Preliminary results of trial NPC-0501 evaluating the therapeutic gain by changing from concurrent-adjuvant to induction-concurrent chemoradiotherapy, changing from fluorouracil to capecitabine, and changing from conventional to accelerated radiotherapy fractionation in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: A current recommendation for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is conventional fractionated radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin plus adjuvant cisplatin and fluorouracil (PF). In this randomized trial, the authors evaluated the potential therapeutic benefit from changing to an induction-concurrent chemotherapy sequence, replacing fluorouracil with oral capecitabine, and/or using accelerated rather than conventional radiotherapy fractionation. METHODS: Patients with stage III through IVB, nonkeratinizing NPC were randomly allocated to 1 of 6 treatment arms. The protocol was amended in 2009 to permit confining randomization to the conventional fractionation arms. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. Secondary endpoints included overall survival and safety. RESULTS: In total, 803 patients were accrued, and 706 patients were randomly allocated to all 6 treatment arms. Comparisons of induction PF versus adjuvant PF did not indicate a significant improvement. Unadjusted comparisons of induction cisplatin and capecitabine (PX) versus adjuvant PF indicated a favorable trend in progression-free survival for the conventional fractionation arm (P = .045); analyses that were adjusted for other significant factors and fractionation reflected a significant reduction in the hazards of disease progression (hazard ratio [HR], 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.36-0.80) and death (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.25-0.70). Unadjusted comparisons of induction sequences versus adjuvant sequences did not reach statistical significance, but adjusted comparisons indicated favorable improvements by induction sequence. Comparisons of induction PX versus induction PF revealed fewer toxicities (neutropenia and electrolyte disturbance), unadjusted comparisons of efficacy were statistically insignificant, but adjusted analyses indicated that induction PX had a lower hazard of death (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.34-0.97). Changing the fractionation from conventional to accelerated did not achieve any benefit but incurred higher toxicities (acute mucositis and dehydration). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results indicate that the benefit of changing to an induction-concurrent sequence remains uncertain; replacing fluorouracil with oral capecitabine warrants further validation in view of its convenience, favorable toxicity profile, and favorable trends in efficacy; and accelerated fractionation is not recommended for patients with locoregionally advanced NPC who receive chemoradiotherapy.

Testing for EGFR Variants in Pleural and Pericardial Effusion Cell-Free DNA in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Importance: Molecular testing in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is commonly limited by inadequate tumor sample. Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) genotyping as a complementary test is specific but only moderately sensitive. Genotyping of cfDNA in pleural and pericardial effusion (PE-cfDNA) can further optimize molecular diagnostic yield and reduce the need for repeated biopsies. Objective: To prospectively validate droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) for detection of sensitizing EGFR variants and acquired Thr790Met variant (T790M) from PE-cfDNA in patients with NSCLC. Design, Setting, and Participants: This prospective diagnostic validation study was conducted between September 6, 2016, and January 21, 2021 at 2 major Hong Kong cancer centers. Patients with advanced NSCLC with both wild-type and variant EGFR status and exudative PE who underwent thoracocentesis or pericardiocentesis were randomly enrolled. Patients were either EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) naive (cohort 1) or EGFR-TKI treated but osimertinib naive (cohort 2). Enrolled patients underwent pleural- or pericardial-fluid and blood sampling for ddPCR EGFR testing. EGFR status results with ddPCR testing of PE-cfDNA and blood were compared with EGFR status in matched tumor biopsy or PE cell block samples. Main Outcomes and Measures: Specificity, sensitivity, and concordance of PE-cfDNA for detection of sensitizing EGFR variants and acquired T790M variation. Results: Among 171 patients (54% female) enrolled, there were 104 in cohort 1 and 67 in cohort 2. In cohort 1, 37% (38/102) were EGFR-variant positive; PE-cfDNA showed 97% sensitivity (95% CI, 92%-100%), 97% specificity (95% CI, 93%-100%), and 97% concordance (ĸ = 0.94, P < .001) for the detection of sensitizing EGFR variants. It was more sensitive than plasma in detecting sensitizing EGFR variants (97% vs 74%, P < .001). In cohort 2, 38% (15 of 40) were positive for the EGFR T790M variant; PE-cfDNA showed 87% sensitivity (95% CI, 69%-100%), 60% specificity (95% CI, 41%-79%), and 70% concordance (ĸ = 0.42, P = .004) for acquired T790M. The EGFR T790M variant was detected in 51% of PE-cfDNA vs 25% of PE cell block samples. Conclusions and Relevance: In this diagnostic study, EGFR variants could be accurately detected from PE-cfDNA in patients with NSCLC. More EGFR T790M was detected in PE-cfDNA than in guideline-recommended PE cell block preparations. These results suggest that PE-cfDNA can complement plasma and tumor genotyping for detecting EGFR variants in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for medically inoperable early stage lung cancer: early outcomes.

OBJECTIVE. To evaluate the clinical outcome and safety of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for medically inoperable stage I non-small-cell lung carcinoma. DESIGN. Retrospective case series. SETTING. Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS. All patients with medically inoperable stage I non-small-cell lung carcinoma receiving stereotactic ablative radiotherapy since its establishment in 2008. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES. Disease control rate, overall survival, and treatment toxicities. RESULTS. Sixteen stage I non-small-cell lung carcinoma patients underwent the procedure from June 2008 to November 2011. The median patient age was 82 years and the majority (81%) had moderate-to-severe co-morbidity based on the Adult Comorbidity Evaluation 27 index. With a median follow-up of 22 months, the 2-year primary tumour control rate, disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 91%, 71% and 87%, respectively. No grade 3 (National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events) or higher treatment-related complications were reported. CONCLUSION. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy can achieve a high degree of local control safely in medically inoperable patients with early lung cancer.

ATOM: A phase II study to assess efficacy of preemptive local ablative therapy to residual oligometastases of NSCLC after EGFR TKI.

OBJECTIVES: NSCLC patients harboring EGFR mutation invariably developed resistance to EGFR TKI. We postulated that oligoresidual disease (ORD) after initial TKI might harbor resistant clones. This study aimed to test if preemptive local ablative therapy (LAT) can improve progression free survival (PFS) or not compared to historic data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients indicated for EGFR TKI who possessed ORD (≤ 4 PET-avid lesions) after an initial 3-month TKI therapy were enrolled. After screening PET-CT, eligible patients with PET-avid ORDs were treated by LAT, either by stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) or surgery per clinicians' discretion. TKI was continued after LAT until it was considered ineffective. PET-CT was repeated on the 3rd and 12th month post-LAT (or at progression) apart from regular imaging. Further LAT was allowed in oligoprogressive disease. Primary endpoint was PFS rate at one-year from enrollment. Overall survival (OS), PFS and treatment safety were secondary endpoints. A post hoc comparison with screen failure cohort was performed. RESULTS: Eighteen patients were enrolled from 2014-17. Recruitment was stopped before the planned number (34) due to slow accrual. Two were excluded due to consent withdrawal and significant protocol violation. Median follow up was 39.1 months. Among the 16 analyzed patients, the one-year PFS rate (i.e. 15 month post TKI) was 68.8 %. Median OS was 43.3 months. All LAT were done by SABR, and none experienced ≥ grade 3 SABR related toxicities. Compared with screen failure cohort (n = 48), pre-emptive LAT effectively reduced risk of progression (HR 0.41, p = 0.0097). CONCLUSION: Preemptive LAT in ORD appeared to be safe and feasible. The 1-year PFS rate was encouraging. However, potential biases and the limitations of the study should not be overlooked. Further randomized studies are warranted.

Reirradiation with intensity-modulated radiotherapy for locally recurrent T3 to T4 nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and toxicities of reirradiation using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in patients with locally advanced recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with consecutive rT3 to rT4 NPC treated between 2005 and 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The 3-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and local control rate were 47.2%, 17.5%, and 44.3%, respectively. Gross target volume (GTV) D95 , GTV D50 , and age were all important prognostic factors for OS and PFS, but only GTV D95 was an important determinant for local control. A total of 73.7% patients experienced ≥1 grade 3 late toxicities and 3 patients died of massive epistaxis. Temporal lobe necrosis (TLN) developed sooner with a higher total biological equivalent dose. CONCLUSION: Adequate tumor dose coverage was important for treating rT3 to rT4 NPC. Although late complications were common, treatment-related mortality was solely vascular in nature. Dose constraints of neurologic structures for reirradiation should be revised with the latest information on late toxicities. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 533-540, 2017.

Comparison of Planning Quality and Efficiency Between Conventional and Knowledge-based Algorithms in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Patients Using Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy.

PURPOSE: Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is widely used to achieve a highly conformal dose and improve treatment outcome. However, plan quality and planning time are institute and planner dependent, and no standardized tool exists to recognize an optimal plan. RapidPlan, a knowledge-based algorithm, can generate constraints to assist optimization and produce high-quality IMRT plans. This report evaluated the quality and efficiency of using RapidPlan in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) IMRT planning. METHODS AND MATERIALS: RapidPlan was configured using 79 radical IMRT plans for NPC; 20 consecutive NPC patients indicated for radical radiation therapy between October 2014 and May 2015 were then recruited to assess its performance. The ability of RapidPlan to produce acceptable plans was evaluated. For plans that could not achieve clinical acceptance, manual touch-up was performed. The IMRT plans produced without RapidPlan (manual plans) and with RapidPlan (RP-2 plans, including those with manual touch-up) were compared in terms of dosimetric quality and planning efficiency. RESULTS: RapidPlan by itself could produce clinically acceptable plans for 9 of the 20 patients; manual touch-up increased the number of acceptable plans (RP-2 plans) to 19. The target dose coverage and conformity were very similar. No difference was found in the maximum dose to the brainstem and optic chiasm. RP-2 plans delivered a higher maximum dose to the spinal cord (46.4 Gy vs 43.9 Gy, P=.002) but a lower dose to the parotid (mean dose to right parotid, 37.3 Gy vs 45.4 Gy; left, 34.4 Gy vs 43.1 Gy; P<.001) and the right cochlea (mean dose, 48.6 Gy vs 52.6 Gy; P=.02). The total planning time for RP-2 plans was significantly less than that for manual plans (64 minutes vs 295 minutes, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that RapidPlan can significantly improve planning efficiency and produce quality IMRT plans for NPC patients.

Individualized treatment in stage IVC nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The stage IVC nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a catch-all entity covering minute solitary metastasis to bulky disseminated disease. Prognosis varies greatly within this stage group. A subset of patients with oligometastases may benefit from aggressive local ablative therapy. Meanwhile, in multiple metastatic diseases, customizing conventional cytotoxics basing on individual tumor characteristics and previous chemotherapy responses can be a new direction to improve therapeutic results. Prognostic models built on clinical features and genomic profiles can be utilized to stratify different risk groups and tailor therapy schemes.

Staging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma--the past, the present and the future.

This article reviews the evolution of the International Union Against Cancer/American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. With the increasing availability of newer imaging methods, more sophisticated radiotherapy techniques and rapidly evolving molecular assays, we also examine newer clinical features that might have impact on staging. A new version of the staging system taking into account of some of these factors is also proposed.

Should all nasopharyngeal carcinoma with masticator space involvement be staged as T4?

INTRODUCTION: The prognostic significance of the involvement of anatomical masticator space (MS) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was retrospectively reviewed. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1104 Patients with non-metastatic NPC treated with radical radiotherapy between 1998 and 2010 were re-staged according to the 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system; tumors with medial pterygoid muscle (MP) and/or lateral pterygoid muscle (LP) involvement but did not fulfill the criteria for T3 or T4 were staged as TX. The tumor volume data, dosimetric data and survival endpoints of different T stage diseases were analyzed and compared to study the significance of MS involvement. RESULTS: The overall MS involvement rate was 61.0%. The median volumes of the primary gross tumor volume were 9.6ml, 15.2ml, 19.9ml, 32.6ml and 77.3ml for T1, T2, TX, T3 and T4, respectively (p<0.001). T1, T2 and TX tumors received higher minimum dose to the gross tumor volume and planning target volume than T3 and T4. Multivariate analysis showed that age, gender, T-/N-classification and the use of chemotherapy were significant prognostic factors for various survival end-points. Patients with TX disease had similar survival rates as with T1-T2; and had a significantly better 5-year overall survival rate (86.6% vs. 76.6%; p=0.013) and a trend of higher 5-year distant failure-free survival rate (91.5% vs. 81.3%; p=0.09) than patients with T3 disease. CONCLUSION: NPC with the involvement of MP and/or LP alone should be classified as T2 disease.

The impact of dosimetric inadequacy on treatment outcome of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with IMRT.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study aims to address the relationship between tumor size and dosimetric inadequacy in treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and how it subsequently affects the local control. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 444 NPC patients treated with IMRT from 2005 to 2010 were included in the study. The planning aim was to deliver at least 66.5 Gy (i.e. 95% of 70 Gy) to 95% of the primary gross tumor volume (GTV_P) while keeping all the critical neurological organs at risk (OAR) within dose tolerance. Treatment outcome were analyzed according to T stage, GTV_P volume and the degree of under-dosing. RESULTS: Disease outcome was related to T stage, GTV_P volume and the degree of under-dosing. The 5-year local failure free survival (LFFS), disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) for T4 disease were 74%, 50.4% and 63.6% respectively. 48 cm(3) was identified as the critical cut-off GTV_P volume, the large volume group (GTV_P ≥ 48 cm(3)) had lower 5-year DFS (50.4% vs. 76.6%) and OS (65.2% vs. 86.3%, p < 0.001). Most T4 diseases (and some T3) were under-dosed (<66.5 Gy) and an under-dosed GTV_P volume of 3.4 cm(3) was found to be prognostically important. Multivariate analyses showed that the effect of GTV_P volume on LFFR and DFS was outweighed by the degree of under-dosing. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment outcome of locally advanced NPC was significantly affected by the volume of under-dosed (<66.5 Gy) GTV_P due to the neighboring neurological structures. A new set of OAR dose constraint and specification is proposed.

Evolution of treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer--success and setback in the intensity-modulated radiotherapy era.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To assess the therapeutic gains and setbacks as we evolved from the 2-dimensional radiotherapy (2DRT) to conformal 3-dimensional (3DRT) and to intensity-modulated (IMRT) era. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1593 consecutive patients from 1994 to 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Evolving changes in the different era included advances in staging investigation, radiotherapy technique, dose escalation, and use of chemotherapy. RESULTS: The 3DRT era achieved significant improvement in local failure-free rate (L-FFR), disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS). Neurological damage and bone/soft tissue necrosis were significantly reduced. However, the improvement in distant failure-free rate (D-FFR) was insignificant, and more hearing impairment occurred due to chemotherapy. Significantly higher D-FFR was achieved in the IMRT era, but L-FFR did not show further improvement. 5-Year DSS increased from 78% in the 2DRT, to 81% in the 3DRT, and 85% in the IMRT era, while the corresponding neurological toxicity rate decreased from 7.4% to 3.5% and 1.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Significant improvement in survival and reduction of serious toxicity was achieved as we evolved from 2DRT to 3DRT and IMRT era; the therapeutic ratio for all T-categories improved with more conformal techniques. Improvements in tumor control were attributed not only to advances in RT technique, but also to better imaging and increasing use of potent chemotherapy. However, it should also be noted that hearing impairment significantly increased due to chemotherapy, L-FFR reached a plateau in the 3DRT era, and it is worrisome that the result for T4 remained unsatisfactory. Besides exploring for more potent chemotherapy and innovative methods, the guideline on dose constraint should be re-visited to optimize the therapeutic ratio.

Radical radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in elderly patients: the importance of co-morbidity assessment.

Elderly patients represent a unique challenge for radical treatment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) because of age and co-morbid conditions. We sought to evaluate the outcome of this particular group of patients and to identify key factors affecting treatment outcome. From 1998 to 2008, 990 consecutive NPC patients without distant metastasis were treated with radical radiotherapy with planned total dose >66 Gy. Among them, 103 (10.4%) patients were elderly aged >70 (group A). Their clinical characteristics and outcome were compared with those aged <70 (group B). Mortality at 90 days was used as a proxy of early deaths related to treatment. Co-morbidities were measured by the Adult Co-morbidity Evaluation 27 (ACE-27). Group A presented more commonly with poorer performance status. They showed higher rates of acute reaction, radiotherapy incompletion and mortality at 90 days (7.8% vs. 1.2%, p<0.001). The 5-year overall survival rates were 43.9% and 78.1% for groups A and B, respectively (p<0.001). No difference in failure free survival rates was noted. For group A, ACE-27 was the only predicting factor for mortality at 90 days [ACE-27 2-3 vs. 0-1: HR 15.86 (2.68-93.95), p=0.002], and the most important prognostic factors for overall survival included age, presenting stage and ACE-27 (p<0.05). Elderly NPC patients had poorer tolerance to radiotherapy. Early deaths related to treatment were not uncommon. A reasonable disease control can still be attained after radical radiotherapy for those who were able to survive through the peri-radiotherapy period. Patient selection and treatment approach with reference to ACE-27 should be considered.

The strength/weakness of the AJCC/UICC staging system (7th edition) for nasopharyngeal cancer and suggestions for future improvement.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To evaluate the current AJCC/UICC staging system (7th edition) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and to explore for future improvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 985 patients, initially staged with preceding 5-6th edition, were retrospectively re-staged with the 7th edition. All were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging, and all 945 non-disseminated patients were irradiated with conformal/intensity-modulated technique. RESULTS: Staging factors by both the 5-6th edition and the 7th edition were strongly significance for important endpoints (p<0.001). Down-staging of the previous T2a to T1 and, stages IIA to I in the 7th edition was appropriate. However, the impacts on overall stage distribution and prognostication were minimal. Further down-staging of the current T2 to T1, N2 to N1, stages II to I, and merging of N3a and N3b, stages IVA and IVB were suggested. With the 7th edition, the 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) was 100% for stage I, 95% for II, 90% for III, 67% for IVA, 68% for IVB and 18% for IVC. The corresponding DSS for the proposed stages I, II, III and IV were 95%, 86%, 67% and 18%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The changes introduced in the 7th edition were appropriate, but the magnitude of improvement was minimal. With improving results by modern management, further simplification of the staging system is suggested. The proposed system could lead to more accurate prognostication, further validation is warranted.

Clinical outcomes and patterns of failure after intensity-modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To study and report the clinical outcomes and patterns of failure after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS AND MATERIALS: The treatment outcomes of NPC patients treated with IMRT at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital between 2005 and 2007 were reviewed. The location and extent of locoregional failures were transferred to the pretreatment planning computed tomography for dosimetry analysis. Statistical analyses were performed on dose coverage and locoregional failures. RESULTS: A total of 193 NPC patients were analyzed; 93% had Stage III/IV disease. Median follow-up was 30 months. Overall disease failure (at any site) developed in 35 patients. Among these, there were 23 distant metastases, 16 local failures, and 9 regional failures. Four of the locoregional failures were marginal. Dose conformity with IMRT was excellent. Patients with at least 66.5 Gy to their target volumes had significantly less locoregional failure. The 2-year local progression-free, regional progression-free, distant metastasis-free, and overall survival rates were 95%, 96%, 90%, and 92%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy provides excellent locoregional control for NPC. Distant metastasis remains the most difficult challenge, and more effective systemic agents should be explored for patients presenting with advanced locoregional diseases.

The superiority of hybrid-volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) technique over double arcs VMAT and 3D-conformal technique in the treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer--a planning study.

PURPOSE: To compare the dosimetric performance of three different treatment techniques - conformal radiotherapy (CRT), double arcs volumetric modulated arc therapy (RapidArc, RA) and Hybrid-RapidArc (H-RA) for locally-advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIAL AND METHODS: CRT, RA and H-RA plans were optimized for 24 stage III NSCLC patients. The target prescription dose was 60Gy. CRT consisted of 5-7 coplanar fields, while RA comprised of two 204(o) arcs. H-RA referred to two 204(o) arcs plus 2 static fields, which accounted for approximately half of the total dose. The plans were optimized to fulfill the departmental plan acceptance criteria. RESULTS: RA and H-RA yielded a 20% better conformity compared with CRT. Lung volume receiving >20Gy (V20) and mean lung dose (MLD) were the lowest in H-RA (V20 1.7% and 2.1% lower, MLD 0.59Gy and 0.41Gy lower than CRT & RA respectively) without jeopardizing the low-dose lung volume (V5). H-RA plans gave the lowest mean maximum spinal cord dose (34.4Gy, 3.9Gy