Intraoperative radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer: a single-institution experience.

Background: To assess outcomes and toxicity after low-energy intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for early-stage breast cancer (ESBC). Materials and methods: We reviewed patients with unilateral ESBC treated with breast-conserving surgery and 50-kV IORT at our institution. Patients were prescribed 20 Gy to the surface of the spherical applicator, fitted to the surgical cavity during surgery. Patients who did not meet institutional guidelines for IORT alone on final pathology were recommended adjuvant treatment, including additional surgery and/or external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT). We analyzed ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence, overall survival, recurrence-free survival and toxicity. Results: Among 201 patients (median follow-up, 5.1 years; median age, 67 years), 88% were Her2 negative and ER positive and/or PR positive, 98% had invasive ductal carcinoma, 87% had grade 1 or 2, and 95% had clinical T1 disease. Most had pathological stage T1 (93%) N0 (95%) disease. Mean IORT applicator dose at 1-cm depth was 6.3 Gy. Post-IORT treatment included additional surgery, 10%; EBRT, 11%; adjuvant chemotherapy, 9%; and adjuvant hormonal therapy, 74%. Median total EBRT dose was 42.4 (range, 40.05-63) Gy and median dose per fraction was 2.65 Gy. At 5 years, the cumulative incidence of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence was 2.7%, the overall survival rate was 95% with no breast cancer-related deaths, and the recurrence-free survival rate was 96%. For patients who were deemed unsuitable for postoperative IORT alone and did not receive recommended risk-adapted EBRT, the IBTR rate was 4.7% versus 1.7% (p = 0.23) for patients who were either suitable for IORT alone or unsuitable and received adjuvant EBRT. Cosmetic toxicity data was available for 83%, with 7% experiencing grade 3 breast toxicity and no grade 4-5 toxicity. Conclusions: IORT for select patients with ESBC results in acceptable outcomes in regard to ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence and toxicity.

Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy for Primary Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Achieving Local Control with a Lower Biologically Effective Dose.

We conducted a retrospective study of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for 94 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer at our institution. The patients were treated with either 50 Gy in five treatments or 48 Gy in four treatments, corresponding to biologically effective doses (BED) of 100 Gy or 105.6 Gy, respectively. The results demonstrate that, with relatively low BEDs, we can achieve excellent local control with minimal toxicity.

Laparoscopic Ovarian Transposition Before Pelvic Cancer Treatment: Ovarian Function and Fertility Preservation.

Survivors of pelvic cancer treatment live with the ramifications of pelvic radiation for many years after their cure. Several options are available to preserve ovarian function and fertility in reproductive age women undergoing pelvic radiation. Laparoscopic ovarian transposition is an under-utilized, yet fairly simple surgical procedure to relocate the ovaries away from the radiation field. Although randomized-controlled trials on the outcomes of ovarian transposition are scarce, there is a growing body of evidence on the risks and benefits of this procedure, in terms of prevention of premature ovarian failure, and potentially preserving fertility. In this review, we summarize the available data on the indications, patient selection and outcomes of ovarian transposition, as well as illustrate the technique of the procedure.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy for oligoprogression of metastatic disease from gastrointestinal cancers: A novel approach to extend chemotherapy efficacy.

Chemotherapy and targeted therapies are effective palliative options for numerous unresectable or metastatic cancers. However, treatment resistance inevitably develops leading to mortality. In a subset of patients, systemic therapy appears to control the majority of tumors leaving 5 or less to progress, a phenomenon described as oligoprogression. Reasoning that the majority of lesions remain responsive to ongoing systemic chemotherapy, we hypothesized that local treatment of the progressing lesions would confer a benefit. The present study describes the cases of 5 patients whose metastatic disease was largely controlled by chemotherapy. The oligoprogressive lesions (≤5) were treated with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), justifying continued use of an effective systemic regimen. A total of 5 patients with metastatic disease on chemotherapy, with ≤5 progressing lesions amenable to SBRT, were treated with ablative intent. Primary tumor site and histology were as follows: 2 with metastatic colon adenocarcinoma, 2 with metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma and 1 with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Imaging was performed prior to SBRT and every 3 months after SBRT. In total, 4 out of the 5 patients achieved disease control for >7 months with SBRT, without changing chemotherapy regimen. The median time to chemotherapy change was 9 months, with a median follow-up time of 9 months. The patient who failed to respond developed progressive disease outside of the SBRT field at 3 months. In conclusion, the addition of SBRT to chemotherapy is an option for the overall systemic control of oligoprogressive disease.

Monitoring ABC-assisted deep inspiration breath hold for left-sided breast radiotherapy with an optical tracking system.

PURPOSE: Recent knowledge on the effects of cardiac toxicity warrants greater precision for left-sided breast radiotherapy. Different breath-hold (BH) maneuvers (abdominal vs thoracic breathing) can lead to chest wall positional variations, even though the patient's tidal volume remains consistent. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of using optical tracking for real-time quality control of active breathing coordinator (ABC)-assisted deep inspiration BH (DIBH). METHODS: An in-house optical tracking system (OTS) was used to monitor ABC-assisted DIBH. The stability and localization accuracy of the OTS were assessed with a ball-bearing phantom. Seven patients with left-sided breast cancer were included. A free-breathing (FB) computed tomography (CT) scan and an ABC-assisted BH CT scan were acquired for each patient. The OTS tracked an infrared (IR) marker affixed over the patient's xiphoid process to measure the positional variation of each individual BH. Using the BH within which the CT scan was performed as the reference, the authors quantified intra- and interfraction BH variations for each patient. To estimate the dosimetric impact of BH variations, the authors studied the positional correlation between the marker and the left breast using the FB CT and BH CT scans. The positional variations of 860 BHs as measured by the OTS were retrospectively incorporated into the original treatment plans to evaluate their dosimetric impact on breast and cardiac organs [heart and left anterior descending (LAD) artery]. RESULTS: The stability and localization accuracy of the OTS was within 0.2 mm along each direction. The mean intrafraction variation among treatment BHs was less than 2.8 mm in all directions. Up to 12.6 mm anteroposterior undershoot, where the patient's chest wall displacement of a BH is less than that of a reference BH, was observed with averages of 4.4, 3.6, and 0.1 mm in the anteroposterior, craniocaudal, and mediolateral directions, respectively. A high positional correlation between the marker and the breast was found in the anteroposterior and craniocaudal directions with respective Pearson correlation values of 0.95 and 0.93, but no mediolateral correlation was found. Dosimetric impact of BH variations on breast coverage was negligible. However, the mean heart dose, mean LAD dose, and max LAD dose were estimated to increase from 1.4/7.4/18.6 Gy (planned) to 2.1/15.7/31.0 Gy (delivered), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In ABC-assisted DIBH, large positional variation can occur in some patients, due to their different BH maneuvers. The authors' study has shown that OTS can be a valuable tool for real-time quality control of ABC-assisted DIBH.

Low-kilovoltage, single-dose intraoperative radiation therapy for breast cancer: results and impact on a multidisciplinary breast cancer program.

BACKGROUND: The Intrabeam (Carl Zeiss) brachytherapy device (IB) is an electronic brachytherapy device that can be used to deliver low energy x-rays (50 kV) to a lumpectomy cavity at the time of lumpectomy for breast cancer. Reported experience with IB for breast cancer in the United States has been extremely limited. Here we describe our experience and analyze the impact of IB on our multidisciplinary breast cancer program. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective review of a prospectively collected breast cancer database. Patient characteristics, treatment characteristics, recurrence, and cosmesis were analyzed. Cost data were also analyzed to determine the impact of IB on the breast cancer program. RESULTS: Seventy-eight patients underwent 80 IB treatments in this series between November 2010 and October 2012. Most patients had invasive ductal carcinoma. Mean total operative time for patients receiving lumpectomy, sentinel node biopsy, and IB was 132 minutes (range 79 to 243 minutes). Intrabeam brachytherapy was the only adjuvant radiation required in 81% of patients, and only 15% of patients required additional operation after the index lumpectomy procedure. At 12 months of follow-up, cosmesis was good to excellent in 92% of patients. There have been no local recurrences in patients treated in this series. Intrabeam brachytherapy is associated with considerably lower costs ($1,857) than conventional whole breast radiation therapy ($9,653). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of IB impacts treatment planning and operating room use in a multidisciplinary breast cancer program. The safety profile, ease of administration, and reduced costs of IB favor its more widespread use in selected patients with early-stage breast cancer.

The dynamic tumor bed: volumetric changes in the lumpectomy cavity during breast-conserving therapy.

PURPOSE: To characterize the magnitude of volume change in the postoperative tumor bed before and during radiotherapy, and to identify any factors associated with large volumetric change. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty-six consecutive patients with early-stage or preinvasive breast cancer underwent breast-conserving therapy at our institution between June 2006 and October 2007. Computed tomography (CT) scans of the breast were obtained shortly after surgery, before the start of radiotherapy (RT) for treatment planning, and, if applicable, before the tumor bed boost. Postoperative changes, seroma, and surgical clips were used to define the tumor bed through consensus agreement of 3 observers (B.P., D.I., and J.L.). Multiple variables were examined for correlation with volumetric change. RESULTS: Between the first and last scan obtained (median time, 7.2 weeks), the tumor bed volume decreased at least 20% in 86% of patients (n = 31) and at least 50% in 64% of patients (n = 23). From the postoperative scan to the planning scan (median time, 3 weeks), the tumor bed volume decreased by an average of 49.9%, or approximately 2.1% per postoperative day. From planning scan to boost scan (median interval, 7 weeks), the median tumor bed volume decreased by 44.6%, at an average rate of 0.95% per postoperative day. No single factor was significantly associated with a change in tumor bed volume greater than 20%. CONCLUSIONS: The average postlumpectomy cavity undergoes dramatic volumetric change after surgery and continues this change during RT. The rate of change is inversely proportional to the duration from surgery. In this study no factors studied predicted large volumetric change.