Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index in Glioblastoma Multiforme Patients Undergoing Postneurosurgical Radiotherapy Plus Concurrent and Adjuvant Temozolomide.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the potential prognostic utility of pretreatment systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients who underwent postneurosurgical radiotherapy and concurrent plus adjuvant temozolomide. METHODS: The retrospective data of GBM patients who underwent postneurosurgical radiotherapy and concurrent plus adjuvant temozolomide were analyzed. For each patient, SII was calculated using the platelet, neutrophil, and lymphocyte measures obtained on the first day of treatment: SII = platelets × neutrophils/lymphocytes. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was utilized for the evaluation of optimal cut-off values for SII those linked with the outcomes. Primary and secondary endpoints constituted the overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) per conveyance SII group. RESULTS: A total of 167 patients were included. The ROC curve analysis identified the optimum SII cut-off at a rounded 565 value that significantly interacted with the PFS and OS and stratified patients into two groups: low-SII (SII < 565; n = 71) and high-SII (SII ≥ 565; n = 96), respectively. Comparative survival analyses exhibited that the high-SII cohort had significantly shorter median PFS (6.0 versus 16.6 months; P < 0.001) and OS (11.1 versus 22.9 months; P < 0.001) than the low-SII cohort. The relationship between the high-SII and poorer PFS (P < 0.001) and OS (P < 0.001) further retained its independent significance in multivariate analysis, as well. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes displayed here qualified the pretreatment SII as a novel independent prognostic index for predicting survival outcomes of newly diagnosed GBM patients undergoing postneurosurgical radiotherapy and concurrent plus adjuvant temozolomide.

Prognostic value of the Glasgow Prognostic Score for glioblastoma multiforme patients treated with radiotherapy and temozolomide.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the prognostic value of the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), the combination of C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin, in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) and concurrent plus adjuvant temozolomide (GPS). METHODS: Data of newly diagnosed GBM patients treated with partial brain RT and concurrent and adjuvant TMZ were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped into three according to the GPS criteria: GPS-0: CRP < 10 mg/L and albumin > 35 g/L; GPS-1: CRP < 10 mg/L and albumin < 35 g/L or CRP > 10 mg/L and albumin > 35 g/L; and GPS-2: CRP > 10 mg/L and albumin < 35 g/L. Primary end-point was the association between the GPS groups and the overall survival (OS) outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 142 patients were analyzed (median age: 58 years, 66.2% male). There were 64 (45.1%), 40 (28.2%), and 38 (26.7%) patients in GPS-0, GPS-1, and GPS-2 groups, respectively. At median 15.7 months follow-up, the respective median and 5-year OS rates for the whole cohort were 16.2 months (95% CI 12.7-19.7) and 9.5%. In multivariate analyses GPS grouping emerged independently associated with the median OS (P < 0.001) in addition to the extent of surgery (P = 0.032), Karnofsky performance status (P = 0.009), and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group recursive partitioning analysis (RTOG RPA) classification (P < 0.001). The GPS grouping and the RTOG RPA classification were found to be strongly correlated in prognostic stratification of GBM patients (correlation coefficient: 0.42; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The GPS appeared to be useful in prognostic stratification of GBM patients into three groups with significantly different survival durations resembling the RTOG RPA classification.

The impact of androgen deprivation therapy on setup errors during external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: To determine whether setup errors during external beam radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer are influenced by the combination of androgen deprivation treatment (ADT) and RT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 175 patients treated for prostate cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Treatment was as follows: concurrent ADT plus RT, 33 patients (19%); neoadjuvant and concurrent ADT plus RT, 91 patients (52%); RT only, 51 patients (29%). Required couch shifts without rotations were recorded for each megavoltage (MV) cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan, and corresponding alignment shifts were recorded as left-right (x), superior-inferior (y), and anterior-posterior (z). The nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used to compare shifts by group. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to measure the correlation of couch shifts between groups. Mean prostate shifts and standard deviations (SD) were calculated and pooled to obtain mean or group systematic error (M), SD of systematic error (Σ), and SD of random error (σ). RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in prostate shifts in any direction between the groups. Shifts on CBCT were all less than setup margins. A significant positive correlation was observed between prostate volume and the z­direction prostate shift (r = 0.19, p = 0.04), regardless of ADT group, but not between volume and x­ or y­direction shifts (r = 0.04, p = 0.7; r = 0.03, p = 0.7). Random and systematic errors for all patient cohorts and ADT groups were similar. CONCLUSION: Hormone therapy given concurrently with RT was not found to significantly impact setup errors. Prostate volume was significantly correlated with shifts in the anterior-posterior direction only.

Impact of presence and degree of pretreatment weight loss in locally-advanced pancreatic cancer patients treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: To assess the impact of the presence and degree of pretreatment weight loss (WL) on the survival of locally-advanced pancreas cancer (LAPC) patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT). METHODS: Seventy-three patients who received 50.4 Gy C-CRT were analyzed. All patients underwent laparoscopy (n = 18) or laparotomy (n = 55), and biopsies were obtained for histologic examination of the primary tumor and enlarged/metabolically active regional lymph nodes. Pretreatment WL and percentage WL (PWL) were calculated by utilizing data obtained 6 months prior to and during hospital admission. The primary objective was to assess the influence WL status on overall survival (OS), and the secondary objective was the identification of a PWL cut-off value, if available. RESULTS: Forty-five (61.6%) patients had WL. Median OS was 14.4 months for the entire study population which was significantly longer in the non-WL than the WL cohort (21.4 vs. 11.3 months; p < 0.003). On further analysis a cut-off value of 3.1% was identified for WL. Accordingly, patients with WL < 3.1% had significantly longer OS than those with WL ≥ 3.1% (25.8 vs. 10.1 months; p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, both the WL status (p < 0.001) and PWL (p = 0.002) retained their independent significance. CONCLUSION: Both the presence and degree of WL prior to C-CRT had strong adverse effects on the survival of LAPC patients, even if they presented with a BMI > 20 kg/m(2). Additionally, a WL of ≥3.1% in the last 6 months appeared to be a strong cut-off for the stratification of such patients into distinctive survival groups.

Whole brain radiotherapy in management of non-small-cell lung carcinoma associated leptomeningeal carcinomatosis: evaluation of prognostic factors.

To assess the efficacy of whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and prognostic factors in leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LMC) of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. WBRT records of 51 LMC patients confined to brain were reviewed. Eligible patients had squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) or adenocarcinoma, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) 0-3. The WBRT was either 20 or 30 Gray. The primary and secondary objectives were to determine overall survival (OS) and prognostic factors for improved treatment response, respectively. Median age was 53 years (range 39-68), 58.8 % had SCC, 74.5 % had ECOG PS 1-2, and 70.6 % had LMC accompanied by parenchymal brain metastases (BM). The median follow-up was 4.1 months (range 0.7-14.4); all patients died due to disease progression. Median OS was 3.9 months (95 % CI 3.3-4.5) with 6 and 12 month estimates of 19.6 and 5.9 %, respectively. Evaluation of prognostic factors revealed that patients with ECOG 1, longer time to LMC (TT-LMC) from NSCLC diagnosis (>11.3 months), and absence of parenchymal BM had significantly superior OS than those patients with ECOG 2 (p = 0.01) or 3 (p < 0.001), TT-LMC < 11.3 months (p = 0.001), and parenchymal BM (p = 0.012). Median OS of 3.9 months after WBRT appeared to confirm the poor prognosis of LMC. WBRT might be most effective for patients with favorable PS, longer TT-LMC, and no accompanying BM. Therefore, we identified ECOG PS 1, TT-LMC > 11.3 months, and no BM as independent prognosticators for better response to WBRT in NSCLC patients with LMC.

Baseline Low Prognostic Nutritional Index Predicts Poor Survival in Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinomas Treated With Radical Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: To retrospectively assess the impact of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) on survival outcomes of patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). METHODS: This study incorporated 154 patients with LA-NPC who received exclusive cisplatinum-based CCRT. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was utilized for accessibility of pretreatment PNI cutoffs influencing survival results. The primary end point was the interaction between the overall survival (OS) and PNI values, while cancer-specific survival (CSS) locoregional progression-free survival (LR-PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and PFS were the secondary end points. RESULTS: A rounded PNI cutoff value of 51 was identified in ROC curve analyses to exhibit significant link with CSS, OS, DMFS, and PFS outcomes, but not LR-PFS. Patients grouping per PNI value (≥51 [N = 95] vs <51 [N = 49]) revealed that PNI < 51 group had significantly shorter median CSS (P < .001), OS (P < .001), DMFS (P < .001), and PFS (P < .001) times than the PNI ≥ 51 group, and the multivariate results confirmed the PNI < 51 as an independent predictor of poor outcomes for each end point (P < .05 for each). The unfavorable impact of the low PNI was also continued at 10-year time point with survival rates of 77.9% versus 42.4%, 73.6% versus 33.9%, 57.9% versus 27.1%, and 52.6% versus 23.7% for CSS, OS, DMFS, and PFS, respectively. Additionally, we found that PNI < 51 was significantly associated with higher rates of weight loss >5% over past 6 months (49.2% versus 11.6%; P = .002) compared to PNI < 51 group. CONCLUSION: Low pre-CCRT PNI levels were independently associated with significantly reduced CSS, OS, DMFS, and PFS outcomes in patients with LA-NPC treated with definitive CCRT.

Prechemoradiotherapy Systemic Inflammation Response Index Stratifies Stage IIIB/C Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients into Three Prognostic Groups: A Propensity Score-Matching Analysis.

PURPOSE: We explored the prognostic influence of the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) on the survival outcomes of stage IIIB/C non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy. METHODS: Present propensity score-matching (PSM) analysis comprised 876 stage IIIB/C NSCLC patients who received 1-3 cycles of platinum-based doublets concurrent with thoracic radiotherapy from 2007 to 2017. The primary and secondary objectives were the relationships between the SIRI values and overall (OS) and progression-free survival, respectively. Propensity scores were calculated for SIRI groups to adjust for confounders and to facilitate well-balanced comparability between the SIRI groups by creating 1 : 1 matched study groups. RESULTS: The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified an optimal SIRI cutoff at 1.9 for OS (AUC: 78.8%; sensitivity: 73.7%; specificity: 70.7%) and PFS (AUC: 80.5%; sensitivity: 75.8%; specificity: 72.9%) and we grouped the patients into two PSM cohorts: SIRI < 1.9 (N = 304) and SIRI ≥ 1.9 (N = 304), respectively. The SIRI ≥ 1.9 cohort had significantly worse median OS (P < 0.001) and PFS (P < 0.001) than their SIRI < 1.9 companions. The further combination of SIRI with disease stage exhibited that the SIRI-1 (IIIB and SIRI < 1.9) and SIRI-3 (IIIC and SIRI ≥ 1.9) cohorts had the best and worst outcomes, respectively, with SIRI-2 cohort (IIIB and SIRI ≥ 1.9 or IIIC and SIRI < 1.9) being remained in between (P < 0.001 for OS and PFS, separately). In multivariate analysis, the two- and three-laddered stratifications per the 1.9 cutoffs and SIRI groups retained their independent significance, individually. CONCLUSIONS: The SIRI ≥ 1.9 independently prognosticated significantly worse OS and PFS results and plated the stage IIIB/C patients into three fundamentally distinct prognostic groups.

Definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy outcomes in Stage IIIB nonsmall cell lung cancer patients younger than 45 years: A retrospective analysis of 145 patients.

PURPOSE: To assess the survival outcomes and prognostic factors of young (≤45 years) Stage IIIB nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of 145 Stage IIIB NSCLC patients (≤45 years) who received 60-66 Gy thoracic radiotherapy and concurrent 1-3 cycles of cisplatin-based doublet chemotherapy were retrospectively evaluated. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), while locoregional progression-free survival (LRPFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and evaluation of potential prognostic factors constituted the secondary endpoints. RESULTS: At median 21.6 months (range: 7.3-62.5) of follow-up, the median and 4-year survival estimates were 24.8 months and 24.2% for OS, 15.7 months and 18.9%, for LRPFS and 12.0 months and 11.2% for PFS, respectively. On univariate analyses, among all factors, the smaller tumor size (≤7.0 cm; P = 0.03), lower T-stage (T1-T2; P = 0.02), lower N-stage (N2; P = 0.01), absence of anemia before C-CRT (hemoglobin [Hb] ≥12 g/dL; P < 0.001), and lower/no pretreatment weight loss (WL ≤5%; P < 0.001) were found to be associated significantly with longer median OS durations, which also retained their independent significance on multivariate analyses, except for tumor size category. CONCLUSIONS: The encouraging median 24.8 months OS duration observed here in young NSCLC patients accords well with the results of recent landmark locally advanced NSCLC series without age stratification. Other than the well-established T and N stages, extra exhibit of superior OS in patients with initial Hb ≥12 g/dL and ≤5% WL levels suggests a noteworthy prognostic role for these two latter variables in the stratification of such patients.

Preliminary Simulation Study of Carotid Artery and Pharyngeal Constrictor Muscle Sparing-Radiotherapy in Glottic Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: This preliminary simulation study aimed to compare the dosimetric outcomes of carotid arteries (CAs) and pharyngeal constrictor muscle (PCM) in patients with T1N0M0 glottic carcinoma undergoing helical tomotherapy-intensity modulated radiotherapy (HT-IMRT) and 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) plans. METHODS: In addition to the clinical target volume (CTV) which was defined as the entire larynx, the CAs and PCM of 11 glottic carcinoma patients were delineated. The CTV was uniformly expanded 5 mm to create a planning target volume (PTV) relative to the PCM and at a distance of 2 mm from the CA. The dosimetric characteristics in HT-IMRT and lateral opposed fields-based 3D-CRT plans were analyzed. RESULTS: Median D95%and V100% of PTV were significantly higher in HT-IMRT (p < 0.001) compared to 3D-CRT. The right/left CA dosimetric outcomes, including the mean doses (20.7/21.5 Gy versus 48.7/50.5 Gy), Dmax (53.6/52.0 Gy versus 67.4/67.7 Gy), V30 (25.0/27.1% versus 77.6/80.3%), V40 (8.0/7.9% versus 74.6/71.9%), and V50 (2.0/1.2% versus 70.0/71.6%) were also significantly lower in HT-IMRT (p < 0.05), similar to the mean PCM doses (49.6 Gy versus 62.6 Gy for 3D-CRT;p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our present results demonstrated the feasibility of simultaneous sparing of the CAs and PCM in HT-IMRT- compared to 3D-CRT plans in glottic carcinoma patients undergoing definitive radiotherapy.

Low Prognostic Nutritional Index Predicts Poor Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Stage IIIB Non-small-cell Lung Carcinoma Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prognostic utility of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in stage IIIB non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). METHODS: A total of 358 stage IIIB NSCLC patients who received a total dose of 60-66 Gy (2 Gy/fraction) radiotherapy and ≥1 cycle(s) of platinum-based chemotherapy were analyzed. The receiver operating curve analysis was utilized to identify the optimal PNI cut-off value demonstrating a significant connection with the overall survival (OS), locoregional progression-free survival (LRPFS), and progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: At a median follow-up time of 22.5 months (range: 2.4-123.5), 30.2% and 14% of the patients were still alive and free of disease progression, respectively.The median OS, LRPFS, and PFS were 25.2 [95% confidence interval (CI): 36.3-46.6 months], 15.4 (95% CI: 26.6-35.3 months), and 10.7 (95% CI: 36.8-69.9 months), individually, for the whole study accomplice. The ROC analysis revealed an optimum rounded cut-off that associated meaningfully with each of the OS [area under the curve (AUC): 84.1%; sensitivity: 75.9%;72.4% specificity], LRPFS (AUC: 92.4%; sensitivity: 87.9%; 85.1% specificity), and PFS (AUC: 80.1%; sensitivity: 73.7%; 71.6% specificity) at a value of 40.5. Comparative analyses revealed that the patients presenting with PNI≤40.5 had significantly inferior OS (16.8 vs 36.7; P<0.001), LRPFS (11.5 vs 19.5; P<0.001), and PFS (8.6 vs 13.6; P<0.001) outcomes compared to patients with PNI>40.5. In univariate analyses, lower T-stage (1-2 vs 3-4; P< 0.001), lower N-stage (N2 vs N3; P< 0.001), anemia status (absent vs present; P< 0.001), weight loss status (<5% vs ≥5%; P< 0.001), and PNI group (≤40.5 vs >40.5; P<0.001) were the factors found to be associated with OS, LRPFS and PFS results. The results of multivariate analysis exhibited that the PNI was independently associated with each of the OS (P<0.001), LRPFS (P<0.001), and PFS (P<0.001) outcomes. CONCLUSION: The pretreatment PNI appears to be a robust novel prognostic factor that stratifies patients with stage IIIB NSCLC into two significantly distinct survival groups after CRT.

Systemic Inflammation Response Index Predicts Survival Outcomes in Glioblastoma Multiforme Patients Treated with Standard Stupp Protocol.

OBJECTIVES: We endeavored to retrospectively assess the prognostic merit of pretreatment systemic immune response index (SIRI) in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients who underwent postoperative partial brain radiotherapy (RT) and concurrent plus adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ), namely, the Stupp protocol. METHODS: The records of 181 newly diagnosed GBM patients who received the postoperative Stupp protocol were retrospectively analyzed. The SIRI value for each eligible patient was calculated by utilizing the platelet, neutrophil, and lymphocyte measures obtained on the first day of treatment: SIRI = Neutrophils × Monocytes/Lymphocytes. The ideal cutoff values for SIRI connected with the progression-free- (PFS) and overall survival (OS) results were methodically searched through using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Primary and secondary end-points constituted the potential OS and PFS distinctions among the SIRI groups, respectively. RESULTS: The ROC curve analysis labeled the ideal SIRI cutoffs at 1.74 (Area under the curve (AUC): 74.9%; sensitivity: 74.2%; specificity: 71.4%) and 1.78 (AUC: 73.6%; sensitivity: 73.1%; specificity: 70.8%) for PFS and OS status, individually. The SIRI cutoff of 1.78 of the OS status was chosen as the common cutoff for the stratification of the study population (Group 1: SIRI ≤ 1.78 (N = 96) and SIRI > 1.78 (N = 85)) and further comparative PFS and OS analyses. Comparisons between the two SIRI cohorts manifested that the SIRI ≤ 1.78 cohort had altogether significantly superior median PFS (16.2 versus 6.6 months; P < 0.001) and OS (22.9 versus 12.2 months; P < 0.001) than its SIRI > 1.78 counterparts. The results of multivariate Cox regression analyses ratified the independent and significant alliance between a low SIRI and longer PFS (P < 0.001) and OS (P < 0.001) durations, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Present results firmly counseled the pretreatment SIRI as a novel, sound, and independent predictor of survival outcomes in newly diagnosed GBM patients intended to undergo postoperative Stupp protocol.

Pretreatment Photopenia on 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Scans Predicts Poor Prognosis in Nasopharyngeal Cancer Patients Undergoing Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the influence of pretreatment primary tumor or nodal photopenia (PP) on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG PET-CT), an indicator of tumor ischemia, on survival results of nasopharyngeal cancers (NPCs) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT). METHODS: The pre-C-CRT FDG PET-CT scans of 104 patients with NPC (cT1-4 N0-3 M0) were retrospectively examined to determine the presence of PP (PP+). Our primary endpoint was the influence of PP+ on overall survival (OS), while the progression-free survival (PFS) and locoregional PFS (LRPFS) constituted the secondary endpoints. RESULTS: The PP+ was detected in 29 (27.9%): nine (8.7%), seven (6.7%), and 13 (12.5%) in the primary tumor alone, primary tumor plus neck nodes, and neck nodes alone, respectively. Because the PP+ cases were small by count per location, all comparative analyses were performed according to overall PP+/ PP- status instead of per detected site. At a median follow-up of 67.8 months (range, 9 to 130 months), the median survival times were not reached (NR) for the entire population, while 5-year OS, LRPFS, and PFS rates were 73.3%, 68.2%, and 63.4%, respectively. Comparatively the PP+ patients exhibited significantly poorer median OS (49.8 months vs. NR, P<0.001), LRPFS (40.7 months vs. NR, P=0.001), and PFS (31.8 months vs. NR, P=0.002) durations than their PP- counterparts. Furthermore, the PP+ retained its independent prognostic significance in multivariate analysis (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Present results uncovered the pre-C-CRT PP as an independent predictor of poor prognosis for NPC patients, which underscore the requirement for the fortification of the local and systemic treatments in hypoxic NPCs.

Comparison of Involved Field Radiotherapy versus Elective Nodal Irradiation in Stage IIIB/C Non-Small-Cell Lung Carcinoma Patients Treated with Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy: A Propensity Score Matching Study.

BACKGROUND: We retrospectively compared the incidence of isolated elective nodal failure (IENF) and toxicity rates and survival outcomes after elective nodal irradiation (ENI) versus involved-field RT (IFRT) by employing the propensity score matching (PSM) methodology in stage IIIB/C inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT). METHODS: Our PSM examination included 1048 stage IIIB/C NSCLC patients treated with C-CRT from January 2007 to December 2016: a total dose of 66 Gy (2 Gy/fraction) radiotherapy and 1-3 cycles of platinum-based doublet chemotherapy concurrently. The primary and secondary endpoints were the IENF and toxicity rates and survival outcomes after ENI versus IFRT, respectively. Propensity scores were calculated for each group to adjust for confounding variables and facilitate well-balanced comparability by creating 1 : 1 matched study groups. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 26.4 months for the whole study accomplice. The PSM analysis unveiled 1 : 1 matched 646 patients for the ENI (N = 323) and IFRT (N = 323) cohorts. Intergroup comparisons discovered that the 5-year isolated ENF incidence rates (3.4% versus 4.3%; P=0.52) and median overall survival (25.2 versus 24.6 months; P=0.69), locoregional progression-free survival (15.3 versus 15.1 months; P=0.52), and progression-free survival (11.7 versus 11.2 months; P=0.57) durations were similar between the ENI and IFRT cohorts, separately. However, acute grade 3-4 leukopenia (P=0.0012), grade 3 nausea-vomiting (P=0.006), esophagitis (P=0.003), pneumonitis (P=0.002), late grade 3-4 esophageal toxicity (P=0.038), and the need for hospitalization (P < 0.001) were all significantly higher in the ENI than in the IFRT group, respectively. CONCLUSION: Results of the present large-scale PSM cohort established the absence of meaningful IENF or survival differences between the IFRT and ENI cohorts and, consequently, counseled the IFRT as the elected RT technique for such patients since ENI increased the toxicity rates.

Low Advanced Lung Cancer Inflammation Index Predicts Poor Prognosis in Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients Treated with Definitive Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy.

PURPOSE: We aimed to retrospectively investigate the prognostic worth of pretreatment advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT). Patients and Methods. A total of 164 LA-NPC patients treated with cisplatinum-based definitive C-CRT were included in this retrospective cohort analysis. The convenience of ideal pre-C-CRT ALI cut-offs affecting survival results was searched by employing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. The primary endpoint was the link between the ALI groups and overall survival (OS), while cancer-specific survival (CSS), locoregional progression-free survival [LR(PFS)], distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and PFS comprised the secondary endpoints. RESULTS: The ROC curve analyses distinguished a rounded ALI cut-off score of 24.2 that arranged the patients into two cohorts [ALI ≥ 24.2 (N = 94) versus < 24.2 (N = 70)] with significantly distinct CSS, OS, DMFS, and PFS outcomes, except for the LRPFS. At a median follow-up time of 79.2 months (range: 6-141), the comparative analyses showed that ALI < 24.2 cohort had significantly shorter median CSS, OS, DMFS, and PFS time than the ALI ≥ 24.2 cohort (P < 0.001for each), which retained significance at 5- (P < 0.001) and 10-year (P < 0.001) time points. In multivariate analyses, ALI < 24.2 was asserted to be an independent predictor of the worse prognosis for each endpoint (P < 0.001for each) in addition to the tumor stage (T-stage) (P < 0.05 for all endpoints) and nodal stage (N-stage) (P < 0.05 for all endpoints). CONCLUSION: As a novel prognostic index, the pretreatment ALI < 24.2 appeared to be strongly associated with significantly diminished survival outcomes in LA-NPC patients treated with C-CRT independent of the universally recognized T- and N-stages.

Second primary malignancies in laryngeal carcinoma patients treated with definitive radiotherapy.

INTRODUCTION: Second primary malignancy (SPM) is associated with decreased overall survival (OS) in laryngeal carcinomas (LC). METHODS: One hundred eighty three LC patients were analyzed retrospectively. The primary and secondary endpoints were the incidence of SPM and the OS difference between patients with and without SPM. RESULTS: SPM developed in 22 (12.0%) patients at median 52 months (range, 4-131 months), with a yearly 2.8% incidence, of which 19 (10.4%) and 3 (1.6%) were metachronous and synchronous, respectively. Lung was the commonest SPM (72.7%). Of 47 deaths, 12 (25.5%) were SPM related. Comparatively SPM patients had significantly shorter median OS (68.0 months vs. median not reached; P = 0.005), with lower 5-year (67.0% vs. 78.9%) and 8-year (32.6 vs. 69.8%) survival rates. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggested the SPM as a competing risk factor for death in index LC patients with its annual incidence rate of 2.8% and for accounting one of every four deaths in this patients group. Emergence of lung carcinoma as the most frequent type of SPM and the ability to treat >50% of them with an estimated long-term outcomes emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and curative treatment of SPMs.

Dosimetric Comparison of Lung-Sparing Radiation Therapy between Volumetric Arc Therapy and Helical Tomotherapy for Unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

OBJECTIVE: To compare volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) and helical tomotherapy (HT) plans in terms of dosimetric parameters in positron emission tomography- (PET-) computerized tomography- (CT-) based radiation therapy planning in unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). METHODS: CT and coregistered PET-CT data from seven patients with histologically-proven MPM were utilized for VMAT and HT plans. Target volumes and organs at risk (OARs) were delineated. The prescription doses for planning target volume 1 (PTV1) and PTV2 were 45.0 Gy and 54 Gy in 1.8 Gy/fr, respectively. Each technique was evaluated in terms of target volume coverage and OAR doses. FINDINGS: Although the maximum (p=0.001) and mean (p < 0.001) doses of PTV1, and PTV2 (p < 0.001 for maximum and p=0.001 for mean doses) favored the HT technique over VMAT, both techniques efficiently covered the target volumes. Additionally, HT also provided more homogeneous dose distribution (p < 0.001) and numerically lower doses received by most OARs, but again both rotational techniques were successful in keeping the OAR doses below the universally accepted limits. The major disadvantage of the HT technique was the requirement for longer treatment times (7.4 versus 2.5 minutes/fr; p < 0.001) to accomplish the intended treatment. CONCLUSION: Results of this dosimetric comparison clearly demonstrated the possibility of safe hemithoracic irradiation of medically/technically unresectable MPM patients with either of the two rotational RT techniques, namely the VMAT and HT. Clinically, considering their poor prognosis, these promising findings may open a potential new window for curative treatment of unresectable MPM patients, if further confirmed by future clinical studies.

Prognostic value of pretreatment Glasgow prognostic score in stage IIIB geriatric non-small cell lung cancer patients undergoing radical chemoradiotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prognostic significance of pre-treatment Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) in stage IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) older patients treated with radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 83 stage IIIB NSCLC older patients (age > 70 years) treated with C-CRT consisting of 60-66 Gy (2 Gy/fx) thoracic radiotherapy and at least 1 cycle of platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients were grouped into three: GPS-0: c-reactive protein (CRP) ≤ 10 mg/L and albumin >35 g/L, GPS-1: CRP ≤ 10 mg/L and albumin ≤35 g/L or CRP > 10 mg/L and albumin >35 g/L, GPS-2: CRP > 10 mg/L and albumin ≤35 g/L according to the definition. The relationship between GPS groups and overall survival (OS) was the primary objective, while locoregional- (LRPFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were secondary objectives. RESULTS: For the whole cohort, the median OS, LRPFS, and OS were 19.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.8-22.6), 13.2 (95% CI: 8.7-17.7), and 8.3 months (95% CI: 6.6-10.0), respectively. Comparisons between the GPS-0, GPS-1, and GPS -2 groups revealed that the lower GPS was associated with significantly superior median OS (25.8 versus 16.3 versus 9.4 months; p < .001) which retained its independent significance in multivariate analysis (p < .001), as well. Similarly, the respective median LRPFS (20.0 versus 10.4 versus 6.3 months; p < .001), and PFS (11.3 versus 7.3 versus 4.1 months; p < .001) durations were also significantly longer in the earlier GPS groups. DISCUSSION: The present results suggested that the GPS was useful in three layered stratification of older stage IIIB NSCLC patients undergoing C-CRT in terms of OS, LRPS, and PFS times.

Prognostic Usefulness Of Advanced Lung Cancer Inflammation Index In Locally-Advanced Pancreatic Carcinoma Patients Treated With Radical Chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Previously advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) has been demonstrated to have prognostic utility in the stratification of patients into distinctive survival groups, but the prognostic value of ALI has never been explored in the setting of locally advanced pancreatic carcinomas (LAPC) treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Hence, we aimed to investigate the prognostic value of pre-treatment ALI in LAPC patients who underwent radical CCRT. METHODS: Present retrospective cohort analysis incorporated 141 LAPC patients who received radical CCRT. Accessibility of baseline ALI cutoff(s) impacting survival outcomes was sought by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Interaction between the ALI and overall- (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) comprised our primary and secondary endpoints, respectively. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 14.4 months (range: 3.2-74.2), the median PFS and OS were 7.5 (%95 CI: 5.9-9.1) and 14.6 months (%95 CI: 11.6-17.6), respectively. ROC curve analyses set the ideal ALI cutoff value at 25.3 (AUC: 75.6%; sensitivity: 72.7%; specificity: 70.3%) that exhibited significant associations with both the OS and PFS results. Patient stratification into two groups per ALI [≤25.3 (N=75) versus>25.3 (N=66)] showed that the ALI>25.3 group had significantly superior median OS (25.8 versus 11.4 months; P<0.001) and PFS (15.9 versus 6.0 months; P<0.001) durations than its ALI≤25.3 counterpart. Other factors exhibiting significantly better OS and PFS rates were N0 stage (versus N1; P<0.05 for each endpoint) and CA 19-9 ≤90 U/mL (versus >90 U/mL; P<0.05 for each endpoint), respectively. These three factors were additionally asserted to be independent indicators of longer OS (P<0.05 for each) and PFS (P<0.05 for each) in multivariate analyses. CONCLUSION: Results of this hypothesis-generating research proposed the pre-CCRT ALI as a novel robust associate of OS and PFS outcomes for LAPC patients undergoing CCRT.

Significance of overall concurrent chemoradiotherapy duration on survival outcomes of stage IIIB/C non-small-cell lung carcinoma patients: Analysis of 956 patients.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the detrimental effects of prolonged overall radiotherapy duration (ORTD) on survival outcomes of stage IIIB/C NSCLC patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT). METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 956 patients who underwent C-CRT for stage IIIB/C NSCLC. Primary endpoint was the association between the ORTD and overall survival (OS) with locoregional progression-free survival (LRPFS) and PFS comprising the secondary endpoints. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was utilized for accessibility of the cut-off that interacts with survival outcomes. Multivariate Cox model was utilized to identify the independent associates of survival outcomes. RESULTS: The ROC curve analysis exhibited significance at 49 days of ORTD cut-off that dichotomized patients into ORTD<50 versus ORTD≥50 days groups for OS [area under the curve (AUC): 82.8%; sensitivity: 81.1%; specificity: 74.8%], LRPFS (AUC: 91.9%; sensitivity: 90.6%; specificity: 76.3%), and PFS (AUC: 76.1%; sensitivity: 72.4%; specificity: 68.2%), respectively. Accordingly, ORTD≥50 days group had significantly shorter median OS (P<0.001), LRPFS (P<0.001), and PFS (P<0.001); and 10-year actuarial locoregional control (P<0.001) and distant metastases-free (P<0.011) rates than the ORTD<50 days group. The ORTD retained its significant association with survival outcomes at multivariate analyses independent of the other favorable covariates (p<0.001, for OS, LRPFS, and PFS): Stage IIIB disease (versus IIIC), lymph node bulk <2 cm (versus ≥2 cm), and 2-3 chemotherapy cycles (versus 1). The higher sensitivity for LRPFS (90.6%) than PFS (72.4%) on ROC curve analysis suggested the prolonged ORTD-induced decrements in locoregional control rates as the major cause of the poor survival outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Longer ORTD beyond ≥50 days was associated with significantly poorer OS, LRPFS and PFS outcomes, where reduced locoregional control rates appeared to be the main causative.

Baseline hemoglobin <11.0 g/dL has stronger prognostic value than anemia status in nasopharynx cancers treated with chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: To retrospectively investigate the influence of pretreatment anemia and hemoglobin levels on the survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT). METHODS: A total of 149 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who received C-CRT were included. All patients had received 70 Gy to the primary tumor plus the involved lymph nodes, and 59.4 Gy and 54 Gy to the intermediate- and low-risk neck regions concurrent with 1-3 cycles of cisplatin. Patients were dichotomized into non-anemic and anemic (hemoglobin <12 g/dL (women) or <13 g/dL (men)) groups according to their pre-treatment hemoglobin measures. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was utilized for accessibility of a pre-treatment hemoglobin cut-off that impacts outcomes. Potential interactions between baseline anemia status and hemoglobin measures and overall survival, locoregional progression-free survival (LRPFS), and progression-free survival were assessed. RESULTS: Anemia was evident in 36 patients (24.1%), which was related to significantly shorter overall survival (P=0.007), LRPFS (P<0.021), and progression-free survival (P=0.003) times; all three endpoints retained significance in multivariate analyses (P<0.05, for each). A baseline hemoglobin value of 11.0 g/dL exhibited significant association with outcomes in ROC curve analysis: hemoglobin <11.0 g/dL (N=26) was linked with shorter median overall survival (P<0.001), LRPFS (P=0.004), and progression-free survival (P<0.001) times, which also retained significance for all three endpoints in multivariate analyses and suggested a stronger prognostic worth for the hemoglobin <11.0 g/dL cut-off value than the anemia status. CONCLUSION: Pre-C-CRT hemoglobin <11.0 g/dL has a stronger prognostic worth than the anemia status with regard to LRPFS, progression-free survival, and overall survival for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.