Study protocol for prospective multi-institutional phase III trial of standard of care therapy with or without stereotactic ablative radiation therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer (SABR-ROC).

BACKGROUND: Efforts have been made to investigate the role of salvage radiotherapy (RT) in treating recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC). Stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR) is a state-of-the-art therapy that uses intensity modulation to increase the fractional dose, decrease the number of fractions, and target tumors with high precision. METHODS: The SABR-ROC trial is a phase 3, multicenter, randomized, prospective study to evaluate whether the addition of SABR to the standard of care significantly improves the 3-year overall survival (OS) of patients with ROC. Patients who have completed the standard treatment for primary epithelial ovarian cancer are eligible. In addition, patients with number of metastases ≤ 10 and maximum diameter of each metastatic site of gross tumor ≤ 5 cm are allowed. Randomization will be stratified by (1) No. of the following clinical factors met, platinum sensitivity, absence of ascites, normal level of CA125, and ECOG performance status of 0-1; 0-3 vs. 4; (2) site of recurrence; with vs. without lymph nodes; and (3) PARP inhibitor; use vs. non-use. The target number of patients to be enrolled in this study is 270. Participants will be randomized in a 1:2 ratio. Participants in Arm 2 will receive SABR for recurrent lesions clearly identified in imaging tests as well as the standard of care (Arm 1) based on treatment guidelines and decisions made in multidisciplinary discussions. The RT fraction number can range from 1 to 10, and the accepted dose range is 16-45 Gy. The RT Quality Assurance (QA) program consists of a three-tiered system: general credentialing, trial-specific credentialing, and individual case reviews. DISCUSSION: SABR appears to be preferable as it does not interfere with the schedule of systemic treatment by minimizing the elapsed days of RT. The synergistic effect between systemic treatment and SABR is expected to reduce the tumor burden by eradicating gross tumors identified through imaging with SABR and controlling microscopic cancer with systemic treatment. It might also be beneficial for quality-of-life preservation in older adults or heavily treated patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05444270) on June 29th, 2022.

Dose-response relationship in patients with newly diagnosed atypical meningioma treated with adjuvant radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the radiation dose-response relationship in patients with newly diagnosed atypical meningioma (AM) treated with adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) using conventional fractionation. METHODS: In total, 158 patients who underwent surgery and ART between 1998 and 2018 were reviewed. Among these patients, 135 with complete information on radiotherapy (RT) dose/fractionation and pathological reports were analyzed. We entered RT dose as a continuous variable into the Cox regression model using penalized spline to allow for a nonlinear relationship between RT dose and events. Local control (LC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. The corresponding biological equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions (EQD2) was calculated using an α/ß ratio of 4 Gy. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 56.0 months. The median ART dose delivered was 61.2 Gy in 24-34 daily fractions, corresponding to a median EQD2 of 59.16 Gy. In multivariate analysis, larger size and higher mitotic count were associated with significantly reduced LC (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively), PFS (P < 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively), and OS (P = 0.006 and P = 0.001, respectively). Meanwhile, a higher RT dose was significantly associated with improved LC, PFS, and OS. Moreover, RT showed a dose-dependent effect on LC, PFS, and OS; local failure, tumor progression, and death were reduced by 12%, 12%, and 16%, respectively, per 1 Gy increase in the dose (EQD2). CONCLUSION: The dose of ART in AM has a dose-response relationship with LC and survival outcomes.

Current trend of radiotherapy for glioblastoma in the elderly: a survey study by the brain tumor Committee of the Korean Radiation Oncology Group (KROG 21-05).

BACKGROUND: To investigate the current variability in radiotherapy practice for elderly glioblastoma patients. METHODS: A questionnaire comprising general information on elderly glioblastoma, treatment selection, radiotherapy and 16 clinical case-scenario-based questions (based on age, performance, extent of resection and MGMT promoter methylation) was sent to brain tumor radiation oncologists. RESULTS: Twenty-one responses were recorded. Most (71.4%) stated that 70 years is an adequate cut-off for 'elderly' individuals. The most preferred hypofractionated short-course radiotherapy schedule was 40-45 Gy over 3 weeks (81.3%). The median margin for high-dose target volume was 5 mm (range, 0-20 mm) from the T1-enhancement for short-course radiotherapy. The case-scenario-based questions revealed a near-perfect consensus on 6-week standard radiotherapy plus concurrent/adjuvant temozolomide as the most appropriate adjuvant treatment in good performing patients aged 65-70 years, regardless of surgery and MGMT promoter methylation. Notably, in 75-year-old patients with good performance, the most preferred treatment was 6-week radiotherapy (81.0-90.5%) plus concurrent/adjuvant temozolomide (71.4-95.2%) rather than short-course radiotherapy or radiotherapy alone. Although the use of 3-week short-course radiotherapy increased with age and decreased performance status (all P < 0.05), 6-week radiotherapy was adopted in a significant proportion of responders (14.3-23.8%) even for wheelchair-bound, 75-year-old patients. Temozolomide use was affected by age, performance and MGMT promoter (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A high level of consensus was observed in treating elderly glioblastoma patients with good performance status. However, the variability increased, especially for older patients and those with poor performance. This study serves as a basis for designing future clinical trials in elderly glioblastoma.

Survival impact of additional chemotherapy after adjuvant concurrent chemoradiation in patients with early cervical cancer who underwent radical hysterectomy.

BACKGROUND: To determine whether additional chemotherapy after concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) improves survival outcomes in patients with early cervical cancer who undergo radical hysterectomy (RH). METHODS: We included high- or intermediate-risk patients from two institutions, with 2009 FIGO stage IB-IIA, who underwent primary RH and pelvic lymphadenectomy between January 2007 and June 2020, and had completed adjuvant CCRT. Survival outcomes were compared between patients who received additional chemotherapy (study group) and those who did not (control group). RESULTS: A total of 198 patients were included in this analysis. The study (n = 61) and control groups (n = 137) had similar patient age, histologic cancer type, 2009 FIGO stage, and tumor size. However, minimally invasive surgery was performed less frequently in the study group than in the control group (19.7% vs. 46.0%, P < 0.001). The presence of pathologic risk factors was similar, except for lymph node metastasis, which was more frequent in the study group (72.1% vs. 46.0%; P = 0.001). In survival analyses, no differences in the disease-free survival (DFS; P = 0.539) and overall survival (OS; P = 0.121) were observed between the groups. Multivariate analyses adjusting for surgical approach and other factors revealed that additional chemotherapy was not associated with DFS (adjusted HR, 1.149; 95% CI, 0.552-2.391; P = 0.710) and OS (adjusted HR, 1.877; 95% CI, 0.621-5.673; P = 0.264). The recurrence patterns did not differ with additional chemotherapy. Consistent results were observed in a subset of high-risk patients (n = 139). CONCLUSIONS: Additional chemotherapy after CCRT might not improve survival outcomes in patients with early cervical cancer who undergo RH.

Validation and optimization of a web-based nomogram for predicting survival of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

PURPOSE: To optimize and validate a current (NRG [a newly constituted National Clinical Trials Network group through National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project [NSABP], the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group [RTOG] and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG)]) nomogram for glioblastoma patients as part of continuous validation. METHODS: We identified patients newly diagnosed with glioblastoma who were treated with temozolomide-based chemoradiotherapy between 2006 and 2016 at three large-volume hospitals. The extent of resection was determined via postoperative MRI. The discrimination and calibration abilities of the prediction algorithm were assessed; if additional factors were identified as independent prognostic factors, updated models were developed using the data from two hospitals and were externally validated using the third hospital. Models were internally validated using cross-validation and bootstrapping. RESULTS: A total of 837 patients met the eligibility criteria. The median overall survival (OS) was 20.0 (95% CI 18.5-21.5) months. The original nomogram was able to estimate the 6­, 12-, and 24-month OS probabilities, but it slightly underestimated the OS values. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, MRI-defined total resection had a greater impact on OS than that shown by the original nomogram, and two additional factors-IDH1 mutation and tumor contacting subventricular zone-were newly identified as independent prognostic values. An updated nomogram incorporating these new variables outperformed the original nomogram (C-index at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months: 0.728, 0.688, 0.688, and 0.685, respectively) and was well calibrated. External validation using an independent cohort showed C­indices of 0.787, 0.751, 0.719, and 0.702 at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively, and was well calibrated. CONCLUSION: An updated and validated nomogram incorporating the contemporary parameters can estimate individual survival outcomes in patients with glioblastoma with better accuracy.

Chemoradiation in elderly patients with glioblastoma from the multi-institutional GBM-molRPA cohort: is short-course radiotherapy enough or is it a matter of selection?

BACKGROUND: The optimal radiotherapy regimen in elderly patients with glioblastoma treated by chemoradiation needs to be addressed. We provide the results of a comparison between conventionally fractionated standard radiotherapy (CRT) and short-course radiotherapy (SRT) in those patients treated by temozolomide-based chemoradiation. METHODS: Patients aged 65 years or older from the GBM-molRPA cohort were included. Patients who were planned for a ≥ 6-week or ≤ 4-week radiotherapy were regarded as being treated by CRT or SRT, respectively. The median RT dose in the CRT and SRT group was 60 Gy in 30 fractions and 45 Gy in 15 fractions, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 260 and 134 patients aged older than 65 and 70 years were identified, respectively. CRT- and SRT-based chemoradiation was applied for 192 (73.8%) and 68 (26.2%) patients, respectively. Compared to SRT, CRT significantly improved MS from 13.2 to 17.6 months and 13.3 to 16.4 months in patients older than 65 years (P < 0.001) and 70 years (P = 0.002), respectively. Statistical significance remained after adjusting for age, performance status, surgical extent, and MGMT promoter methylation in both age groups. The benefit was clear in all subgroup analyses for patients with Karnofsky performance score 70-100, Karnofsky performance score ≤ 60, gross total resection, biopsy, methylated MGMT promoter, and unmethylated MGMT promoter (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: CRT significantly improved survival compared to SRT in elderly glioblastoma patients treated with chemoradiation in selected patients amenable for chemoradiation. This study is hypothesis-generating and a prospective randomized trial is urgently warranted.

Correction to: Chemoradiation in elderly patients with glioblastoma from the multi­institutional GBM­molRPA cohort: is short­course radiotherapy enough or is it a matter of selection?

The name of author Do Hoon Lim was incorrect in the initial online publication. The original article has been corrected.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy versus three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy in rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation: a meta-analysis and pooled-analysis of acute toxicity.

BACKGROUND: To compare the acute gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicity profiles between intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) in rectal cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation (NCRT) using meta-analysis and pooled-analysis from published articles. METHODS: Literature search was performed in PubMed and EMBASE from inception to March 2017. The odd ratios (ORs) were calculated and random effects model was used for meta-analysis. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was performed for the pooled-analysis. RESULTS: Six studies including a total of 859 patients met the inclusion criteria. Most patients (98.7%) received NCRT. In the meta-analysis, IMRT reduced grade ≥ 2 acute overall GI toxicity, diarrhea and proctitis with ORs of 0.38, 0.32 and 0.60, respectively (all P < 0.05), compared to 3DCRT. IMRT also reduced acute grade ≥ 3 proctitis compared to 3D-CRT (OR, 0.24; P = 0.03). No significant heterogeneity or publication bias was detected. In the pooled-analysis, IMRT reduced the incidence of grade ≥ 2 acute overall GI toxicity, diarrhea, proctitis and GU toxicity (all P < 0.05). Moreover, lower incidence of grade ≥ 3 acute overall GI toxicity, diarrhea and proctitis were observed in the patients treated with IMRT (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: IMRT significantly reduced acute toxicity in locally advanced rectal cancer patients treated with NCRT compared to 3DCRT.

Impact of interim progression during the surgery-to-radiotherapy interval and its predictors in glioblastoma treated with temozolomide-based radiochemotherapy.

This study was designed to investigate the impact of interim progression of disease (PD) during the surgery-to-radiotherapy interval (SRI) and its predictors in glioblastoma based on MRIs. A total of 222 patients were planned for radiotherapy (RT) and 166 of them were evaluable for the presence of interim PD by 2 separate MRIs. The size criteria from the updated Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria was adopted to determine interim PD. 32 (19.3%) patients experienced interim PD, and their median survival (MS) was shorter than patients without PD in univariate (11.3 vs. 19.6 months, p < 0.001) and multivariate analysis (HR 2.237, 95% CI 1.367-3.660, p = 0.002). The volume of residual enhancing tumor (p = 0.003) and prolongation of the SRI (p = 0.004) were significant predictors of interim PD. Every 1-cc increase in residual enhancing tumor and every 1-day prolongation of the SRI significantly increased the risk of interim PD by 3.9% (p = 0.003) and 8.1% (p = 0.004), respectively. A significant portion of patients demonstrate interim PD during SRI and these patients have poor prognosis. The presence of interim PD should be concerned as a significant confounding factor for stratification in future clinical trials. A baseline pre-RT MRI is essential for accurate disease evaluation and RT-target delineation, especially in patients with larger residual disease after surgery and prolonged SRI due to the high risk of interim PD.

De Ritis ratio in elderly glioblastoma patients treated with chemoradiation: A comprehensive analysis of serum biomarkers.

Background: We aimed to comprehensively investigate the prognostic value of pretreatment laboratory parameters in elderly patients with glioblastoma treated with temozolomide (TMZ)-based chemoradiation. Methods: Patients aged ≥ 65 years from 4 institutions with newly diagnosed IDH-wild-type glioblastoma who received radiotherapy (RT) with concurrent TMZ between 2006 and 2021 were included. Patient factors (age, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), temporalis muscle thickness), molecular factors (MGMT promoter methylation, EGFR amplification, TERT promoter mutation, and TP53 mutation status), treatment factors (extent of resection, and RT dose), and pretreatment laboratory parameters (serum De Ritis ratio, glucose level, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet count, and systemic immune-inflammation index) were included in the analysis. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Results: In total, 490 patients were included in the analysis. The median follow-up period was 12.3 months (range, 1.6-149.9 months). Median OS was significantly prolonged in patients with De Ritis ratio < 1.2 (18.2 vs 15.3 months, P = .022) and in patients with glucose level < 150 mg/dL (18.7 vs 16.5 months, P = .034) per univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, KPS ≥ 70, MGMT promoter methylation, extent of resection greater than partial resection, De Ritis ratio < 1.2, and glucose level < 150 mg/dL were significant prognostic factors for improved OS. Conclusions: Along with well-known prognostic factors, pre-RT serum biomarkers, including the De Ritis ratio and glucose level, also had prognostic value in elderly patients with glioblastoma treated with TMZ-based chemoradiation.

Optimizing Recurrent Glioblastoma Salvage Treatment: A Multicenter Study Integrating Genetic Biomarkers From the Korean Radiation Oncology Group (21-02).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Few studies have used real-world patient data to compare overall treatment patterns and survival outcomes for recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM). This study aimed to evaluate postprogression survival (PPS) according to the treatment strategy for rGBM by incorporating biomarker analysis. METHODS: We assessed 468 adult patients with rGBM who underwent standard temozolomide-based chemoradiation. The impact of predictors on PPS was evaluated in patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase wild-type rGBM (n = 439) using survival probability analysis. We identified patients who would benefit from reirradiation (re-RT) during the first progression. RESULTS: Median PPS was 3.4, 13.8, 6.6, and 10.0 months in the best supportive care (n = 82), surgery (with/without adjuvant therapy, n = 112), chemotherapy alone (n = 170), and re-RT (with/without chemotherapy, n = 75) groups, respectively. After propensity score matching analysis of the cohort, both the surgery and re-RT groups had a significantly better PPS than the chemotherapy-only group; however, no significant difference was observed in PPS between the surgery and re-RT groups. In the surgery subgroup, surgery with chemotherapy (P = .024) and surgery with radio(chemo)therapy (P = .039) showed significantly improved PPS compared with surgery alone. In the no-surgery subgroup, radio(chemo)therapy showed significantly improved PPS compared with chemotherapy alone (P = .047). Homozygous deletion of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A/B, along with other clinical factors (performance score and progression-free interval), was significantly associated with the re-RT survival benefit. CONCLUSION: Surgery combined with radio(chemo)therapy resulted in the best survival outcomes for rGBM. re-RT should also be considered for patients with rGBM at first recurrence. Furthermore, this study identified a specific genetic biomarker and clinical factors that may enhance the survival benefit of re-RT.

Pattern of practice for postoperative management of endometrial cancer in Korea: a survey by the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group and the Korean Radiation Oncology Group (KGOG 2028-KROG 2104).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the current status of postoperative management of uterine endometrial cancer (EC) in Korea. METHODS: A mail survey was administered to members of the Korean Gynecologic Oncology Group and Korean Radiation Oncology Group. A total of 38 gynecologic cancer surgeons (GYNs) and 31 radiation oncologists (RO) in 43 institutions was responded. The questionnaire consisted of general questions for clinical decision and clinical case questions. The GYN and RO responses were compared using chi-square statistics. RESULTS: The 2 expert groups had similar responses for clinical decision based on the results of the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG)-249 and Postoperative Radiation Therapy for Endometrial Carcinoma-III trials in the early-stage EC. In contrast, the responses based on GOG-258 results differed, as GYNs most frequently opted for sequential chemotherapy (CTx) and radiotherapy (RT), while ROs preferred concurrent chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced stage (p<0.05). Based on the GOG-258, GYNs preferred CTx alone for adjuvant treatment of serous or clear cell adenocarcinoma histology, whereas ROs advocated for combined CTx and RT (sequential or concurrent). Among the clinical case questions, GYNs were more likely than ROs to choose CTx alone rather than the combination of CTx and RT (sequential or concurrent) as the answers to case questions representing patients with locally advanced stage or unfavorable histology (all p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study showed several different opinions of GYNs and ROs regarding adjuvant treatment for EC, particularly for adjuvant RT in advanced stage or unfavorable histology.

Adjuvant radiotherapy in node-negative salivary malignancies of the parotid gland: A multi-institutional analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To determine the role of adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) in parotid gland cancer without nodal metastasis, we evaluated the survival outcomes, prognostic factors, and dose-response relationships in patients with node-negative parotid gland cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent curative parotidectomy and were pathologically diagnosed with parotid gland cancer without regional or distant metastases between 2004 and 2019 were reviewed. The benefit of ART in terms of locoregional control (LRC) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 261 patients were included in the analysis. Of them, 45.2 % received ART. The median follow-up period was 66.8 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that histological grade and ART were independent prognostic factors for LRC and PFS (all p <.05). For patients with high-grade histology, ART was associated with a significant improvement in 5-year LRC (p =.005) and PFS (p =.009). Among patients with high-grade histology who completed RT, higher biologic effective dose (≥77 Gy10) significantly increased PFS (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.10 per 1-Gy increase; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.02-0.58; p =.010). ART significantly improved LRC (p =.039) in patients with low-to-intermediate histological grade as well per multivariate analysis, and subgroup analyses revealed patients with T3-4 stage and close/positive resection margins (<1 mm) would benefit from ART. CONCLUSION: ART should be strongly recommended for patients with node-negative parotid gland cancer with high-grade histology in terms of disease control and survival. In patients with low-to-intermediate-grade disease, those with high T stage and incomplete resection margin benefit with ART.

Image-Guided Versus Conventional Brachytherapy for Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer: Experience of Single Institution with the Same Practitioner and Time Period.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare treatment outcomes and toxicity profile between imaged-guided brachytherapy (IGBT) versus conventional brachytherapy (CBT) performed by the same practitioner during the same time period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of 104 eligible patients who underwent brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer were retrospectively reviewed. Fifty patients (48.1%) underwent IGBT, and 54 (51.9%) patients underwent CBT. All patients underwent concurrent chemoradiation with cisplatin. High-dose-rate intracavitary brachytherapy with dose prescription of 25-30 Gy in 4-6 fractions was performed for all patients. Late lower gastrointestinal (GI) and urinary toxicities occurred more than 3 months after the end of brachytherapy were included for comparative and dosimetric analyses. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 18.33 months (range, 3.25 to 38.43 months). There were no differences in oncologic outcomes between the two groups. The IGBT group had lower rate of actuarial grade ≥ 3 toxicity than the CBT group (2-year, 4.5% vs. 25.7%; p=0.030). Cumulative equieffective D2cc of sigmoid colon was significantly correlated with grade ≥ 2 lower GI toxicity (p=0.033), while equieffective D2cc of rectum (p=0.055) and bladder (p=0.069) showed marginal significance with corresponding grade ≥ 2 toxicities in the IGBT group. Half of grade ≥ 3 lower GI toxicities impacted GI tract above the rectum. Optimal thresholds of cumulative D2cc of sigmoid colon and rectum were 69.7 Gy and 70.8 Gy, respectively, for grade ≥ 2 lower GI toxicity. CONCLUSION: IGBT showed superior toxicity profile to CBT. Evaluating the dose to the GI tract above rectum by IGBT might prevent some toxicities.

Novel Postoperative Serum Biomarkers in Atypical Meningiomas: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: There has been no known serum biomarker to predict the prognosis of atypical meningioma. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic impact of serum biomarkers in patients newly diagnosed with resected intracranial atypical meningiomas. METHODS: This study enrolled 523 patients with atypical meningioma who underwent surgical resection between 1998 and 2018 from 5 Asian institutions. Serum laboratory data within 1 week after surgery were obtained for analysis. Optimal cutoffs were calculated for each serum marker using the maxstat package of R. RESULTS: Of 523 patients, 19.5% underwent subtotal resection and 29.8% were treated with adjuvant radiation therapy (ART). Among the 523 patients, 454 were included in the multivariate analysis for the progression/recurrence (P/R) rate excluding patients with incomplete histopathologic or laboratory data. On multivariate analysis, tumor size >5 cm, subtotal resection, and postoperative aspartate aminotransferase/alanine transaminase (De Ritis) ratio >2 were associated with higher P/R rates, whereas ART and postoperative platelet count >137 × 10 3 /µL were associated with lower P/R rates. In the subgroup of patients treated with ART, tumor size >5 cm and postoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio >21 were associated with higher P/R rates. By contrast, postoperative De Ritis ratio >2 remained an adverse prognosticator in patients not treated with ART. CONCLUSION: Postoperative De Ritis ratio, platelet count, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were revealed as a novel serum prognosticator in newly diagnosed atypical meningiomas. Additional studies are warranted to validate its clinical significance and biological background.

The Korean Society for Neuro-Oncology (KSNO) Guideline for the Management of Brain Tumor Patients During the Crisis Period: A Consensus Recommendation Using the Delphi Method (Version 2023.1).

BACKGROUND: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the need for appropriate treatment guidelines for patients with brain tumors was indispensable due to the lack and limitations of medical resources. Thus, the Korean Society for Neuro-Oncology (KSNO), a multidisciplinary academic society, has undertaken efforts to develop a guideline that is tailored to the domestic situation and that can be used in similar crisis situations in the future. METHODS: The KSNO Guideline Working Group was composed of 22 multidisciplinary experts on neuro-oncology in Korea. In order to reach consensus among the experts, the Delphi method was used to build up the final recommendations. RESULTS: All participating experts completed the series of surveys, and the results of final survey were used to draft the current consensus recommendations. Priority levels of surgery and radiotherapy during crises were proposed using appropriate time window-based criteria for management outcome. The highest priority for surgery is assigned to patients who are life-threatening or have a risk of significant impact on a patient's prognosis unless immediate intervention is given within 24-48 hours. As for the radiotherapy, patients who are at risk of compromising their overall survival or neurological status within 4-6 weeks are assigned to the highest priority. Curative-intent chemotherapy has the highest priority, followed by neoadjuvant/adjuvant and palliative chemotherapy during a crisis period. Telemedicine should be actively considered as a management tool for brain tumor patients during the mass infection crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: It is crucial that adequate medical care for patients with brain tumors is maintained and provided, even during times of crisis. This guideline will serve as a valuable resource, assisting in the delivery of treatment to brain tumor patients in the event of any future crisis.

The Korean Society for Neuro-Oncology (KSNO) Guideline for the Management of Brain Tumor Patients During the Crisis Period: A Consensus Survey About Specific Clinical Scenarios (Version 2023.1).

BACKGROUND: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there was a shortage of medical resources and the need for proper treatment guidelines for brain tumor patients became more pressing. Thus, the Korean Society for Neuro-Oncology (KSNO), a multidisciplinary academic society, has undertaken efforts to develop a guideline that is tailored to the domestic situation and that can be used in similar crisis situations in the future. As part II of the guideline, this consensus survey is to suggest management options in specific clinical scenarios during the crisis period. METHODS: The KSNO Guideline Working Group consisted of 22 multidisciplinary experts on neuro-oncology in Korea. In order to confirm a consensus reached by the experts, opinions on 5 specific clinical scenarios about the management of brain tumor patients during the crisis period were devised and asked. To build-up the consensus process, Delphi method was employed. RESULTS: The summary of the final consensus from each scenario are as follows. For patients with newly diagnosed astrocytoma with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant and oligodendroglioma with IDH-mutant/1p19q codeleted, observation was preferred for patients with low-risk, World Health Organization (WHO) grade 2, and Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) ≥60, while adjuvant radiotherapy alone was preferred for patients with high-risk, WHO grade 2, and KPS ≥60. For newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma, the most preferred adjuvant treatment strategy after surgery was radiotherapy plus temozolomide except for patients aged ≥70 years with KPS of 60 and unmethylated MGMT promoters. In patients with symptomatic brain metastasis, the preferred treatment differed according to the number of brain metastasis and performance status. For patients with newly diagnosed atypical meningioma, adjuvant radiation was deferred in patients with older age, poor performance status, complete resection, or low mitotic count. CONCLUSION: It is imperative that proper medical care for brain tumor patients be sustained and provided, even during the crisis period. The findings of this consensus survey will be a useful reference in determining appropriate treatment options for brain tumor patients in the specific clinical scenarios covered by the survey during the future crisis.

Radiotherapy for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma in the Elderly: What Is the Standard?

Nearly half of the patients with newly diagnosed glioblastomas are aged ≥65 years. Unfortunately, these elderly patients with glioblastoma (GBM-e) demonstrate detrimental survival. However, the optimal treatment for GBM-e after surgery remains controversial. Conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (CFRT) of 60 Gy, hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT), temozolomide (TMZ), or a combination of these treatments with or without tumor treating fields can be considered. Although evidence has indicated a non-inferiority of HFRT compared to CFRT in GBM-e treated with radiotherapy (RT) alone throughout the past, the optimal RT scheme (CFRT vs. HFRT), when combined with TMZ, has never been investigated in a prospective randomized fashion for GBM-e patients suitable for radiochemotherapy. Several other issues make the treatment of GBM-e even more challenging. In this review, current evidence regarding RT in GBM-e, as well as issues that need to be addressed, is discussed.

Treatment of Adult Gliomas: A Current Update.

Gliomas are the most common type of primary brain tumor in adults. Glioma treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach involving surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Multiple trials have been conducted to establish the appropriate choice of treatment to achieve long-term survival and better quality of life. This review provides up-to-date evidence regarding treatment strategies for gliomas.