ESTRO-EANO guideline on target delineation and radiotherapy for IDH-mutant WHO CNS grade 2 and 3 diffuse glioma.

Purpose: This guideline will discuss radiotherapeutic management of IDH-mutant grade 2 and grade 3 diffuse glioma, using the latest 2021 WHO (5th) classification of brain tumours focusing on: imaging modalities, tumour volume delineation, irradiation dose and fractionation.

Methods: The ESTRO Guidelines Committee, CNS subgroup, nominated 15 European experts who identified questions for this guideline. Four working groups were established addressing specific questions concerning imaging, target volume delineation, radiation techniques and fractionation.

The significance of partial volume effect on the estimation of hypoxic tumour volume with [F]FMISO PET/CT.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate how a retrospective correction of the partial volume effect (PVE) in [F]fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) PET imaging, affects the hypoxia discoverability within a gross tumour volume (GTV). This method is based on recovery coefficients (RC) and is tailored for low-contrast tracers such as FMISO. The first stage was the generation of the scanner's RC curves, using spheres with diameters from 10 to 37 mm, and the same homogeneous activity concentration, positioned in lower activity concentration background.

Development and evaluation of two open-source nnU-Net models for automatic segmentation of lung tumors on PET and CT images with and without respiratory motion compensation.

Objectives: In lung cancer, one of the main limitations for the optimal integration of the biological and anatomical information derived from Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Computed Tomography (CT) is the time and expertise required for the evaluation of the different respiratory phases. In this study, we present two open-source models able to automatically segment lung tumors on PET and CT, with and without motion compensation.

Materials And Methods: This study involved time-bin gated (4D) and non-gated (3D) PET/CT images from two prospective lung cancer cohorts (Trials 108237 and 108472) and one retrospective.

Plasma extracellular vesicles in meningioma patients following radiotherapy as liquid biopsy- a prospective explorative biomarker study (ARO 2023-05/AG-NRO-07).

Background: While surgical resection remains the primary treatment approach for symptomatic or growing meningiomas, radiotherapy represents an auspicious alternative in patients with meningiomas not safely amenable to surgery. Biopsies are often omitted in light of potential postoperative neurological deficits, resulting in a lack of histological grading and (molecular) risk stratification. In this prospective explorative biomarker study, extracellular vesicles in the bloodstream will be investigated in patients with macroscopic meningiomas to identify a biomarker for molecular risk stratification and disease monitoring.

Identifying core MRI sequences for reliable automatic brain metastasis segmentation.

Background: Many automatic approaches to brain tumor segmentation employ multiple magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences. The goal of this project was to compare different combinations of input sequences to determine which MRI sequences are needed for effective automated brain metastasis (BM) segmentation.

Methods: We analyzed preoperative imaging (T1-weighted sequence ± contrast-enhancement (T1/T1-CE), T2-weighted sequence (T2), and T2 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (T2-FLAIR) sequence) from 339 patients with BMs from seven centers.

How we treat octogenarians with brain metastases.

Biologically younger, fully independent octogenarians are able to tolerate most oncological treatments. Increasing frailty results in decreasing eligibility for certain treatments, e.g.

Personalized radiotherapy of brain metastases: survival prediction by means of dichotomized or differentiated blood test results?

Background And Objectives: The validated LabBM score (laboratory parameters in patients with brain metastases) represents a widely applicable survival prediction model, which incorporates 5 blood test results (serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, platelets and hemoglobin). All tests are classified as normal or abnormal, without accounting for the wide range of abnormality observed in practice. We tested the hypothesis that improved stratification might be possible, if more granular test results are employed.

DNA-Methylome-Based Tumor Hypoxia Classifier Identifies HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer Patients at Risk for Locoregional Recurrence after Primary Radiochemotherapy.

Purpose: Tumor hypoxia is a paradigmatic negative prognosticator of treatment resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The lack of robust and reliable hypoxia classifiers limits the adaptation of stratified therapies. We hypothesized that the tumor DNA methylation landscape might indicate epigenetic reprogramming induced by chronic intratumoral hypoxia.

Brain Metastases: Is There Still a Role for Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy?

Whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) has commonly been prescribed to palliate symptoms from brain metastases, to reduce the risk of local relapse after surgical resection, and to improve distant brain control after resection or radiosurgery. While targeting micrometastases throughout the brain can be considered advantageous, the simultaneous exposure of healthy brain tissue might cause adverse events. Attempts to mitigate the risk of neurocognitive decline after WBRT include the selective avoidance of the hippocampi, among others.

Recurrence analysis of glioblastoma cases based on distance and dose information.

Background And Purpose: Radiation therapy for glioblastoma (GBM) typically involves large target volumes. The aim of this study was to examine the recurrence pattern of GBM following modern radiochemotherapy according to EORTC guidelines and provide dose and distance information for the choice of optimal target volume margins.

Materials And Methods: In this study, the recurrences of 97 GBM patients, treated with radiochemotherapy from 2013 to 2017 at the Medical Center- University of Freiburg, Germany were analysed.

Genomic Classifiers in Personalized Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy Approaches: A Systematic Review and Future Perspectives Based on International Consensus.

Current risk-stratification systems for prostate cancer (PCa) do not sufficiently reflect the disease heterogeneity. Genomic classifiers (GC) enable improved risk stratification after surgery, but less data exist for patients treated with definitive radiation therapy (RT) or RT in oligo-/metastatic disease stages. To guide future perspectives of GCs for RT, we conducted (1) a systematic review on the evidence of GCs for patients treated with RT and (2) a survey of experts using the Delphi method, addressing the role of GCs in personalized treatments to identify relevant fields of future clinical and translational research.

Personalized treatment of brain metastases: Evolving survival prediction models may benefit from evaluation of serum tumor markers (narrative review).

Treatment of a limited number of brain metastases (oligometastases) might include complex and sometimes invasive approaches, e.g. neurosurgical resection followed by post-operative stereotactic radiotherapy, and thus, correct identification of patients who are appropriate candidates is crucial.

F-FET PET radiomics-based survival prediction in glioblastoma patients receiving radio(chemo)therapy.

Background: Quantitative image analysis based on radiomic feature extraction is an emerging field for survival prediction in oncological patients. F-Fluorethyltyrosine positron emission tomography (F-FET PET) provides important diagnostic and grading information for brain tumors, but data on its use in survival prediction is scarce. In this study, we aim at investigating survival prediction based on multiple radiomic features in glioblastoma patients undergoing radio(chemo)therapy.

External Validation of the Graded Prognostic Assessment in Patients with Brain Metastases from Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Recently, graded prognostic assessment (GPA) for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients with brain metastases has been developed. This includes age, performance status, number of brain metastases and presence of extracranial metastases. The aim of the present study was to validate this four-tiered prognostic score in a European cohort of patients.

Ex vivo γH2AX assay for tumor radiosensitivity in primary prostate cancer patients and correlation with clinical parameters.

Backround: Accurate surrogate parameters for radio resistance are warranted for individualized radiotherapy (RT) concepts in prostate cancer (PCa). The purpose of this study was to assess intertumoral heterogeneity in terms of radio resistance using an ex-vivo γH2AX assay after irradiation of prostate biopsy cores and to investigate its correlation with clinical features of respective patients as well as imaging and genomic features of tumor areas.

Methods: Twenty one patients with histologically-proven PCa and pre-therapeutic multiparametric resonance imaging and prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography were included in the study.

DEGRO practical guideline for central nervous system radiation necrosis part 1: classification and a multistep approach for diagnosis.

Purpose: The Working Group for Neuro-Oncology of the German Society for Radiation Oncology in cooperation with members of the Neuro-Oncology Working Group of the German Cancer Society aimed to define a practical guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of radiation-induced necrosis (RN) of the central nervous system (CNS).

Methods: Panel members of the DEGRO working group invited experts, participated in a series of conferences, supplemented their clinical experience, performed a literature review, and formulated recommendations for medical treatment of RN including bevacizumab in clinical routine.

Conclusion: Diagnosis and treatment of RN requires multidisciplinary structures of care and defined processes.

The maximum standardized uptake value in patients with recurrent or persistent prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy and PSMA-PET-guided salvage radiotherapy-a multicenter retrospective analysis.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the association of the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) in positron-emission tomography targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA-PET) prior to salvage radiotherapy (sRT) on biochemical recurrence free survival (BRFS) in a large multicenter cohort.

Methods: Patients who underwent  Ga-PSMA11-PET prior to sRT were enrolled in four high-volume centers in this retrospective multicenter study. Only patients with PET-positive local recurrence (LR) and/or nodal recurrence (NR) within the pelvis were included.

Intraindividual Comparison Between [F] PSMA-1007 PET/CT and Multiparametric MRI for Radiotherapy Planning in Primary Prostate Cancer Patients.

Introduction: Accurate detection and segmentation of the intraprostatic gross tumor volume (GTV) is pivotal for radiotherapy (RT) in primary prostate cancer (PCa) since it influences focal therapy target volumes and the patients' cT stage. The study aimed to compare the performance of multiparametric resonance imaging (mpMRI) with [F] PSMA-1007 positron emission tomography (PET) for intraprostatic GTV detection as well as delineation and to evaluate their respective influence on RT concepts.

Materials And Methods: In total, 93 patients from two German University Hospitals with [F] PSMA-1007-PET/CT and MRI (Freiburg) or [F] PSMA-1007-PET/MRI (Dresden) were retrospectively enrolled.

Risk Factors for Biochemical Recurrence After PSMA-PET-Guided Definitive Radiotherapy in Patients With Lymph Node-Positive Prostate Cancer.

Introduction: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) as the preferred treatment option for newly diagnosed node-positive (cN1) prostate cancer (PCa) patients. However, implementation of positron emission tomography targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA-PET) in the staging of primary PCa patients has a significant impact on RT treatment concepts. This study aims to evaluate outcomes and their respective risk factors on patients with PSMA-PET-based cN1 and/or cM1a PCa receiving primary RT and ADT.

PSMA-PET- and MRI-Based Focal Dose Escalated Radiation Therapy of Primary Prostate Cancer: Planned Safety Analysis of a Nonrandomized 2-Armed Phase 2 Trial (ARO2020-01).

Purpose: The bicentric HypoFocal phase 2 trial investigates the implementation of molecular imaging with positron-emission tomography targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA-PET) into modern focal dose-escalation radiation therapy (RT) concepts in 2 nonrandomized arms. We present the planned safety analysis after 6 months of follow-up.

Materials And Methods: Intermediate- and high-risk localized primary prostate cancer patients staged with multiparametric magnet resonance tomography and PSMA-PET were either treated with focal dose-escalated moderately hypofractionated RT (arm A) or single fraction high-dose-rate brachytherapy followed by external beam RT (arm B).

Financial toxicity in cancer patients treated with radiotherapy in Germany-a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Financial toxicity arises in cancer patients from subjective financial distress due to objective financial burden from the disease or treatment. Financial toxicity associates with worse outcomes. It has not been described in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy in Germany and its publicly funded health system.