Do air gaps with image-guided vaginal cuff brachytherapy impact failure rates in patients with high-intermediate risk FIGO Stage I endometrial cancer?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of air gaps at the cylinder surface on the rate of vaginal cuff failure (VCF) after image-guided adjuvant vaginal cuff brachytherapy (VCBT) in the treatment of high-intermediate risk (HIR) FIGO (Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics)) Stage I endometrial cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A retrospective review of patients treated with image-guided VCBT from 2009 to 2016 for HIR FIGO Stage I endometrial cancer was performed. Air gaps present at the applicator surface on the first postinsertion CT were contoured. Vaginal cuff failure-free survival (VCFFS) was measured from the first fraction of VCBT to VCF. RESULTS: A total of 234 patients were identified. Air gaps were present on the first postinsertion CT scan in 82% of patients. The median number of air gaps was 2 (interquartile range [IQR] 1-3), median depth of the largest air gap was 2.7 mm (IQR 2.1-3.4 mm), and the median cumulative volume of air gaps was less than 0.1 cm3 (range < 0.1-0.7 cm3). At a median followup of 56 months (IQR 41-69), 12 patients (5%) experienced VCF, of which 4 had isolated VCF and 8 had synchronous pelvic or distant failure. Five-year VCFFS and isolated VCFFS were 96% (95% confidence interval 93-98%) and 98% (95% confidence interval 96-100%), respectively. On univariate analysis, no factors, including the presence, number, maximum depth, or cumulative volume of air gaps, were predictive for VCFFS. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, VCFFS remained high despite most patients having air gaps present on postinsertion CT scan.

Single-institutional outcomes of adjuvant brachytherapy for Stage I endometrial cancer-Are outcomes consistent with randomized studies?

PURPOSE: Vaginal brachytherapy (VBT) alone has been shown to be a viable adjuvant treatment strategy for most patients with Stage I endometrioid endometrial cancer. We sought to examine our institutional data following practice pattern changes resulting from the publications of GOG-99 and PORTEC-2. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively analyzed women who underwent adjuvant VBT after surgical staging for Stage 1 endometrioid endometrial cancer at our institution from 2007 to 2014. RESULTS: We identified 297 women. Median time to last followup or death was 52.3 months (interquartile range: 32.3-72.3 months). By International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2009 staging, 162 patients (54.5%) had Stage IA and 128 (43.1%) had Stage IB disease. Ninety-nine (33.3%) patients had Grade 1, 153 (51.5%) had Grade 2, and 45 (15.2%) had Grade 3 disease. According to GOG-249 and PORTEC-2 criteria, 167 (56.2%) and 127 (42.7%) patients were with high-intermediate-risk disease. Two women had Stage IB Grade 3 disease. The most common high-dose-rate-VBT regimen was 2100 cGy/three fractions to a depth of 5 mm. Four (two acute and two late) (1.3%) Grade 3 genitourinary toxicities were reported: three episodes of vaginal dehiscence (after second course of VBT, 2 months after completion of VBT, and 1 year after completion of VBT) and one episode of radiation necrosis. Twenty-one (7%) women recurred: three recurred in the vagina, two recurred in the pelvic lymph nodes, and 16 recurred distantly. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes appear consistent with published randomized data in women with high-intermediate-risk endometrial cancer who are treated with brachytherapy alone. Recurrence and complication rates were minimal.