Organ-sparing techniques and dose-volume constrains used in breast cancer radiation therapy - Results from European and Latin American surveys.

Background: Advances in local and systemic therapies have improved the outcomes of patients with breast cancer (BC), leading to a possible increased risk for postoperative radiation therapy (RT) late adverse events. The most adequate technologies and dose constraints for organs at risk (OAR) in BC RT have yet to be defined. Methods: An online survey was distributed to radiation oncologists (ROs) practicing in Europe and Latin America including the Caribbean (LAC) through personal contacts, RO and BC professional groups' networks. Demographic data and clinical practice information were collected. Results:  The study included 585 responses from ROs practicing in 57 different countries. The most frequently contoured OAR by European and LAC participants were the whole heart (96.6 % and 97.7 %), the ipsilateral (84.3 % and 90.8 %), and contralateral lung (71.3 % and 77.4 %), whole lung (69.8 % and 72.9 %), and the contralateral breast (66.4 % and. 83.2 %). ESTRO guidelines were preferred in Europe (33.3 %) and the RTOG contouring guideline was the most popular in LAC (62.2 %), while some participants used both recommendations (13.2 % and 19.2 %). IMRT (68.6 % and 59.1 %) and VMAT (65.6 % and 60.2 %) were the preferred modalities used in heart sparing strategies, followed by deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) (54.8 % and 37.4 %) and partial breast irradiation (PBI) (41.6 % and 24.6 %). Only a small percentage of all ROs reported the dose-volume constraints for OAR used in routine clinical practice. A mean heart dose (Heart-Dmean) between 4 and 5 Gy was the most frequently reported parameter (17.2 % and 39.3 %). Conclusion:  The delineation approaches and sparing techniques for OAR in BC RT vary between ROs worldwide. The low response rate to the dose constraints subset of queries reflects the uncertainty surrounding this topic and supports the need for detailed consensus recommendations in the clinical practice.

Impact of bowel space contouring variability on radiation dose and volume assessments in treatment planning for gynaecologic cancers.

INTRODUCTION: Correlations between radiation dose/volume measures and small bowel (SB) toxicity are inconsistent in the medical literature. We assessed the impact of inter-provider variation in bowel bag contouring technique on estimates of radiation dose received by the SB during pelvic radiotherapy. METHODS: Ten radiation oncologists contoured rectum, bladder and bowel bags on treatment planning computed tomography (CT) scans of two patients receiving adjuvant radiation for endometrial cancer. A radiation plan was generated for each patient and used to determine the radiation dose/volume for each organ. Kappa statistics were applied to assess the inter-provider contouring agreement, and Levene test evaluated the homogeneity of variance for radiation dose/volume metrics, including the V45Gy (cm3 ). RESULTS: The bowel bag showed greater variation in radiation dose/volume estimates compared to the bladder and rectum. The V45Gy ranged from 163 to 384 cm3 for data set A and 109 to 409 cm3 for dataset B. Kappa values were 0.82/0.83, 0.92/0.92 and 0.94/0.86 for the bowel bag, rectum, and bladder on data sets A/B, demonstrating lower inter-provider agreement for bowel bag compared with bladder and rectum. CONCLUSION: Inter-provider contouring variability is more significant for the bowel bag than the rectum and bladder, with an associated greater variability in dose and volume estimates during radiation planning.

Extra-esophageal symptoms in individuals with and without erosive esophagitis: a case-control study in Albania.

INTRODUCTION: Erosive reflux esophagitis caused a large clinical spectrum of symptoms. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of extra-esophageal symptoms in individuals with and those without erosive esophagitis in Albania. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted at the Regional Hospital of Durres, the second main district in Albania, a transitional country in South Eastern Europe, including 248 patients with erosive esophagitis (aged 46.5 ± 16.3 years) and 273 controls (aged 46.4 ± 16.0 years; response rate: 70%) enrolled during the period January 2013-June 2014. Both cases and controls underwent upper endoscopy. Information on socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors was also collected. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association of erosive esophagitis and extra-esophageal symptoms. RESULTS: Patients with erosive esophagitis had a higher prevalence of excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, sedentarity, non-Mediterranean diet and obesity compared to their control counterparts (9% vs. 5%, 70% vs. 49%, 31% vs. 17%, 61% vs. 49% and 22% vs. 9%, respectively). Upon adjustment for all socio-demographic characteristics and lifestyle/behavioral factors, there was evidence of a strong association of erosive esophagitis with chronic cough (OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.7-5.8), and even more so with laryngeal disorders (OR = 4.4, 95% CI = 2.6-7.5). In all models, the association of erosive esophagitis with any extra-esophageal symptoms was strong and mainly consistent with each of the symptoms separately (fully-adjusted model: OR = 4.6, 95% CI = 2.9-7.3). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the prevalence of extra-esophageal symptoms is higher among patients with erosive esophagitis in a transitional country characterized conventionally by employment of a Mediterranean diet.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in the treatment of squamous cell anal canal cancer: acute and early-late toxicity, outcome, and efficacy.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively review our experience on 84 patients with squamous cell anal canal cancer (SCAC) within 12 months after combined treatment with intensity-modulated RT (IMRT), in terms of acute and early-late toxicity, overall treatment time and interruptions, colostomy-free survival (CFS), and tumor response. METHODS: Acute gastrointestinal (GI), genitourinary (GU), and cutaneous (CU) toxicities were assessed according to Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 4.03. Early-late toxicity was scored using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) late radiation morbidity scoring system. Tumor response was evaluated with response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) v1.1. RESULTS: Acute toxicity for 84 subjects (100%): severe (≥ G3) GI and skin toxicity was observed in 4 (5%) and 19 patients (23%), respectively. Early-late toxicity for 73 subjects (87%): severe (≥ G3) GI and vulvo-vaginal toxicity was observed in 2 (3%) and 2 (3%) patients, respectively. No acute or early-late severe GU toxicity was reported. A treatment interruption occurred in 65 patients (77%). CFS was 96% (95% CI 89-99) at 6 months and 92% (95% CI 83-96) at 12 months. At 6 months complete response (CR), partial response (PR) and progressive disease (PD) was observed in 70 (83%), 3 (4%), and 7 patients (8%), respectively. At 12 months, CR was observed in 60 patients (81%); eleven patients (15%) experienced PD. CONCLUSION: Our study showed an excellent clinical result and very low acute toxicity rates, confirming the IMRT as standard of care for curative treatment of anal cancer patients. The current trial was registered with the number IEO N87/11.

Self-reported Prevalence and Risk Factors of Non-communicable Diseases in the Albanian Adult Population.

AIM: There is growing evidence that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major health problem in developing and transitional countries. The prevalence of NCDs and associated factors are under-researched in Albania. We aimed to assess the prevalence and socio-demographic and lifestyle correlates of NCDs in the Albanian adult population. METHODS: The study was carried out in the framework of Albania Living Standard Measurement Survey (LSMS), a national population-based cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 including 12,554 men and women aged ≥35 years. All participants reported on the presence of at least one chronic condition, which in the analysis was dichotomized into "yes" vs. "no". Information on socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, education, employment status, residence) and lifestyle factors (smoking and alcohol consumption) was also collected. Logistic regression was used to assess socio-demographic and behavioral correlates of NCDs. RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence of chronic diseases in this population-based sample of Albanian adults was 2864/12554=22.8%. Upon multivariable adjustment for all covariates, positive correlates of chronic conditions were older age (OR=6.0, 95%CI=5.3-6.8), female gender (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.1-1.4), residence in coastal areas of Albania (OR=2.0, 95%CI=1.7-2.5), unemployment (OR=1.8, 95%CI=1.6-2.0), low education (OR=1.6, OR=1.3-1.9) and current smoking (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.1-1.5). Conversely, there was an inverse association with poverty (OR=0.8, 95%CI=0.7-1.0). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence on self-reported NCDs and its determinants in transitional Albania. These baseline data may be useful for assessment of future NCD trends in Albania and cross-comparisons with the neighboring countries.

SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC AND LIFESTYLE CORRELATES OF SELF-PERCEIVED HEALTH STATUS IN A POPULATION-BASED SAMPLE OF ALBANIAN ADULT MEN AND WOMEN.

AIM: Self-perceived health is considered a suitable health indicator, based on a single item asking individuals to rate their health. It has been recommended as a reliable factor to assess the population health. Several socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants of self-perceived health status have been documented in different population. The aim of our study was to assess the socio-demographic and lifestyle correlates of self-perceived health status in a population-based sample of Albanian adult men and women. METHODS: Data from 12,554 individuals aged ≥35 years collected by the Albania Living Standard Measurement Survey (LSMS) 2012, which is a national population-based cross-sectional study, were analyzed. The study participants rated their health in five categories: very good, good, average, poor and very poor, which in the analyses were dichotomized into "not poor" and "poor health". Other variables included demographic characteristics, economic level, employment status, smoking and alcohol intake. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association of self-perceived health with demographic and lifestyle factors. RESULTS: Upon multivariate adjustment for all covariates in a backward stepwise elimination procedure, strong and significant "predictors" of poor self-perceived health status were older age (OR=3.0, 95%CI=2.4-3.7), unemployment (OR=5.6, 95%CI=4.0-7.8), male gender (OR=1.2, 95%CI=1.0-1.5), low education (OR=2.0, OR=1.3-3.0), current smoking (OR=1.7, 95%CI=1.2-2.4) and alcohol abstinence (OR=1.4, 95%CI=1.1-1.7). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the low socioeconomic groups in Albania have a significantly lower self-perceived health status. Furthermore, smoking was a significant "determinant" of poor self-perceived health in this study population, which is compatible with previous reports from other countries.