Radiation Therapy Practice Patterns for Treatment of Curative Breast Cancer in a Large Tertiary Health Care System.

Purpose: Disparities have been reported in women treated for breast cancer (BrCa). This study examines potential disparities in BrCa treatment offered based on race and age from a multicenter radiation department. Methods and Materials: We identified 901 patients with early stage BrCa who received curative intent radiation therapy (RT) between 2004 and 2018. Data extracted included age, race, disease stage, treatment technique, treatment dates, and fractionation. Patient race was recorded as Asian, Black, Hispanic, and White. RT technique delivered was classified as a type of external beam radiation therapy or brachytherapy/intraoperative radiation therapy. Fractionation schema were defined as 1) standard fractionation, 1.8-2 Gy; 2) hypofractionation, 2.5-2.67 Gy; 3) accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI), 3.4 Gy - 4.25 Gy, and 4) intraoperative radiation therapy, single dose of 20 Gy. Stage was recorded using TNM staging. The χ2 test and a multivariable multinomial logistic regression model were used to assess whether patient characteristics, such as age, race, or stage influenced fractionation schemes. Results with 2-sided P values < .05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Racial composition of the study was 13.8% Asian, 22% Black, 29%, White, and 35.1% Hispanic. Mean age was 61 and was divided into 4 age range groups: 30 to 49 (n = 160), 50 to 59 (n = 231), 60 to 69 (n = 294), and ≥70 years (n = 216). In addition, 501 patients (56%) received hypofractionation, 342 (38.8%) received standard fractionation, and 58 (7.1%) received APBI, respectively. For all groups, hypofractionation became more common over time. Age ≥70 years was associated with 9 times higher odds of APBI and 14 times higher odds of hypofractionation, compared with age 30 to 49 years. After adjusting for the other predictors in a multivariable multinomial logistic regression model, the race distribution differed among the 3 groups (P = .03), with a smaller percentage of Hispanics and higher percentage of blacks in the standard group. Conclusions: This study of a diverse cohort of patients with breast cancer failed to identify treatment differences associated by race. The study found an association between age and hypofractionation.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Surge on Radiation Treatment: Report From a Multicenter New York Area Institution.

PURPOSE: During the COVID-19 surge months of March and April 2020, our New York multicenter health system experienced an influx of cases with COVID-19. We sought to study the impact of the surge period on patients with cancer prescribed radiation treatment (RT). METHODS: We reviewed our secure departmental quality assurance database for all patients who underwent RT planning simulations from March 6, 2020, through April 30, 2020. A priority level between 1 and 3 was prospectively assigned to each case based on faculty consensus to determine which patients required immediate RT. In May 2020, each faculty physician again retrospectively reviewed their patients from the database and provided additional commentary on how the COVID-19 pandemic had affected each patient's care. All statistics are descriptive. RESULTS: A total of 412 RT courses in 406 unique patients were simulated for linear accelerator-based external beam RT. The median age was 66 years. Treatment intent was curative in 70.6% and palliative in 29.4%. Of the 412 cases, 66.7% were priority 1, 25% priority 2, and 7.8% priority 3. Two hundred thirty-nine cases (58%) underwent standard-of-care diagnosis, workup, and treatment plan. Seventeen patients (4.1%) electively canceled their RT, and 17 others (4.1%) electively delayed RT start. Thirty-four (8.3%) were prescribed hypofractionation to shorten their RT course, and 22 (5.3%) had a change in modality. Incomplete or delayed workup was identified in 19 cases (4.6%). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic surge resulted in 42% of our patients having a non-standard-of-care pathway. This outcome demonstrates a significant impact of the COVID-19 crisis on routine cancer care.

Breast Density Awareness and Knowledge, and Intentions for Breast Cancer Screening in a Diverse Sample of Women Age Eligible for Mammography.

The objectives of this study were to assess breast density knowledge and breast density awareness, and to identify information associated with intention to complete routine and supplemental screening for breast cancer in a diverse sample of women age eligible for mammography. We quantitatively (self-report) assessed breast density awareness and knowledge (N = 264) in black (47.7%), Latina (35.2%), and white (17%) women recruited online and in the community. Most participants reported having heard about breast density (69.2%); less than one third knew their own breast density status (30.4%). Knowing their own breast density, believing that women should be notified of their breast density in their mammogram report, and feeling informed if being provided this information are associated with likelihood of completing mammogram. Intending mammogram completion and knowledge regarding the impact of breast density on mammogram accuracy are associated with likelihood of completing supplemental ultrasound tests of the breast. These findings help inform practitioners and policy makers about information and communication factors that influence breast cancer screening concerns and decisions. Knowing this information should prepare practitioners to better identify women who may have not been exposed to breast density messages.

Prophylactic versus reactive gastrostomy tube placement in advanced head and neck cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy: A systematic review.

Although chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has improved disease outcomes in advanced head and neck cancer (aHNC), toxicity remains a major concern. Treatment interruptions and decreased quality of life (QOL) can occur due to malnutrition, secondary to mucositis, dysphagia and odynophagia. Gastrostomy tubes are used in many patients to improve nutrition during CRT. The optimal timing of PEG placement in patients with aHNC undergoing CRT remains controversial. Using the PubMed database, we performed a systematic review of published CRT series in aHNC to guide decision-making regarding optimal timing of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement. We aimed to compare outcomes when patients are treated with prophylactic PEG (pPEG) versus reactive PEG (rPEG). Twenty-two studies examining the role of PEG placement in CRT for aHNC were reviewed. pPEG reduces the number of malnourished patients (defined as >10% of body weight), but average weight loss at various time points following treatment appears similar to patients with rPEG. pPEG is also associated with improved QOL at 6 months, and greater long term PEG dependence. Clinical and dosimetric parameters that correlate with malnutrition in patients without pPEG include advanced age, percent weight loss preceding treatment, and radiation dose to the pharyngeal constrictor muscles. Based on this evidence, our institutional strategy is to encourage pPEG in those patients deemed at greatest risk of becoming malnourished during the course of treatment, and to approach the remainder of patients with rPEG.

Breast Squamous Cell Carcinoma Following Breast Augmentation.

Breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic surgery in the United States. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the breast raises suspicion of possibly metastatic origin. Here, we report an unusual case of implant-associated SCC of the breast post silicone gel breast implant. The patient is a 46-year-old female with SCC of the breast. She initially had silicone gel breast implantation for breast augmentation in 1995. She had multiple revisions due to swelling and hardening. In 2016, she underwent bilateral prosthesis explantation and bilateral capsulectomy. The pathology demonstrated a 4-cm tumor that was moderately differentiated invasive SCC. On slide review, it was noted that there was squamous epithelization of the implant capsule with benign squamous epithelium on both sides. She received external beam radiation to the right breast; no adjuvant chemotherapy was offered due to the rare histology and paucity of data. Follow-up within a year showed metastasis to the liver, lungs and retroperitoneum. She was admitted and ultimately transferred from the medical intensive care unit to the palliative care unit for comfort care. She expired of her disease in July 2017.

Integrating hormonal therapy with external-beam radiation and brachytherapy for prostate cancer.

The use of hormonal therapy with external-beam radiation (EBRT) to treat prostate cancer is a topic that has been well explored. The potential use of hormonal therapy and brachytherapy in the treatment of prostate cancer, however, continues to be controversial. This review is based on our current interpretation of the available literature assessing the outcomes of patients treated with EBRT and brachytherapy with or without hormonal therapy. Extrapolating from the findings of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9413 trial, there appears to be a favorable interaction between hormonal therapy and irradiation in the lymph nodes. The benefits demonstrated with whole-pelvic EBRT and hormonal therapy are likely to extend to patients treated with brachytherapy as well. Studies suggest that the role of hormonal therapy in brachytherapy is limited without the application of whole-pelvic EBRT due to the inability of brachytherapy to address potential lymph nodes at risk. The potential role of hormonal therapy in conjunction with brachytherapy without pelvic radiotherapy, is limited by inconclusive data and abbreviated follow-up times.