Treatment Patterns and Outcomes for Patients with Ampullary Carcinoma Who Do Not Undergo Surgery.

Surgical resection is the standard of care for ampullary adenocarcinoma (AC). Many patients are ineligible due to comorbidities/advanced disease. Evidence for the optimal non-operative management of localized AC is lacking. We hypothesize that patients treated with chemotherapy (CT) and definitive radiation (DRT) will have superior survival (OS) compared to those treated with CT alone. We performed a retrospective review of the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2017 to identify patients with non-metastatic AC and no surgical intervention. Patients were categorized as having received no treatment, palliative radiotherapy (PRT) alone, CT alone, CT + PRT, DRT alone, or CT + DRT. We utilized Kaplan-Meier analysis to determine OS and the log-rank test to compare survival curves. Among 2176 patients, treatment groups were: No treatment (71.2%), PRT alone (1.9%), CT alone (13.1%), CT + PRT (1.6%), DRT alone (2.4%), and CT + DRT (9.7%). One-year OS varied by treatment group, ranging from 35.1% (PRT alone) to 59.4% (CT + DRT). The one-year OS in a matched cohort was not significantly different between CT alone and CT + DRT (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.69-1.10, p = 0.87). Most patients with non-metastatic AC not treated with surgery do not receive any treatment. There is no difference in one-year OS between those undergoing CT alone and CT + DRT.

Radiotherapy for elderly patients with glioblastoma: an assessment of hypofractionation and modern treatment techniques.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a disease with a poor prognosis. For decades, radiotherapy has played a critical role in the management of GBM. The standard of care radiation prescription is 60 Gy in 30 fractions, but landmark trials have historically excluded patients older than 70 years. Currently, there is considerable variation in the management of elderly patients with GBM. Shortened radiation treatment (hypofractionated) regimens have been explored since conventional treatment schedules are lengthy and many elderly patients have functional, cognitive, and social limitations. Clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of hypofractionated radiotherapy (40 Gy in 15 fractions) to treat elderly or frail patients with GBM. Although previous studies have suggested these unique hypofractionation prescriptions effectively treat these patients, there are many avenues for improvement in this patient population. Herein, we describe the unique tumor biology of glioblastoma, key hypofractionated radiotherapy studies, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) studies for elderly patients with GBM. Hypofractionated radiation has emerged as a shortened alternative and retrospective studies have suggested survival outcomes are similar for elderly patients with GBM. Prospective studies comparing hypofractionation with conventional treatment regiments are warranted. In addition to evaluating survival outcomes, HRQOL endpoints should be incorporated into future studies.

Radiation Therapy Adherence Among Patients Experiencing Homelessness.

PURPOSE: Radiation therapy is a valuable, yet time- and resource-intense therapy. Patients experiencing homelessness (PEH) face many barriers related to the timely receipt of radiation therapy. Owing to a paucity of data regarding cancer treatment and homelessness, clinicians have a limited evidence base when recommending therapy to PEH. This study was performed to evaluate adherence to radiation therapy treatment regimens in PEH with cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study cohort was primarily derived from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Homeless Health Services program. Patients in the Homeless Health Services program with radiation oncology visits were identified by query of the electronic medical record. Manual chart review was performed to gather standard treatment parameters and data describing missed appointments. A comparison group of patients not experiencing homelessness (non-PEH) was generated by aggregating appointment data for all other patients receiving similar treatments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center during multiple, consecutive years. RESULTS: In the study, 3408 PEH were identified, of whom 48 underwent radiation oncology consultation. Thirty-two were prescribed at least 1 course of radiation therapy, for a total of 54 unique courses. Out of these courses, 34 (62.9%) were completed as prescribed without delay, 12 (22.2%) were completed with delay(s), and 8 (14.8%) were not fully completed. Although the PEH cohort had significantly higher rates of delayed and undelivered fractions, the proportion of delayed or incomplete courses was not significantly different from the comparison group of non-PEH, particularly for courses with 10 or fewer fractions. Reasons for missed appointments for PEH were variable. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first publication describing adherence to radiation therapy in PEH. Our data suggest that PEH are as likely as non-PEH to complete a course of radiation therapy, albeit with more treatment interruptions. When treatment courses of >10 fractions are expected, PEH may benefit from more hypofractionated regimens, provided they have equivalent clinical efficacy to longer regimens. Documenting reasons for missed appointments will be essential to further understanding the needs of PEH. This study serves as a foundation for further analysis regarding homelessness and radiation therapy.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy induced myonecrosis in a patient with prior gemcitabine administered for leiomyosarcoma.

We present the case of radiation myonecrosis of the iliopsoas muscle, identified five months after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT, 21 Gy in three fractions) to a metastatic lesion in the right iliac bone of a patient with leiomyosarcoma. The patient had been treated with various chemotherapeutic agents, most notably docetaxel and gemcitabine for five cycles 10 months prior to SBRT. As skeletal muscle is a radio-resistant organ, myonecrosis is rare, but previous case reports suggest that the administration of gemcitabine may increase the likelihood of radiation toxicity, including radiation myonecrosis. Physicians may consider conventional fractionation, rather than a hypofractionated course, in patients who have received or will receive gemcitabine.

Nanocatalytic activity of clean-surfaced, faceted nanocrystalline gold enhances remyelination in animal models of multiple sclerosis.

Development of pharmacotherapies that promote remyelination is a high priority for multiple sclerosis (MS), due to their potential for neuroprotection and restoration of function through repair of demyelinated lesions. A novel preparation of clean-surfaced, faceted gold nanocrystals demonstrated robust remyelinating activity in response to demyelinating agents in both chronic cuprizone and acute lysolecithin rodent animal models. Furthermore, oral delivery of gold nanocrystals improved motor functions of cuprizone-treated mice in both open field and kinematic gait studies. Gold nanocrystal treatment of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in culture resulted in oligodendrocyte maturation and expression of myelin differentiation markers. Additional in vitro data demonstrated that these gold nanocrystals act via a novel energy metabolism pathway involving the enhancement of key indicators of aerobic glycolysis. In response to gold nanocrystals, co-cultured central nervous system cells exhibited elevated levels of the redox coenzyme nicotine adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), elevated total intracellular ATP levels, and elevated extracellular lactate levels, along with upregulation of myelin-synthesis related genes, collectively resulting in functional myelin generation. Based on these preclinical studies, clean-surfaced, faceted gold nanocrystals represent a novel remyelinating therapeutic for multiple sclerosis.