Life expectancy in glioblastoma patients who had undergone stereotactic biopsy: a retrospective single-center study.

OBJECTIVE: The best results in glioblastoma (GBM) are obtained through aggressive treatment comprising maximally radical but safe resection followed by chemoradiotherapy. However, certain patients will undergo only stereotactic biopsy. This paper aims to evaluate life expectancy in GBM patients who underwent only stereotactic biopsy, including the effect of subsequent oncological treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with confirmed GBM histology who had undergone stereotactic biopsy between June 2006 and December 2016 were retrospectively selected. Each patient had received a CT scan, followed by an MRI scan with a contrast agent. None of the patients were amenable to microsurgical resection. RESULTS: Of the 60 patients, 41 (69%) received no subsequent oncological treatment, while 14 (23%) underwent isolated radiotherapy. Mean survival time of all patients was 2.8 months. Those who received no additional treatment had an average survival time of 2.3 months; patients who received any type of oncological treatment was 3.7 months. Of these, those receiving radiotherapy alone had a mean survival of 3.1 months. Patients who received oncological treatment with the Stupp protocol had a survival time of 6.6 months. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic and surgical advances related to GBM treatment mean that radical resections can be performed even in eloquent brain areas. However, patients not indicated for resection will experience a major reduction in life expectancy. Patients who underwent stereotactic biopsy and received some form of oncological treatment experienced slightly increased overall survival relative to patients with a natural disease course. Patients with favorable clinical factors reacted better to treatment.

FMISO-Based Adaptive Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy represents one of the most used strategies in the curative treatment of patients with head and neck (HNC) cancer. Locoregional failure is the predominant recurrence pattern. Tumor hypoxia belongs to the main cause of treatment failure. Positron emission tomography (PET) using hypoxia radiotracers has been studied extensively and has proven its feasibility and reproducibility to detect tumor hypoxia. A number of studies confirmed that the uptake of FMISO in the recurrent region is significantly higher than that in the non-recurrent region. The escalation of dose to hypoxic tumors may improve outcomes. The technical feasibility of optimizing radiotherapeutic plans has been well documented. To define the hypoxic tumour volume, there are two main approaches: dose painting by contour (DPBC) or by number (DPBN) based on PET images. Despite amazing technological advances, precision in target coverage, and surrounding tissue sparring, radiation oncology is still not considered a targeted treatment if the "one dose fits all" approach is used. Using FMISO and other hypoxia tracers may be an important step for individualizing radiation treatment and together with future radiomic principles and a possible genome-based adjusting dose, will move radiation oncology into the precise and personalized era.

Very late complications of oncotherapy in glioblastoma patients: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Stroke-like syndrome is defined as a rare, delayed complication of brain oncotherapy. Cases with more favorable brain cancer diagnoses and longer life expectancy have been previously reported, but here we present, for the first time, three long-term survivors of glioblastoma with stroke-like syndromes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three young or middle-aged patients underwent tumor resection and chemoradiotherapy. They received regular clinical and imaging follow-up with stable neurological status and no signs of tumor recurrence. They exhibited varied signs and symptoms (motor and sensory deficits, aphasia, memory and cognitive disorders, seizures, and headache) accompanied by imaging abnormalities. Stroke-like syndromes developed within 2-5 days and resolved in 2-6 weeks. Diffusion-weighted MRI and T2 brain perfusion abnormalities were demonstrated in all patients. In addition, there was focal T1 MRI contrast enhancement due to blood-brain barrier disruption. In addition to tumor recurrence, classic stroke, encephalitis, metabolic and mitochondrial disorders, and post-seizure swelling should be excluded. The imaging indicated intensive MRI scanning and symptomatic medication (steroids supplemented by antiepileptics, vasoactive agents, etc.) for judicious management. With respect to the course, an invasive procedure was still considered an option. CONCLUSION: All stroke-like syndromes are diagnoses of exclusion. To avoid misinterpretation of imaging findings as glioblastoma recurrence and avert recall oncotherapy or redundant interventions, better understanding of delayed complications of brain tumor therapy is crucial.

Molecular testing in endometrial carcinoma (Joint recommendation of Czech Oncological Society, Oncogynecological Section of the Czech Gynecological and Obstetrical Society, Society of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, and the Society of Czech Pathologists).

Molecular classification of endometrial carcinoma is becoming an important part of the diagnostic process with direct therapeutic implications. Recent international guidelines, including the joint ESGO-ESTRO-ESP recommendation, include the molecular classification into standard diagnostic algorithms. Molecular testing of endometrial carcinomas is also recommended in the latest (5th) edition of the WHO classification of Female Genital Tumors. Due to the need to implement these recommendations in practice, representatives of four professional societies of Czech Medical Association of J. E. Purkyně (Czech Oncological Society, Oncogynecological Section of the Czech Gynecological and Obstetrical Society, Society of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, and the Society of Czech Pathologists) organized a meeting focused on this topic. The result of this meeting is a joint recommendation for molecular testing of endometrial carcinoma in routine diagnostic practice in the Czech Republic.

Molecular testing in endometrial carcinoma - joint recommendation of Czech Oncological Society, Oncogynecological Section of the Czech Gynecological and Obstetrical Society, Society of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, and the Society of Czech Pathologists.

Molecular classification of endometrial carcinoma is becoming an important part of the dia-gnostic process with direct therapeutic implications. Recent international guidelines, including the joint recommendation of the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology and the European Society of Pathology include the molecular classification into standard dia-gnostic algorithms. Molecular testing of endometrial carcinomas is also recommended in the latest (5th edition) of the World Health Organization classification of female genital tumors. Due to the need to implement these recommendations in practice, representatives of four professional societies of the Czech Medical Association of J. E. Purkyně (the Czech Oncological Society, the Oncogynecological Section of the Czech Gynecological and Obstetrical Society, the Society of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, and the Society of Czech Pathologists) organized a meeting focused on this topic. Recommendation for molecular testing of endometrial carcinoma in routine dia-gnostic practice in the Czech Republic.

Image-guided radiation therapy produces lower acute and chronic gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicity in prostate cancer patients.

PURPOSE: This paper compares individual radiation therapy techniques used for prostate cancer and their benefits in clinical practice. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 921 patients with localized prostate tumors treated between 1997 and 2012. We divided the patients into four groups according to the selected treatment technique (conformal radiation therapy [3DCRT], intensity-modulated radiation therapy [IMRT], image-guided radiation therapy [IGRT], and volumetric-modulated arc therapy [VMAT]) and evaluated the incidence of acute and chronic gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicity. RESULTS: The incidence of grade 2 or greater acute GU and GI toxicity was significantly higher among techniques other than IGRT (p˂0.001). We found the same results in the case of grade 3 or greater acute GU toxicity (p˂0.001). Grade 3 or higher acute GI toxicity occurred only in one patient treated by 3DCRT. Cumulative late GI toxicity of grade 2 or higher and grade 3 or higher was recorded over 3 years significantly more frequently among non-IGRT techniques as compared to IGRT (p˂0.001). As regards GU toxicity, we found significantly higher incidence only for grade 2 or higher (p˂0.001), not for grade 3 or higher. No occurrence of grade 4 toxicity was recorded. The greatest incidence of patients without acute and chronic GI/GU toxicity was recorded in connection with VMAT. CONCLUSION: IGRT demonstrated a pronounced reduction in acute and chronic GU and GI toxicity as compared to non-IGRT techniques in the treatment of localized prostate cancer.

The Influence of Gene Aberrations on Survival in Resected IDH Wildtype Glioblastoma Patients: A Single-Institution Study.

This prospective population-based study on a group of 132 resected IDH-wildtype (IDH-wt) glioblastoma (GBM) patients assesses the prognostic and predictive value of selected genetic biomarkers and clinical factors for GBM as well as the dependence of these values on the applied therapeutic modalities. The patients were treated in our hospital between June 2006 and June 2015. Clinical data and tumor samples were analyzed to determine the frequencies of TP53, MDM2, EGFR, RB1, BCR, and CCND1 gene aberrations and the duplication/deletion statuses of the 9p21.3, 1p36.3, 19q13.32, and 10p11.1 chromosome regions. Cut-off values distinguishing low (LCN) and high (HCN) copy number status for each marker were defined. Additionally, MGMT promoter methylation and IDH1/2 mutation status were investigated retrospectively. Young age, female gender, Karnofsky scores (KS) above 80, chemoradiotherapy, TP53 HCN, and CCND1 HCN were identified as positive prognostic factors, and smoking was identified as a negative prognostic factor. Cox proportional regression models of the chemoradiotherapy patient group revealed TP53 HCN and CCND1 HCN to be positive prognostic factors for both progression-free survival and overall survival. These results confirmed the influence of key clinical factors (age, KS, adjuvant oncotherapy, and smoking) on survival in GBM IDH-wt patients and demonstrated the prognostic and/or predictive importance of CCND1, MDM2, and 22q12.2 aberrations.

Controversies of radiotherapy in human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 positive breast cancer patients.

Tumor biology plays a crucial role in the systemic treatment, specifically in HER2-positive tumors. Distinct biological behavior of breast cancer subtypes is associated with different rates of locoregional recurrence (LRR). HER2- positive breast cancer patients treated with surgery in combination with radiation, without trastuzumab have poor outcome, including high LRR. The efficacy of radiotherapy in HER-2-positive breast cancer appears to be associated with the expression of estrogen receptors. In patients with HER-2-positive breast cancer, studies conducted before the introduction of trastuzumab indicated higher benefit of adjuvant radiation in patients with hormone receptor-positive tumors compared to patients with tumors not expressing hormone receptors. The introduction of agents targeting HER-2 has transformed the management of these patients, resulting in improved outcomes. The data of clinical studies show that the administration of trastuzumab as part of a multimodality approach (with radiation based on standard guidelines) results in improved outcomes, including lower locoregional recurrence. The risk of cardiac toxicity associated with radiation to the heart and administration of potential cardiotoxic trastuzumab is not clear. In patients treated concomitantly with regional lymph node irradiation and anti-HER-2 agents after prior anthracycline-based chemotherapy minimizing the dose to the myocardium, e.g. respiratory gating or proton beam radiotherapy, have been suggested.

Impact of Hormone Receptor Status on the Behaviour of HER2+ Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The study aimed to evaluate differences in the overall survival of HER2+ breast cancer patients treated with regard to their hormone receptors negativity or positivity. We evaluated a cohort of patients treated with trastuzumab in the Czech Republic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The present study is a retrospective analysis of patients whose data were recorded in a nationwide non-interventional, post-authorisation database BREAST. After propensity score matching of data, the cohort included 4,532 patients. RESULTS: A significant difference in overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was found between patients with and without hormone dependence. The OS was significantly higher in the group of patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) tumours in the following cohorts: patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy, patients with advanced disease, G2 tumours, stage III and IV and in patients with stage II and III of G2 tumours. CONCLUSION: Increased OS rates were found in several subgroups of patients with HR+/HER2+ tumours compared to those with HR-/HER2+ tumours. Better outcomes of HR+/HER2+ patients were only observed in the first four/five years of follow-up, and the differences disappeared over time.

Prolonged treatment planning can increase real rectal dose in 3D brachytherapy for cervical cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of 3D brachytherapy planning time on the real dose distribution. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 10 patients with cervical cancer were evaluated using 2 computed tomography (CT) scans brachytherapy. The first scan was performed after the insertion of UVAG applicators, and the second was done after creating the treatment plan, just before the irradiation of first and third fraction. Both plans were compared in terms of changes of volumes and differences in the dose for high-risk organs using GEC-ESTRO Working Group parameters. RESULTS: The median planning time was 54 minutes (36-64 minutes). The absolute median change of volume for bladder, rectum, and sigmoid was 32.1 cm3 (1.6-108.6 cm3), 5.6 cm3 (0.4-61.8 cm3), and 8.4 cm3 (0.2-74.1 cm3), respectively. This difference led to an increased dose for bladder and sigmoid for D0.1cc by 46.7 cGy and 25.7 cGy, for D1cc by 59.2 cGy and 11.8 cGy, and for D2cc by 44.7 cGy and 10 cGy, respectively, per each fraction. Measured volume change in case of rectum led to a decreased dose per each fraction for D0.1cc with 7.1 cGy, for D1cc with 3.5 cGy, and for D2cc with 4.8 cGy. We observed that statistically significant dependency between the planning time and the dose was proved for rectum. The longer time for planning, the higher dose for rectum. The correlation coefficient for D0.1cc was 0.6715 (p = 0.0061), for D1cc was 0.6404 (p = 0.011), and for D2cc was 0.5891 (p = 0.0197). CONCLUSIONS: Extended treatment planning time for brachytherapy due to the changes in topography of small pelvis can lead to different dose in high-risk organs than previously planned. It seems that the most significant changes are related to rectum.

Giant locally advanced and metastatic squamous cell skin carcinoma of head and neck region: case report.

INTRODUCTION: At the present time, the skin tumors are among the most common cancers. Optimal therapy is based on the extent of the disease and the age of the patient. The need for radiotherapy occurs for inoperable locally advanced tumors and in the event of failure, salvage surgery is applied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We provided a case report of an older patient with giant squamous cell skin carcinoma and a review of published articles. RESULTS: We present a rare case of giant squamous cell skin carcinoma with metastatic satellite tumors that was primarily treated with curative radiotherapy. Five months after radiotherapy, a recurrent tumor was detected at the site of origin and the treatment was completed by salvage surgery. Full remission was achieved for four years. CONCLUSION: Despite the seemingly incurable finding it is always necessary to consider radical treatment regardless of the patient´s age. Curative treatment could achieve long term remission in the group of older patients.

Audio-visual navigation reduces treatment time in deep-inspiration breath hold radiotherapy.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to compare the treatment times for deep-inspiration breath hold with and without audio-visual (A-V) navigation. METHODS: We measured the real treatment time in 60 patients with breast cancer undergoing postoperative radiotherapy. Thirty consecutive patients were treated without deep-inspiration breath hold (DIBH) and another 30 patients using deep-inspiration breath hold (10 patients with DIBH only, 10 patients with DIBH using visual feedback and 10 patients with DIBH using visual feedback following breath training). The treatment time was relativized to number of fields and 100 monitor units (MU). The independent t-test was used to analyse differences between cohorts. RESULTS: The mean treatment time for patients without DIBH was 46.5 seconds per field and 90.9 seconds per 100 MU, for DIBH only 92.3 and 170.2 seconds, for DIBH with audio-visual navigation 68.1 and 133.8 seconds, and for DIBH with A-V feedback including breath training 66.1 and 132.5 seconds. The treatment times for patients treated using DIBH with visual navigation were significantly shorter in comparison with patients without visual feedback. We were not able to prove any significant benefit for breath training in terms of reducing the treatment time. CONCLUSION: Audio-visual navigation enables to significantly reduce the treatment time in comparison with DIBH without A-V feedback.

Therapeutic significance of hormone receptor positivity in patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer.

Breast cancer with high expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2 represents a biologically and clinically heterogeneous group of neoplastic disorders. Importantly, hormone receptor expression has an effect on biological properties and affects the selection of therapies. On the basis of molecular genetics, four principal subtypes, including luminal A, luminal B, HER2-enriched (HER-2-E), and basal-like can be distinguished. Breast tumors characterized by HER-2 positivity and simultaneous expression of hormone receptors, triple positive breast cancers (TPBC) are of increasing interest owing to the unique biological characteristics associated with complex interactions between HER-2 and hormone receptor signaling pathways. Interactions between hormone receptors and HER-2 explain the decreased efficacy of hormonal therapy in comparison with HER-2-negative patients. The expression of estrogen receptors in HER-2 positive tumors may also be associated with resistance to anti-HER-2 treatment. Multiple available therapeutic options, including hormonal therapy, anti-HER-2 agents and cytotoxic drugs explain favorable prognosis of TPBC. Escalation and de-escalation therapeutic strategies that could result in lower toxicities are being investigated as well as combinations of anti-HER-2 agents with hormonal therapy, immunotherapy, cyclin dependent kinase 4/6 and phosphatidyl inositol-3-kinase inhibitors. Distinction between subtypes of HER-2-positive breast cancer and treatment diversification may result in improved outcomes in TPBC. A response to neoadjuvant therapy may serve in the tailoring of therapy management.

Tumor bed radiotherapy in women following breast conserving surgery for breast cancer-safety margin with/without image guidance.

Image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) enables the achievement of higher precision in radiation delivery, a reduction in safety margins and a reduced risk of toxicity in healthy tissues. The present study investigated the magnitude of safety margins for the radiation boost setup on skin marks or metal clips implanted into the tumor bed during breast cancer surgery. One hundred eighty-four patients after breast conserving surgery with implanted metal clips into tumor bed were analyzed. The present study investigated the difference in safety margin required for the treatment setup on skin marks and metal clips. The skin marks were created using a positioning laser system in the treatment room. Metal clips implanted in the tumor bed were registered using IGRT with kilovoltage X-rays in orthogonal projection. Treatment setup was performed during free breathing. The safety margin corresponding to the planning target volume (PTV) was calculated from the recorded data. Calculated safety margins for the treatment setup on skin marks were 9.4, 11.1 and 11.1 mm in the anteroposterior, craniocaudal, and laterolateral directions, respectively. Corresponding safety margins with the use of IGRT and metal clips registration were 4.7, 5.1 and 5.9 mm, respectively. The safe PTV margin was 12 mm using setup on skin marks without IGRT, whereas a 6-mm margin was sufficient with the use of metal clip-based IGRT with daily online correction. IGRT has been adopted as the standard treatment method within the Oncology Centre of Multiscan and Pardubice Hospital (Pardubice, Czech Republic).

Interfraction variation in prostate cancer - analysis of 11726 cone-beam CT.

PURPOSE: To investigate the setup margins in prostate cancer treatment without using daily online repositioning methods. METHODS: We analysed the data from patients treated with curative-intend radiotherapy. Each patient underwent a series of pretreatment online localizations during daily setup using conebeam CT. The skin-prostate shifts and bone-prostate shifts were recorded in anteroposterior (AP), craniocaudal (CC), and laterolateral (LL)direction. The safety margins based on van Herk equation (2.5Σ+0.7σ) were calculated and the correlations between margins and various patient characteristics and prostate locations were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 307 patients were included, representing 11,726 localisations resulting in 70,356 shifts. The man skin-prostate setup inaccuracy was 0.8 ± 5.4mm in AP, 1.3 ± 4.8mm for CC, and 0.1 ± 5.6mm in LL direction. The man bone-prostate setup inaccuracy was 0.4 ± 3.3mm in AP, 0.1 ± 2.5mm for CC, and 0.1 ± 1.4mm in LL direction. According to van Herk equation, clinical target volume (CTV)-planning target volume (PTV) margins of 11.4, 10.6, and 11.8 mm (AP, CC, and LL, respectively) would be required for setup using skin markers and margins of 7.0, 4.7, and 2.1mm would be necessary for setup using bone structures. The average rectal area < 11cm(2) and volume of bladder > 300 cm(3) were associated with smaller CTV-PTV margins for setup using bone structures. The largest margins (15.8 mm in LL direction) were needed in patients with body mass index (BMI) > 35 using skin markers. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that the commonly used CTV-PTV margins are inadequate.

Comparing morbidity and cancer control after 3D-conformal (70/74 Gy) and intensity modulated radiotherapy (78/82 Gy) for prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to compare toxicity and cancer control between patients with prostate cancer treated using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and those treated using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 553 patients with prostate cancer were treated with 3D-CRT 70-74 Gy (3D-CRT 70, 3D-CRT 74) or IMRT 78-82 Gy (IMRT 78, IMRT/SIB 82). Late toxicity was scored according to FC-RTOG/LENT criteria. Biochemical failure was defined using the Phoenix and ASTRO definitions. RESULTS: The 5-year risk of grade 2-4 genitourinary toxicity was 26.3 % (3D-CRT 70), 27.2 % (3D-CRT 74), 17.3 % (IMRT 78), and 25.1 % (IMRT/SIB 82) without statistical differences. The 5-year risk of grade 2-4 gastrointestinal toxicity was 19.4 % (3D-CRT 70), 42.1 % (3D-CRT 74), 20.5 % (IMRT 78), and 26.6 % (IMRT/SIB 82). The differences between 3D-CRT 74 and 3D-CRT 70 and between 3D-CRT 74 and IMRT 78 were statistically significant (log rank p = 0.03). The 5-year Phoenix PSA relapse-free survival (PSA-RFS) in low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk patients treated using 3D-CRT were 89.4, 65.5, and 57.8 %, respectively. Patients treated with IMRT achieved the following results: 90.9, 89.4, and 83.9 %. Clinical relapse-free survival (C-RFS) in patients treated using 3D-CRT vs. IMRT for the aforementioned groups were 94.7 vs. 100 %, 86.8 vs. 98.6 %, and 84.4 vs. 94.5 %. Disease-free survival (DFS) for patients treated using 3D-CRT were 83.1, 70.9, and 71.5 %. The IMRT group reached 95.8, 89.1, and 87.6 %. The PSA-RFS for intermediate- and high-risk patients were statistically significant, while C-RFS and DFS were marginally better. CONCLUSION: Dose escalation with IMRT was associated with improved cancer control in intermediate- and high-risk patients in comparison with 3D-CRT, without compromising toxicity.

Outcomes of adrenalectomy in patients with primary hyperaldosteronism--a single centre experience.

INTRODUCTION: Primary hyperaldosteronism is a common cause of secondary hypertension. In patients with proven unilateral overproduction of aldosterone adrenalectomy can cure hyperaldosteronism with high probability and a positive effect on hypertension. The aim of the study was to determine the effects of unilateral adrenalectomy on blood pressure and laboratory parameters. The secondary objective was to identify parameters that would allow the prediction of hypertension cure. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the data of patients who underwent unilateral adrenalectomy for primary aldosteronism at the Department of Urology of University Hospital Olomouc in the years 2000-2011. We assesed the preoperative clinical conditions of patients, the results of biochemical and radiological examinations, course of the surgery and post-operative course including laboratory and clinical parameters during the 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: 62 patients underwent adrenalectomy for primary aldosteronism in this period. Four patients were excluded from the study due to surprising histology (myelolipoma in 2, carcinoma in 2), seven patients had incomplete postoperative data. The statistical analysis therefore included 51 patients, of which 57% were females. CT or MRI was performed in all patients; 63% patients underwent superselective catheterization of adrenal veins (AVS). Adrenalectomy was performed in all cases laparoscopically. Histology most often showed adrenal hyperplasia (59%), adenoma was detected in 37% and adenoma on the basis of micronodular hyperplasia in 4%. Twelve months after surgery the antihypertensive drugs were discontinued in 17/51 (33%) and the number or dose of antihypertensive drugs was reduced in 25/51 (49%). Normokalemia and normalisation of the aldosterone-renin ratio (ARR) was detected in 92% and 84% of the patients. Performing AVS did not statistically significantly influence the rate of blood pressure control or normalization of ARR, which is probably due to small study size. This study demonstrated a better effect of surgery on blood pressure in younger patients. CONCLUSIONS: Unilateral adrenalectomy had a positive effect in 82% of the patients operated for primary aldosteronism and lead to either blood pressure normalization or reduction of the antihypertensive medication.

Searching for an appropriate image-guided radiotherapy method in prostate cancer--implications for safety margin.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to compare the safety margin width using skin marks, pelvic skeleton-based targeting and adaptive protocol combining cone-beam computed tomography and kilovoltage image matching. METHODS: A total of 434 consecutive patients were treated by image-guided radiotherapy from November 2008 to April 2012. An adaptive protocol combining cone-beam computed tomography and kilovoltage image matching with individualized safety margin calculation according to the Van Herk method was used in a total of 201 patients. The remaining 233 patients had their setup corrected using cone-beam computed tomography daily. RESULTS: Analysis of the 3,137 cone-beam computed tomography images (201 patients) revealed that the margins between the clinical target volume and planning target volume with skin marks registration should be 1.24 cm in the anteroposterior, 0.98 cm in the craniocaudal, and 1.03 cm in the laterolateral direction. Considering pelvic skeleton-based setup, values of the clinical target volume and planning target volume margins in the anteroposterior, craniocaudal and laterolateral axis were 0.79 cm, 0.41 cm, and 0.19 cm, respectively. In a group of 8,872 cone-beam computed tomography images (233 patients) using CBCT assessment, the calculated margins between clinical target volume and planning target volume with skin marks were 1.15 cm in anteroposterior, 1.06 in craniocaudal, and 1.19 in laterolateral directions. Considering the pelvic skeleton-based setup, the corresponding values were 0.74 cm, 0.51 cm, and 0.25 cm. With the adaptive technique, the margins of most patients in the anteroposterior, craniocaudal, and laterolateral axes were 6 mm, 6 mm, and 6 mm or 8 mm, 6 mm, and 6 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The adaptive protocol combining cone-beam computed tomography and kilovoltage image matching or daily cone-beam computed tomography allowed us to substantially reduce the safety margins compared with skin marks targeting.

Dosimetric comparison of MRI-based HDR brachytherapy and stereotactic radiotherapy in patients with advanced cervical cancer: A virtual brachytherapy study.

AIM: To evaluate the treatment plans of 3D image-guided brachytherapy (BT) and stereotactic robotic radiotherapy with online image guidance - CyberKnife (CK) in patients with locally advanced cervix cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Ten pairs of plans for patients with locally advanced inoperable cervical cancer were created using MR based 3D brachytherapy and stereotaxis CK. The dose that covers 98% of the target volume (HR CTV D98) was taken as a reference and other parameters were compared. RESULTS: Of the ten studied cases, the dose from D100 GTV was comparable for both devices, on average, the BT GTV D90 was 10-20% higher than for CK. The HR CTV D90 was higher for CK with an average difference of 10-20%, but only fifteen percent of HR CTV (the peripheral part) received a higher dose from CK, while 85% of the target volume received higher doses from BT. We found a significant organ-sparing effect of CK compared to brachytherapy (20-30% lower doses in 0.1 cm(3), 1 cm(3), and 2 cm(3)). CONCLUSION: BT remains to be the best method for dose escalation. Due to the significant organ-sparing effect of CK, patients that are not candidates for BT could benefit from stereotaxis more than from classical external beam radiotherapy.

Prognostic significance of CD3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in patients with endometrial carcinoma.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to investigate tumor-infiltrating leukocytes in patients with endometrial carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cluster of differentiation (CD)3(+), CD8(+) and C20(+) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and CD68(+) tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) were evaluated retrospectively by immunohistochemistry in tumor specimen from 124 patients with endometrial carcinoma. RESULTS: A significant decrease of CD3(+) TILs and an increase of CD68(+) TAM count was associated with higher tumor stage. In patients with early-stage, high-risk tumors, low intraepithelial CD3(+) TIL counts were associated with significantly inferior survival. In multivariate analysis of patients with early-stage tumors, intraepithelial CD3(+) TIL counts were an independent predictor of survival. CONCLUSION: In patients with endometrial carcinoma a decrease of intraepithelial CD3(+) TIL counts is associated with advanced stage and high risk group. Intraepithelial CD3(+) TIL counts are an independent predictor of survival in patients with early tumors.