21218, MD, USA;
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Nguyen NP, Karlsson UL, Lehrman D, Mazibuko T, Saghatelyan T, Thariat J, Baumert BG, Vinh-Hung V, Gorobets O, Giap H, Singh S, Chi A, Alessandrini G, Ahluwalia A, Durosinmi-Etti F, Zegarra Cárdenas J, Diabate K, Oboite J, Oboite E, Mehmood T, Vuong T, Kim L, Page BR. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on older cancer patients: Proposed solution by the International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1091329. [PMID: 36959795 PMCID: PMC10027708 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1091329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Older cancer patients are disproportionally affected by the Coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. A higher rate of death among the elderly and the potential for long-term disability have led to fear of contracting the virus in these patients. This fear can, paradoxically, cause delay in diagnosis and treatment that may lead to a poor outcome that could have been prevented. Thus, physicians should devise a policy that both supports the needs of older patients during cancer treatment, and serves to help them overcome their fear so they seek out to cancer diagnosis and treatment early. A combination of telemedicine and a holistic approach, involving prayers for older cancer patients with a high level of spirituality, may improve vaccination rates as well as quality of life during treatment. Collaboration between health care workers, social workers, faith-based leaders, and cancer survivors may be crucial to achieve this goal. Social media may be an important component, providing a means of sending the positive message to older cancer patients that chronological age is not an impediment to treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nam Phong Nguyen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Ulf Lennart Karlsson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Washington, DC, United States
| | - David Lehrman
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Thandeka Mazibuko
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Tatul Saghatelyan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, National Center of Oncology, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Juliette Thariat
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Francois Baclesse Cancer Center, Cain, France
| | - Brigitta G. Baumert
- Institute of Radiation Oncology, Cantonal Hospital Graubuenden, Chur, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Vinh-Hung
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de La Polynesie Francaise, Tahiti, French Polynesia
| | - Olena Gorobets
- Department of Oral Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Martinique, Martinique, France
| | - Huan Giap
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Sankalp Singh
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Army Hospital (Research & Referral), New Delhi, India
| | - Alexander Chi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Beijing Chest Hospital, Beijing, China
| | | | - Abhinav Ahluwalia
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Advanced Care Oncology Center, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | | | - Jorge Zegarra Cárdenas
- Division of Medical Oncology, Regional Institute of Neoplastic Disease, Concepcion, Peru
| | | | - Joan Oboite
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Eromosele Oboite
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Tahir Mehmood
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Northampton General Hospital, Northampton, United Kingdom
| | - Te Vuong
- Department of Radiation Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Lyndon Kim
- Division of Neuro-Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, United States
| | - Brandi R. Page
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Nguyen NP, Kim L, Thariat J, Baumert BG, Mazibuko T, Gorobets O, Vinh-Hung V, Giap H, Mehmood T, Vincent F, Chi A, Basu T, Loganadane G, Mohammadianpanah M, Karlsson U, Oboite E, Oboite J, Ali A, Page BR. Immunotherapy and Modern Radiotherapy Technique for Older Patients with Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: A Proposed Paradigm by the International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:5285. [PMID: 36358703 PMCID: PMC9654379 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14215285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The standard of care for locally advanced head and neck cancer is concurrent chemoradiation or postoperative irradiation with or without chemotherapy. Surgery may not be an option for older patients (70 years old or above) due to multiple co-morbidities and frailty. Additionally, the standard chemotherapy of cisplatin may not be ideal for those patients due to oto- and nephrotoxicity. Though carboplatin is a reasonable alternative for cisplatin in patients with a pre-existing hearing deficit or renal dysfunction, its efficacy may be inferior to cisplatin for head and neck cancer. In addition, concurrent chemoradiation is frequently associated with grade 3-4 mucositis and hematologic toxicity leading to poor tolerance among older cancer patients. Thus, a new algorithm needs to be developed to provide optimal local control while minimizing toxicity for this vulnerable group of patients. Recently, immunotherapy with check point inhibitors (CPI) has attracted much attention due to the high prevalence of program death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in head and neck cancer. In patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer refractory to cisplatin-based chemotherapy, CPI has proven to be superior to conventional chemotherapy for salvage. Those with a high PD-L1 expression defined as 50% or above or a high tumor proportion score (TPS) may have an excellent response to CPI. This selected group of patients may be candidates for CPI combined with modern radiotherapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated image-guided radiotherapy (IM-IGRT), volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) or proton therapy if available, which allow for the sparing of critical structures, such as the salivary glands, oral cavity, cochlea, larynx and pharyngeal muscles, to improve the patients' quality of life. In addition, normal organs that are frequently sensitive to immunotherapy, such as the thyroid and lungs, are spared with modern radiotherapy techniques. In fit or carefully selected frail patients, a hypofractionated schedule may be considered to reduce the need for daily transportation. We propose a protocol combining CPI and modern radiotherapy techniques for older patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer who are not eligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy and have a high TPS. Prospective studies should be performed to verify this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nam P Nguyen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, 2041 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20060, USA
| | - Lyndon Kim
- Department of Neurology, Division of Neuro-Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | | | - Brigitta G Baumert
- Institute of Radiation Oncology, Cantonal Hospital Graubuenden, 7000 Chur, Switzerland
| | - Thandeka Mazibuko
- International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington, DC 20001, USA
| | - Olena Gorobets
- Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Martinique, 97213 Le Lamentin Martinique, France
| | - Vincent Vinh-Hung
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de la Polynesie Francaise, 98716 Pirae, Tahiti, French Polynesia
| | - Huan Giap
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
| | - Tahir Mehmood
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Northampton General Hospital, Northampton NN1 5BD, UK
| | - Felix Vincent
- Department of Surgery, Southern Regional Health System-Lawrenceburg, Lawrenceburg, TN 38464, USA
| | - Alexander Chi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Beijing Chest Hospital, Beijing 101149, China
| | - Trinanjan Basu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, HCG Cancer Center Borivali, and HCG ICS, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400092, India
| | | | | | - Ulf Karlsson
- International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington, DC 20001, USA
| | - Eromosele Oboite
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, 2041 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20060, USA
| | - Joan Oboite
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Howard University, 2041 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC 20060, USA
| | - Ahmed Ali
- Department of Hematology Oncology, Howard University, Washington, DC 20059, USA
| | - Brandi R Page
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21093, USA
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Vinh-Hung V, Gorobets O, Duerinkcx A, Dutta S, Oboite E, Oboite J, Ali A, Mazibuko T, Karlsson U, Chi A, Lehrman D, Mohammed OH, Mohammadianpanah M, Loganadane G, Migliore N, Vasileiou M, Nguyen NP, Giap H. Is immunotherapy at reduced dose and radiotherapy for older patients with locally advanced non-small lung cancer feasible?—a narrative review by the international geriatric radiotherapy group. Transl Cancer Res 2022; 11:3298-3308. [PMID: 36237270 PMCID: PMC9552052 DOI: 10.21037/tcr-22-821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Background and Objective The standard of care for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is either surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy or concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, older patients (70 years old or above) with multiple co-morbidities may not be able to tolerate the combined treatment due to its toxicity. Since lung cancer prevalence increases significantly with age, a new algorithm needs to be investigated to allow curative treatment for those with locally advanced disease. Methods A literature search of the literature was conducted through PubMed and Google Scholar using search terms such as locally advanced NSCLC, older cancer patients, immunotherapy with check point inhibitors (CPI), and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). Abstracts were screened, full articles fitting the article topic were reviewed, and duplicated and non-English articles were excluded. Key Content and Findings Recently, CPI has been introduced and proven effective for selected patients with increased program death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression (50% or above). A reduced dose for CPI (RDCPI) may be as effective as a full dose and may decrease treatment cost. New radiation technique such as IGRT may also minimize radiotherapy complication through normal lung and cardiac sparing. Conclusions IGRT and RDCPI may be an innovative option for older patients with locally advanced NSCLC and high PD-L1 expression and needs to be investigated in future prospective studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Vinh-Hung
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de la Polynesie Francaise, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
| | - Olena Gorobets
- Department of Oral Surgery, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Martinique, Le Lamentin, Martinique, France
| | - Andre Duerinkcx
- Department of Radiology, Howard University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Suresh Dutta
- Department of Radiation Oncology, International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Washington DC, USA
| | | | - Joan Oboite
- Department of Radiology, Howard University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Ahmed Ali
- Department of Radiology, Howard University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Thandeka Mazibuko
- Department of Radiation Oncology, International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Washington DC, USA
| | - Ulf Karlsson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Washington DC, USA
| | - Alexander Chi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - David Lehrman
- Department of Radiation Oncology, International Geriatric Radiotherapy Group, Washington DC, USA
| | | | - Mohammad Mohammadianpanah
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Namazi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Natalia Migliore
- Barretos School of Health Sciences Dr. Paulo Prata, Barretos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Vasileiou
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Nam P. Nguyen
- Department of Radiology, Howard University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Huan Giap
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
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