Clinical outcomes for patients after surgery and radiation therapy for mesenchymal chondrosarcomas.

INTRODUCTION: We report the outcome of 23 patients with mesenchymal chondrosarcomas treated with surgery and radiation therapy +/- chemotherapy. The intent of the project was to review the impact of patient and treatment variables on treatment outcome, in particular with regard to extent of surgery and radiation dose. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients with mesenchymal chondrosarcomas were treated with surgery and radiation therapy (min. dose 44 Gy; max. dose 78 Gy; median dose 60 Gy; mean dose 61 Gy). RESULTS: The median survival for the entire cohort of patients was 21.65 years (95% confidence interval ± 4.25). The 5- and 10-year OS was 78.6%. Median disease-free survival for the 23 patients was 7.2 years. Disease-free survival (DFS) at 3 and 5 years was 70.7% and 57.8%, respectively. The local control rate at 5 and 10 years was 89.5% (95%CI 64.1-97.3%). Only three patients experienced local failure, three patients had regional failure, and eight developed distant metastases. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of patients local tumor control was high when using a combination of surgery and radiation. There was not a clear relationship between radiation dose and local tumor control. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:982-986. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Characterization of T gene sequence variants and germline duplications in familial and sporadic chordoma.

Chordoma is a rare bone cancer that is believed to originate from notochordal remnants. We previously identified germline T duplication as a major susceptibility mechanism in several chordoma families. Recently, a common genetic variant in T (rs2305089) was significantly associated with the risk of sporadic chordoma. We sequenced all T exons in 24 familial cases and 54 unaffected family members from eight chordoma families (three with T duplications), 103 sporadic cases, and 160 unrelated controls. We also measured T copy number variation in all sporadic cases. We confirmed the association between the previously reported variant rs2305089 and risk of familial [odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.93, 7.25, P = 0.067] and sporadic chordoma (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.89, 4.29, P < 0.0001). We also identified a second common variant, rs1056048, that was strongly associated with chordoma in families (OR = 4.14, 95% CI = 1.43, 11.92, P = 0.0086). Among sporadic cases, another common variant (rs3816300) was significantly associated with risk when jointly analyzed with rs2305089. The association with rs3816300 was significantly stronger in cases with early age onset. In addition, we identified three rare variants that were only observed among sporadic chordoma cases, all of which have potential functional relevance based on in silico predictions. Finally, we did not observe T duplication in any sporadic chordoma case. Our findings further highlight the importance of the T gene in the pathogenesis of both familial and sporadic chordoma and suggest a complex susceptibility related to T.

Long-term results of Phase II study of high dose photon/proton radiotherapy in the management of spine chordomas, chondrosarcomas, and other sarcomas.

BACKGROUND: Negative surgical margins are uncommon for spine sarcomas; hence, adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) may be recommended but tumor dose may be constrained by spinal cord, nerve, and viscera tolerance. METHODS: Prospective Phase II clinical trial incorporating high dose RT. Eligible patients had primary or locally recurrent thoracic, lumbar, and/or sacral spine/paraspinal chordomas or sarcomas. Treatment included pre- and/or post-operative photon/proton RT ± radical resection. RESULTS: Fifty patients (29 chordoma, 14 chondrosarcoma, 7 other) underwent gross total (n = 25) or subtotal (n = 12) resection or biopsy (n = 13). RT dose was ≤72.0 GyRBE in 25 patients and 76.6-77.4 GyRBE in 25 patients. With 7.3-year median follow-up, the 5 and 8-year actuarial local control (LC) rates were 94% and 85% for primary tumors and 81% and 74% for the entire group. Local recurrence was less common for primary tumors, 4/36 (11%) versus 7/14 (50%) for recurrent tumors, P = 0.002. The 8-year actuarial risk of grade 3-4 late RT morbidity was 13%. No myelopathies were seen. No late neurologic toxicities noted with radiation doses ≤72.0 GyRBE while three sacral neuropathies appeared after doses of 76.6-77.4 GyRBE. CONCLUSIONS: LC with this treatment is high in patients with primary tumors. Late morbidity appears to be acceptable.

Ectopic Recurrence of Skull Base Chordoma after Proton Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Chordoma are rare tumors of the axial skeleton. The treatment gold standard is surgery, followed by particle radiotherapy. Total resection is usually not achievable in skull base chordoma (SBC) and high recurrence rates are reported. Ectopic recurrence as a first sign of treatment failure is considered rare. Favorable sites of these ectopic recurrences remain unknown. METHODS: Five out of 16 SBC patients treated with proton therapy and surgical resection developed ectopic recurrence as a first sign of treatment failure were critically analyzed regarding prior surgery, radiotherapy, and recurrences at follow-up imaging. RESULTS: Eighteen recurrences were defined in five patients. A total of 31 surgeries were performed for primary tumors and recurrences. Seventeen out of eighteen (94%) ectopic recurrences could be related to prior surgical tracts, outside the therapeutic radiation dose. Follow-up imaging showed that tumor recurrence was difficult to distinguish from radiation necrosis and anatomical changes due to surgery. CONCLUSIONS: In our cohort, we found uncommon ectopic recurrences in the surgical tract. Our theory is that these recurrences are due to microscopic tumor spill during surgery. These cells did not receive a therapeutic radiation dose. Advances in surgical possibilities and adjusted radiotherapy target volumes might improve local control and survival.

Definitive high-dose, proton-based radiation for unresected mobile spine and sacral chordomas.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Treatment of spine and sacral chordoma generally involves surgical resection, usually in conjunction with radiation therapy.In certain locations, resection may result in significant neurological dysfunction, so definitive radiation has been used as an alternative to surgery. The purpose of this study is to report the results of high-dose, proton-based definitive radiotherapy for unresected spinal and sacral chordomas. MATERIALS/METHODS: Retrospective review of 67 patients with newly diagnosed, unresected spinal chordomas treated with high-dose definitive, proton-based radiotherapy at our center from 1975 to 2019. RESULTS: Reasons for radiotherapy alone included medical inoperability and/or concern for neurological dysfunction based on spine level or patient choice. Tumor locations included cervical (n = 10), thoracic (n = 1), lumbar (n = 4) spine, and sacrum (n = 52). Median maximal tumor diameter was 7.4 cm (range 1.8-25 cm). Median total dose was 77.4 Gy (RBE) (range 73.8-85.9 Gy RBE). Analysis with median follow-up of 56.2 months (range, 4-171.7 months) showed overall survival of 83.5 % (95%CI: 69.4-91.5%) and 65.9% (95%CI: 47.3-79.3%), disease-free survival of 64% (95%CI: 49.3-75.4) and 44.1% (95%CI: 27.8-59.2%), local control of 81.8% (95%CI: 67.6-90.2%) and 63.6% (95%CI: 44.7-77.5%), and distant control of 77.4% (95%CI: 63.6-86.5%) and 72.5% (95%CI: 55.7-83.8%) at 5 and 8 years respectively. The most common late side effect was insufficiency fracture. CONCLUSION: These results continue to support the use of high-dose definitive radiotherapy for patients with medically inoperable or otherwise unresected mobile spine or sacrococcygeal chordomas. There is a trend towards better disease-free survival with doses > 78 Gy (RBE).

Proton-based radiotherapy for unresectable or incompletely resected osteosarcoma.

BACKGROUND: A study was undertaken to assess clinical outcome and the role of proton therapy for local control of osteosarcoma (OSA). METHODS: All patients who received proton therapy or mixed photon-proton radiotherapy from 1983 to 2009 at the Massachusetts General Hospital were reviewed. Criteria for proton therapy were the need for high dose in the context of highly conformal radiotherapy of unresected or partially resected OSA, positive postoperative margins, postoperative imaging studies with macroscopic disease, or incomplete resection as defined by the surgeon. The primary endpoint was local control of the site treated; secondary endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), long-term toxicity, and prognostic factors associated with clinical outcome. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients with a median age of 29 years (range, 2-76 years) were offered proton therapy. The mean dose was 68.4 gray (Gy; standard deviation, 5.4 Gy). Of the total dose, 58.2% (range, 11%-100%) was delivered with protons. Local control after 3 and 5 years was 82% and 72%, respectively. The distant failure rate was 26% after 3 and 5 years. The 5-year DFS was 65%, and the 5-year OS was 67%. The extent of surgical resection did not correlate with outcome. Risk factors for local failure were ≥ 2 grade disease (P < .0001) and total treatment length (P = .008). Grade 3 to 4 late toxicity was seen in 30.1 % of patients. One patient died from treatment-associated acute lymphocytic leukemia, and 1 from secondary carcinoma of the maxilla. CONCLUSIONS: Proton therapy to deliver high radiotherapy doses allows locally curative treatment for some patients with unresectable or incompletely resected OSA.

Clinical findings in families with chordoma with and without T gene duplications and in patients with sporadic chordoma reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.

OBJECTIVE: To gain insight into the role of germline genetics in the development of chordoma, the authors evaluated data from 2 sets of patients with familial chordoma, those with and without a germline duplication of the T gene (T-dup+ vs T-dup-), which was previously identified as a susceptibility mechanism in some families. The authors then compared the patients with familial tumors to patients with sporadic chordoma in the US general population reported to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program through 2015. METHODS: Evaluation of family members included review of personal and family medical history, physical and neurological examination, and pre- and postcontrast MRI of the skull base and spine. Sixteen patients from 6 white families with chordoma had a chordoma diagnosis at family referral. Screening MR images of 35 relatives revealed clival lesions in 6, 4 of which were excised and confirmed to be chordoma. Thus, data were available for 20 patients with histologically confirmed familial chordoma. There were 1759 patients with histologically confirmed chordoma in SEER whose race was known. RESULTS: The median age at chordoma diagnosis differed across the groups: it was lowest in T-dup+ familial patients (26.8 years, range 5.3-68.4 years); intermediate in T-dup- patients (46.2 years, range 11.8-60.1 years); and highest in SEER patients (57 years, range 0-98 years). There was a marked preponderance of skull base tumors in patients with familial chordoma (93% in T-dup+ and 83% in T-dup-) versus 38% in the SEER program (37% in white, 53% in black, and 48.5% in Asian/Pacific Islander/American Indian/Alaska Native patients). Furthermore, 29% of white and 16%-17% of nonwhite SEER patients had mobile-spine chordoma, versus no patients in the familial group. Several T-dup+ familial chordoma patients had putative second/multiple primary chordomas. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of young age at diagnosis, skull base presentation, or multiple primary chordomas should encourage careful review of family history for patients diagnosed with chordoma as well as screening of at-risk family members by MRI for early detection of chordoma. Furthermore, given genetic predisposition in some patients with familial chordoma, identification of a specific mutation in a family will permit surveillance to be limited to mutation carriers-and consideration should be given for imaging the entire neuraxis in any chordoma patient presenting at an early age or with a blood relative with chordoma. Finally, future studies should explore racial differences in age at diagnosis and presenting site in chordoma.

Radiation tolerance of the optic pathway in patients treated with proton and photon radiotherapy.

INTRODUCTION: Radiation-induced optic neuropathy (RION) is a complication of radiation therapy (RT) that causes blindness. We aimed to define the tolerance of the anterior optic pathway to fractionated RT and identify risk factors for RION. MATERIALS/METHODS: Patients with chordoma or chondrosarcoma of the skull base treated with proton and photon therapy between 1983 and 2013, who received a minimum of 30 Gy (relative biologic effectiveness [RBE]) to the anterior optic pathway were assessed. Optic neuropathy with radiographic correlation occurring ≥6 months after completion of RT in the absence of tumor recurrence or other probable cause was diagnosed as RION. RESULTS: Of 514 patients, 17 developed RION. With median follow-up of 4.8 years, cumulative incidence of RION was 1% among patients receiving <59 Gy (RBE) and 5.8% among patients receiving ≥60 Gy (RBE) to the optic pathway. Higher maximum point dose to the optic pathway (subhazard ratio [SHR] = 1.2, 95% CI 1.05-1.2, p = 0.001), older age (SHR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.02-1.08, p < 0.0005), and female sex (SHR = 16.3, 95% CI 2.2-122.4, p = 0.007) were statistically significant risk factors for RION in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: In our study cohort, rates of RION were very low with conventionally fractionated RT up to 59 Gy. At doses ≥60 Gy, there is an increased risk of RION, with greater risk for women and older patients.

Individualization of Clinical Target Volume Delineation Based on Stepwise Spread of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Outcome of More Than a Decade of Clinical Experience.

PURPOSE: Radiation-related toxicity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is common. There are no well-established guidelines for clinical target volume (CTV) delineation with long-term follow-up. Current consensus continues to rely heavily on bony landmarks and fixed margins around the gross tumor volume (GTV), an approach used to define fields in the conventional 2- and 3-dimensional radiation therapy era. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively evaluated patients with newly diagnosed nonmetastatic NPC treated with definitive radiation therapy using a technique of CTV delineation based on individual tumor extent and the orderly stepwise pattern of tumor spread. Dosimetric comparisons were made between national protocol HN001 and our contouring strategies on a representative early- and advanced-stage NPC. The primary endpoints were patterns of failure and local control; secondary endpoints included regional control and survival, estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Between 1999 and 2013, 73 patients (88% with stage 3-4 disease) were treated with median follow-up of 90 months for surviving patients. Median dose to GTV was 70 Gy. Four patients developed local recurrence and 1 patient developed regional recurrence. All locoregional recurrences occurred within the high-dose GTV. The 5-year local control, regional control, and overall survival was 94% (95% confidence interval [CI], 85%-98%), 99% (95% CI, 90%-100%), and 84% (95% CI, 73%-91%), respectively. Compared with HN001, our contouring strategy resulted in 62% and 36% reduction in CTV for T1 and T4 disease, respectively. In the T1 tumor, the reduction of doses to the contralateral parotid, optic nerve, and cochlea were 54%, 50%, 34% respectively. In the T4 case, there was a decrease of optic chiasm dose of 46% and contralateral optic nerve of 37%. There were 10 grade 3 toxicities. There was no grade 2 or higher xerostomia and no grade 4/5 toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Our long-term experience with individualized CTV delineation based on stepwise patterns of spread results in excellent local control, with no recurrence outside the GTV.

Patient study of in vivo verification of beam delivery and range, using positron emission tomography and computed tomography imaging after proton therapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility and value of positron emission tomography and computed tomography (PET/CT) for treatment verification after proton radiotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This study included 9 patients with tumors in the cranial base, spine, orbit, and eye. Total doses of 1.8-3 GyE and 10 GyE (for an ocular melanoma) per fraction were delivered in 1 or 2 fields. Imaging was performed with a commercial PET/CT scanner for 30 min, starting within 20 min after treatment. The same treatment immobilization device was used during imaging for all but 2 patients. Measured PET/CT images were coregistered to the planning CT and compared with the corresponding PET expectation, obtained from CT-based Monte Carlo calculations complemented by functional information. For the ocular case, treatment position was approximately replicated, and spatial correlation was deduced from reference clips visible in both the planning radiographs and imaging CT. Here, the expected PET image was obtained from an analytical model. RESULTS: Good spatial correlation and quantitative agreement within 30% were found between the measured and expected activity. For head-and-neck patients, the beam range could be verified with an accuracy of 1-2 mm in well-coregistered bony structures. Low spine and eye sites indicated the need for better fixation and coregistration methods. An analysis of activity decay revealed as tissue-effective half-lives of 800-1,150 s. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of postradiation PET/CT for in vivo treatment verification. It also indicates some technological and methodological improvements needed for optimal clinical application.

Predicting Patient-specific Dosimetric Benefits of Proton Therapy for Skull-base Tumors Using a Geometric Knowledge-based Method.

PURPOSE: To predict the organ at risk (OAR) dose levels achievable with proton beam therapy (PBT), solely based on the geometric arrangement of the target volume in relation to the OARs. A comparison with an alternative therapy yields a prediction of the patient-specific benefits offered by PBT. This could enable physicians at hospitals without proton capabilities to make a better-informed referral decision or aid patient selection in model-based clinical trials. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Skull-base tumors were chosen to test the method, owing to their geometric complexity and multitude of nearby OARs. By exploiting the correlations between the dose and distance-to-target in existing PBT plans, the models were independently trained for 6 types of OARs: brainstem, cochlea, optic chiasm, optic nerve, parotid gland, and spinal cord. Once trained, the models could estimate the feasible dose-volume histogram and generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) for OAR structures of new patients. The models were trained using 20 patients and validated using an additional 21 patients. Validation was achieved by comparing the predicted gEUD to that of the actual PBT plan. RESULTS: The predicted and planned gEUD were in good agreement. Considering all OARs, the prediction error was +1.4 ± 5.1 Gy (mean ± standard deviation), and Pearson's correlation coefficient was 93%. By comparing with an intensity modulated photon treatment plan, the model could classify whether an OAR structure would experience a gain, with a sensitivity of 93% (95% confidence interval: 87%-97%) and specificity of 63% (95% confidence interval: 38%-84%). CONCLUSIONS: We trained and validated models that could quickly and accurately predict the patient-specific benefits of PBT for skull-base tumors. Similar models could be developed for other tumor sites. Such models will be useful when an estimation of the feasible benefits of PBT is desired but the experience and/or resources required for treatment planning are unavailable.

Definitive proton beam therapy for adenoid cystic carcinoma of the nasopharynx involving the base of skull.

OBJECTIVES: Management of unresectable adenocystic carcinoma (ACC) of the nasopharynx is challenging given the high dose required for tumor control while respecting dose constraints. We evaluated long-term outcomes and toxicity in patients with unresectable ACC of the nasopharynx treated with definitive proton beam therapy. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2013, 14 patients with ACC of the nasopharynx were treated. Ninety-three percent had T4 disease. All had involvement of the skull base. Seventy-nine percent and 21% of patients underwent biopsy and endoscopic debulking surgery, respectively. Median dose was 73.8Gy (RBE). Fifty percent of patients received concurrent chemotherapy. Locoregional control and overall survival probabilities were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Treatment toxicity was scored by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0. RESULTS: Median follow-up of surviving patients was 69months. There were 3 local, 1 regional, and 4 distant failures. Median time of local failures was 69months (range: 63-161). All local recurrences were within previous high-dose regions. Four patients developed metastatic disease at a median of 30months (range: 4-64). Five-year overall survival was 59%. The most common cause of death was due to metastatic disease. There was one acute grade 3 toxicity. No patient required gastrostomy tube or hospitalization. Three patients developed grade 3 or higher late toxicity. Two of these patients received combined modality treatment. With 176months follow-up, no second cancer was observed. CONCLUSION: Proton beam therapy results in promising local control with acceptable toxicity in patients with unresectable ACC of the nasopharynx. As late recurrence is common, longer follow-up is necessary to confirm our findings.

Updated Outcome and Analysis of Tumor Response in Mobile Spine and Sacral Chordoma Treated With Definitive High-Dose Photon/Proton Radiation Therapy.

PURPOSE: Treatment of spine and sacral chordoma generally involves surgical resection, usually in conjunction with radiation therapy. In certain circumstances where resection may result in significant neurologic or organ dysfunction, patients can be treated definitively with radiation therapy alone. Herein, we report the outcome and the assessment of tumor response to definitive radiation therapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 40 patients with unresected chordoma treated with photon/proton radiation therapy. Nineteen patients had complete sets of imaging scans. The soft tissue and bone compartments of the tumor were defined separately. Tumor response was evaluated by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and volumetric analysis. RESULTS: With a median follow-up time of 50.3 months, the rates of 5-year local control, overall survival, disease-specific survival, and distant failure were 85.4%, 81.9%, 89.4%, and 20.2%, respectively. Eighty-four computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging scans were reviewed. Among the 19 patients, only 4 local failures occurred, and the median tumor dose was 77.4 GyRBE. Analysis at a median follow-up time of 18 months showed significant volumetric reduction of the total target volume (TTV) and the soft tissue target volume (STTV) within the first 24 months after treatment initiation, followed by further gradual reduction throughout the rest of the follow-up period. The median maximum percentage volumetric regressions of TTV and STTV were 43.2% and 70.4%, respectively. There was only a small reduction in bone target volume over time. In comparison with the modified RECIST, volumetric analysis was more reliable, more reproducible, and could help in measuring minimal changes in the tumor volume. CONCLUSION: These results continue to support the use of high-dose definitive radiation therapy for selected patients with unresected spine and sacral chordomas. Assessment of tumor response to radiation therapy by volumetric analysis is superior to modified RECIST in chordoma patients. Evaluating the soft tissue target volume is an excellent indicator of tumor response.

Prospective, Randomized Study of Radiation Dose Escalation With Combined Proton-Photon Therapy for Benign Meningiomas.

PURPOSE: To assess the outcomes of benign meningiomas (BM) treated to two radiation dose levels. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We randomly assigned patients (1:1) with incompletely resected or recurrent BM to 2 radiation doses: 55.8 Gy(relative biological effectiveness [RBE]) and 63.0 Gy(RBE) of fractionated combined proton-photon radiation therapy. The primary endpoint was local control with hypothesis of improved tumor control with higher dose. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival, overall survival, and rates of treatment-related toxicities. RESULTS: Between 1991 and 2000, 47 patients were randomized. Three patients were excluded for nonbenign histology; therefore, 44 patients were analyzed: 22 who received 55.8 Gy(RBE) and 22 who received 63.0 Gy(RBE). The median follow-up was 17.1 years. Local control for the entire cohort was 98% at 10 years and 90% at 15 years. Of the 5 patients with local recurrence, 4 occurred after 10 years of follow-up, and 3 were in the lower dose group (P=.322). In the modified intention to treat analysis, there was no difference in progression-free survival (P=.234) and overall survival (P=.271) between arms. A total of 26 patients (59%) experienced a grade 2 or higher late toxicity, including 9 patients (20%) incurring a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), 7 of which were deemed at least possibly attributable to irradiation. The median time between completion of radiation therapy and CVA was 5.6 years (range, 1.4-14.0 years). CONCLUSIONS: Fractionated combined proton-photon radiation therapy is effective for BM, with no apparent benefit in dose escalation. Further investigation is needed to better define the risk of late toxicities, including CVA after cranial radiation therapy.

Sacral chordomas: Impact of high-dose proton/photon-beam radiation therapy combined with or without surgery for primary versus recurrent tumor.

PURPOSE: To assess the efficacy of definitive treatment of sacral chordoma by high-dose proton/photon-beam radiation therapy alone or combined with surgery. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The records of 16 primary and 11 recurrent sacral chordoma patients treated from November 1982 to November 2002 by proton/photon radiation therapy alone (6 patients) or combined with surgery (21 patients) have been analyzed for local control, survival, and treatment-related morbidity. The outcome analysis is based on follow-up information as of 2005. RESULTS: Outcome results show a large difference in local failure rate between patients treated for primary and recurrent chordomas. Local control results by surgery and radiation were 12/14 vs. 1/7 for primary and recurrent lesions. For margin-positive patients, local control results were 10 of 11 and 0 of 5 in the primary and recurrent groups, respectively; the mean follow-up on these locally controlled patients was 8.8 years (4 at 10.3, 12.8, 17, and 21 years). Radiation alone was used in 6 patients, 4 of whom received > or =73.0 Gy (E); local control was observed in 3 of these 4 patients for 2.9, 4.9, and 7.6 years. CONCLUSION: These data indicate a high local control rate for surgical and radiation treatment of primary (12 of 14) as distinct from recurrent (1 of 7) sacral chordomas. Three of 4 chordomas treated by > or =73.0 Gy (E) of radiation alone had local control; 1 is at 91 months. This indicates that high-dose proton/photon therapy offers an effective treatment option.

Base of skull chordomas in children and adolescents: a clinicopathologic study of 73 cases.

Chordomas in children and adolescents comprise <5% of all chordomas and most frequently develop in the skull base. These tumors are believed to behave more aggressively than chordomas in adults and may have unusual morphology. This study examines a large series of pediatric skull base chordomas treated with a standardized protocol to characterize the behavior and morphology of these tumors. There were 31 males and 42 females ranging from 1 to 18 (mean 9.7) years. Forty-two cases (58%) were conventional chordomas, some of which had unusual histopathologic features. Chondroid chordomas comprised 23% of cases. Fourteen tumors (19%) were highly cellular and had a solid growth pattern with no myxoid matrix or lobular architecture. Eight of these had cytologic features of conventional chordoma cells including physaliferous cells (cellular chordoma). The remaining cellular tumors were composed of poorly differentiated epithelioid cells set in a fibrous stroma and lacked physaliferous cells (poorly differentiated chordoma). All variants studied by immunohistochemistry showed positive staining for cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, S100 protein, and vimentin. Mitoses and necrosis were seen in all variants. Follow-up data were available for all patients and ranged from 1 to 21 (mean 7.25) years. The survival rate was 81%. All but 1 patient with poorly differentiated chordoma died of disease. Overall, base of skull chordomas in children and adolescents treated with proton beam radiation have better survival than chordomas in adults. However, poorly differentiated chordomas are highly aggressive tumors.

Thoracolumbar spinal cord tolerance to high dose conformal proton-photon radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and understand the tolerance of the thoracolumbar spinal cord using equivalent uniform dose (EUD) and dose volume histogram (DVH) analysis after combined high dose photon-proton radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 68 patients were identified as having high dose radiotherapy, ⩾5900cGy (RBE) in the region of the thoracolumbar spinal cord, defined as extending inferiorly to L2. Pathological diagnosis for patients in this review included chordoma (50 patients, 53.1%), chondrosarcoma (28 patients, 29.8%), osteosarcoma (3 patients, 3.2%), other sarcoma (11 patients, 11.7%), and other (2 patients, 2.1%). Patient data were reviewed retrospectively, detailed dose volume histogram data (DVH) were available for 23 patients. Composite plans and DVH were constructed for both pre-operative and post-operative radiation therapy courses in MIM-Vista software, as available. Dose constraints to the center and surface of the cord were 5400cGy (RBE), and 6300cGy (RBE) respectively, and patients receiving concurrent chemotherapy received an eight percent dose reduction. Spinal cord toxicity was recorded using the RTOG/EORTC late effects scoring system. RESULTS: Clinical and dosimetric data for each patient were analyzed. Median prescription dose was 7020cGy (RBE), range (5940-7820cGy (RBE)). Median follow-up was 12.9months. Five-year overall survival for all patients in this group was 88.7%, 95%CI (74.7-95.2). One patient suffered from transient paralysis following stem cell transplant for treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome. Other reasons for spinal cord injury following treatment included: local disease progression, noted in 7 patients (10.3%), and direct result of surgery, noted in 8 patients (11.8%). Freedom from neurological injury (RTOG Grade 2 or higher) at 5years was 92.9%(95%CI: 74.6-98.2), at 6years was 80.9%(95%CI: 55.3-92.7), and at 8years 80.9%(95%CI: 55.3-92.7). CONCLUSION: Our clinical and dosimetric data suggest that the noted dose constraints are safe and acceptable with regard to spinal cord complications. Pre-existing disease characteristics, surgical complications, as well as tumor progression, appear to be more important factors when it comes to spinal cord toxicity.

Radiotherapy for local control of osteosarcoma.

PURPOSE: Local control of osteosarcoma in patients for whom a resection with satisfactory margins is not achieved can be difficult. This study evaluated the efficacy of radiotherapy (RT) in this setting. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We identified 41 patients in our sarcoma database with osteosarcomas that either were not resected or were excised with close or positive margins and who underwent RT with external beam photons and/or protons at our institution between 1980 and 2002. Patient charts were reviewed to assess local control, progression-free survival, metastasis-free survival, and overall survival. RESULTS: The anatomic sites treated were head/face/skull in 17, extremity in 8, spine in 8, pelvis in 7, and trunk in 1. Of the 41 patients, 27 (65.85%) had undergone gross total tumor resection, 9 (21.95%) subtotal resection, and 5 (12.2%) biopsy only. The radiation dose ranged from 10 to 80 Gy (median 66). Twenty-three patients (56.1%) received a portion of their RT with protons. Chemotherapy was given to 35 patients (85.4%). Of the 41 patients, 27 (65.85%) were treated for localized disease at primary presentation, 10 (24.4%) for local recurrence, and 4 (9.8%) for metastatic disease. The overall local control rate at 5 years was 68% +/- 8.3%. The local control rate according to the extent of resection was 78.4% +/- 8.6% for gross total resection 77.8% +/- 13.9% for subtotal resection, and 40% +/- 21.9% for biopsy only (p < 0.01). The overall survival rate according to the extent of resection was 74.45% +/- 9.1% for gross total resection, 74.1% +/- 16.1% for subtotal resection, and 25% +/- 21.65% for biopsy only (p < 0.001). Patients with either gross or subtotal resection had a greater rate of local control, survival, and disease-free survival compared with those who underwent biopsy only at 5 years (77.7% +/- 7.5% vs. 40% +/- 21% [p <0.001], 73.9% +/- 8.1% vs. 25% +/- 21.6% [p <0.001], and 51.9% +/- 9.1% vs. 25% +/- 21.6% [p <0.01], respectively). Overall survival was better in patients treated at primary presentation (78.8% +/- 8.6% compared with 54% +/- 17.3% for recurrence) p <0.05). No definitive dose-response relationship for local control of tumor was seen, although the local control rate was 71% +/- 9% for 32 patients receiving doses > or =55 Gy vs. 53.6% +/- 20.1% for 9 patients receiving <55 Gy (p = 0.11). Of 15 patients with tumors >5.3 cm, 9 received doses > or =55 Gy and the local control rate was 80% +/- 17.9%, and 6 received doses <55 Gy with a local control rate of only 50% +/- 25% at 5 years (p = 0.16). Among patients who underwent gross total resection, the local control rate was 77.5% +/- 9.95% in 22 patients with negative margins vs 66.7% +/- 27.2% in 3 patients with positive margins (p = 0.54). Two patients had unknown margin status. CONCLUSION: RT can help provide local control of osteosarcoma for patients in whom surgical resection with widely, negative margins is not possible. It appears to be more effective in situations in which microscopic or minimal residual disease is being treated.

High-dose proton-based radiation therapy in the management of spine chordomas: outcomes and clinicopathological prognostic factors.

OBJECT: Spinal chordomas can have high local recurrence rates after surgery with or without conventional dose radiation therapy (RT). Treatment outcomes and prognostic factors after high-dose proton-based RT with or without surgery were assessed. METHODS: The authors conducted a retrospective review of 126 treated patients (127 lesions) categorized according to disease status (primary vs recurrent), resection (en bloc vs intralesional), margin status, and RT timing. RESULTS: Seventy-one sacrococcygeal, 40 lumbar, and 16 thoracic chordomas were analyzed. Mean RT dose was 72.4 GyRBE (relative biological effectiveness). With median follow-up of 41 months, the 5-year overall survival (OS), local control (LC), locoregional control (LRC), and distant control (DC) for the entire cohort were 81%, 62%, 60%, and 77%, respectively. LC for primary chordoma was 68% versus 49% for recurrent lesions (p = 0.058). LC if treated with a component of preoperative RT was 72% versus 54% without this treatment (p = 0.113). Among primary tumors, LC and LRC were higher with preoperative RT, 85% (p = 0.019) and 79% (0.034), respectively, versus 56% and 56% if no preoperative RT was provided. Overall LC was significantly improved with en bloc versus intralesional resection (72% vs 55%, p = 0.016), as was LRC (70% vs 53%, p = 0.035). A trend was noted toward improved LC and LRC for R0/R1 margins and the absence of intralesional procedures. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose proton-based RT in the management of spinal chordomas can be effective treatment. In patients undergoing surgery, those with primary chordomas undergoing preoperative RT, en bloc resection, and postoperative RT boost have the highest rate of local tumor control; among 28 patients with primary chordomas who underwent preoperative RT and en bloc resection, no local recurrences were seen. Intralesional and incomplete resections are associated with higher local failure rates and are to be avoided.

Spinal cord tolerance to high-dose fractionated 3D conformal proton-photon irradiation as evaluated by equivalent uniform dose and dose volume histogram analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate cervical spinal cord tolerance using equivalent uniform dose (EUD) and dose volume histogram (DVH) analysis after proton-photon radiotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIAL: The 3D dose distributions were analyzed in 85 patients with cervical vertebral tumors. Mean follow-up was 41.3 months. The mean prescribed dose was 76.3 Cobalt Gray Equivalent (CGE = proton dose x RBE 1.1). Dose constraints to the center and the surface of the cervical cord were 55-58 CGE and 67-70 CGE, respectively. Dose parameters, DVH and EUD, were calculated for each patient. The spinal cord toxicity was graded using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) late effects scoring system. RESULTS: Thirteen patients experienced Grade 1-2 toxicity. Four patients had Grade 3 toxicity. For the dose range used in this study, none of the dosimetric parameters was found to be associated with the observed distribution of cord toxicities. The only factor significantly associated with cord toxicity was the number of surgeries before irradiation. CONCLUSION: The data and our analysis suggest that the integrity of the normal musculoskeletal supportive tissues and vascular supply may be important confounding factors of toxicity at these dose levels. The results also indicate that the cervical spinal cord dose constraints used in treating these patients are appropriate for conformal proton-photon radiotherapy.