Palliative radiotherapy: New prognostic factors for patients with bone metastasis.

PURPOSE: Many cancer patients develop bone metastases, however the prognosis of overall survival differs. To provide an optimal treatment for these patients, especially towards the end of life, a reliable prediction of survival is needed. The goal of this study was to find new clinical factors in relation to overall survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospectively 22 clinical factors were collected from 734 patients. The Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models were used. RESULTS: Most patients were diagnosed with lung cancer (29%), followed by prostate (19.8%) and breast cancer (14.7%). Median overall survival was 6.4months. Fourteen clinical factors showed significance in the univariate analyses. In the multivariate analyses 6 factors were found to be significant for the overall survival: Karnofsky performance status, primary tumor, gender, total organs affected, morphine use and systemic treatment options after radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Morphine use and systemic treatment options after radiotherapy, Karnofsky performance status, primary tumor, gender and total organs affected are strong prediction factors on overall survival after palliative radiotherapy in patients with bone metastasis. These factors are easily applicable in the clinic.

[Differential diagnostic between hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatoid carcinoma with bone metastasis revelation: What tools can be used?] / Diagnostic différentiel entre un carcinome hépatocellulaire et un carcinome hépatoïde à révélation métastatique osseuse : quels outils sont à disposition ?

Bone metastases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are rare and disease-revealing bone metastasis are exceptional. Here, we report the case of a 69-year-old man with a cervical vertebral metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Morphological aspect of a metastatic tumor with eosinophilic and polygonal cells raises the question of the differential diagnosis between a localization of a hepatocellular carcinoma or an hepatoid carcinoma, notably when the metastasis is the first clinical manifestation. The morphological aspect by itself does not provide strong enough arguments for diagnosis. Well selected immunohistochemical markers can sometimes help to orientate towards one of the two hypotheses, in particular SALL4 and LIN28 which are in favour of hepatoid carcinoma when both are positive. Finally, as these two entities have different molecular profiles, molecular study can also be helpful to distinguish them. Indeed, HCCs often present TERT promoter, CTNNB1 mutations and IL-6/JAK/STAT pathway activation while hepatoid adenocarcinoma frequently presents chromosome 20 long arm gain. TP53 mutations are found in both entities and are therefore not discriminating. Differential diagnosis is important because the treatment will be that of the primary. Prognostic data for HCC revealed by bone metastasis are scarce, although they seem to be associated with a poor prognosis, with a 1 to 2 months overall survival. There is currently no data for hepatoid adenocarcinoma with bone metastasis.

[Stereotactic body radiation therapy for non-spine bone oligometastatic disease]. / Radiothérapie stéréotaxique des métastases osseuses du squelette périphérique.

PURPOSE: Stereotaxic radiotherapy is performed regularly for the irradiation of non-spine bone metastases, but its place is not well understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This article in stereotaxic radiotherapy of non-spine bones oligometastases presents the current scientific data relating to the indications, to virtual simulation, to the delineation of target volumes, to the total dose and fractionation, to the efficacy and tolerance. RESULTS: Oligometastatic patients are classified into 4 categories: oligorecurrences, oligometastasis, oligopersistence, oligoprogression. The prognosis will be evaluated according to the following characteristics: primary tumor, quantitative characteristics, kinetics, qualitative characteristics. The delineation of GTV includes extensions to the soft tissue and bone marrow with the aid of MRI and PET. The CTV corresponds to a margin of 2 to 5mm and the PTV to a margin of 2mm. The most widely used irradiation schemes are: 1 single fraction of 18 to 24Gy/1 fr; 24Gy/2 fr; 27 to 30Gy/3 fr; 30 to 35Gy/5 fr. Stereotaxis provides 90% local control at 1 year and good pain control. The side effects are not very marked. CONCLUSION: Stereotaxic radiotherapy is feasible, non-invasive, minimally toxic and effective with good local control and good pain relief. The main issue remains selecting the patients most likely to benefit from it.

[Radiotherapy and spinal toxicity: News and perspectives]. / Radiothérapie et toxicité médullaire : actualités et perspectives.

Radiation-induced myelopathy is a devastating late effect of radiotherapy. Fortunately, this late effect is exceptional. The clinical presentation of radiation myelopathy is aspecific, typically occurring between 6 to 24 months after radiotherapy, and radiation-induced myelopathy remains a diagnosis of exclusion. Magnetic resonance imaging is the most commonly used imaging tool. Radiation oncologists must be extremely cautious to the spinal cord dose, particularly in stereotactic radiotherapy and reirradiation. Conventionally, a maximum dose of 50Gy is tolerated in normofractionated radiotherapy (1.8 to 2Gy per fraction). Repeat radiotherapies lead to consider cumulative doses above this recommendation to offer individualized reirradiation. Several factors increase the risk of radiation-induced myelopathy, such as concomitant or neurotoxic chemotherapy. The development of predictive algorithms to prevent the risk of radiation-induced myelopathy is promising. However, radiotherapy prescription should be cautious, regarding to ALARA principle (as low as reasonably achievable). As the advent of immunotherapy has improved patient survival data and the concept of oligometastatic cancer is increasing in daily practice, stereotactic treatments and reirradiations will be increasingly frequent indications. Predict the risk of radiation-induced myelopathy is therefore a major issue in the following years, and remains a daily challenge for radiation oncologists.

[Conformal radiotherapy for vertebral bone metastasis]. / Radiothérapie conformationnelle des métastases osseuses vertébrales.

Analgesic external beam radiation therapy is a standard of care for patients with uncomplicated painful bone metastases and/or prevention of bone complications. In case of fracture risk, radiation therapy is performed after surgery in a consolidation of an analgesic purpose and stabilizing osteosynthesis. Radiotherapy is mandatory after vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. Spinal cord compression - the only emergency in radiation therapy - is indicated postoperatively either exclusively for non surgical indication. Analgesic re-irradiation is possible in the case of insufficient response or recurrent pain after radiotherapy. Metabolic radiation, bisphosphonates or denosumab do not dissuade external radiation therapy for pain relief. Systemic oncological treatments can be suspended with a period of wash out given the risk of radiosensitization or recall phenomenon. Better yet, the intensity modulated radiotherapy and stereotactic radiotherapy can be part of a curative strategy for oligometastatic patients and suggest new treatment prospects.