Ten-Year Outcomes of Hypofractionated Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy of 26 Gy in 6 Fractions.

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy and long-term side effects of hypofractionated postmastectomy radiation therapy (HFRT-PM) of 26 Gy in 6 fractions over 5 weeks. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively reviewed characteristics and outcomes of patients with stage I to III breast cancer treated with HFRT-PM between 2000 and 2009. Treatment provided 4 fractions of 4 Gy (days 1, 3, 15, 17) and then 2 fractions of 5 Gy (days 29 and 31) over 5 weeks. The treatment techniques were applied by using 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy of the chest wall with regional nodal volume if required. RESULTS: We identified 454 patients with a median follow-up of 10.6 years (range, 0.5-22.9). Regional nodal irradiation was done in 84.1% of patients. At 10 years, the cumulative incidence of locoregional relapse was 15.1%. In multivariate analysis, regional lymph node involvement (≥4 nodes) was associated with worse locoregional control (hazard ratio, 1.68; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.67; P = .03) and overall survival (hazard ratio, 2.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.59-2.95; P < .001). The toxicities were acceptable. The incidence of cardiac disorders (3.3%), and symptomatic lung fibrosis (1.5%) was low during follow-up. At 10 years, the cumulative rate of arm lymphedema was 9.5% and considered severe in 20 patients (4.4%). CONCLUSIONS: The long-term results of this study show that HFRT-PM of 26 Gy in 6 fractions over 5 weeks seems safe, but locoregional recurrence seems slightly higher than that observed in the literature, highlighting the need for long-term follow-up and for randomized trials for hypofractionated radiation therapy postmastectomy.

Sarcopenia: An important prognostic factor for males treated for a locally advanced esophageal carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Sarcopenia is a prognostic factor of esophageal carcinoma (EC) before surgery, with less convincing data reported before chemoradiotherapy (CRT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients with a locally advanced EC who had been treated with upfront CRT, between 2010 and 2015, were included. The decision of surgery was made after CRT (40-50 Gy). Muscle mass was measured on a single third lumbar vertebra CT-scan slice. Sarcopenia was internationally defined as skeletal muscle index of ≤39cm2/m2 for women and ≤55cm2/m2 for men. Results were additionally analyzed according to clinical parameters, with a cut-off based on the mean skeletal muscle lumbar index (SMI) of the population studied. RESULTS: Overall, 104 patients were included (male: 69%). Mean SMI was 35cm2/m2 for women and 46cm2/m2 for men, with 81% of patients being sarcopenic (n = 84). The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate, of 34.6%, was not significantly associated with sarcopenia in the whole population. In men, there was, however, a highly significant correlation between SMI and OS (p = 0.003), which remained significant upon multivariate analysis (p = 0.02). When using the mean SMI as cut-off, sarcopenia was significantly associated with 3-year OS (43.3% vs. 26.2%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: A high sarcopenia level appears negatively associated with OS in male EC patients treated with upfront CRT.