Publications by authors named "Christen Elledge"
Purpose: The Bone Metastases Ensemble Trees for Survival Decision Support Platform (BMETS-DSP) provides patient-specific survival predictions and evidence-based recommendations to guide multidisciplinary management for symptomatic bone metastases. We assessed the clinical utility of the BMETS-DSP through a pilot prepost design in a simulated clinical environment.
Methods: Ten Radiation Oncology physicians reviewed 55 patient cases at two time points: without and then with the use of BMETS-DSP.
Article Synopsis
- Current guidelines for treating bone metastases with palliative radiotherapy lack clarity in selecting the right treatment based on individual patient factors, prompting a need for decision support tools.
- The Bone Metastases Ensemble Trees for Survival-Decision Support Platform (BMETS-DSP) was developed to provide evidence-based, personalized treatment options for palliative radiotherapy regimens.
- Utilizing a theoretical framework with stakeholder input, the BMETS-DSP collects specific patient data and offers tailored recommendations, while also meeting international decision aid quality standards.
Article Synopsis
- The BMETS model uses machine learning to predict survival times for patients receiving palliative radiation therapy for symptomatic bone metastases.
- A study retrospectively analyzed data from 182 patients treated at two community clinics between May 2013 and May 2016 to validate the model's effectiveness outside its original training set.
- Results showed that BMETS retained high predictive accuracy (tAUC values around 0.77-0.82) when applied to external data, confirming its reliability and potential for ongoing updates.
Background: Metastasectomy is standard of care for pediatric patients with metastatic sarcoma with limited disease. For patients with unresectable disease, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) may serve as an alternative. Herein, the authors report the results of a prospective, multi-institutional phase 2 trial of SBRT in children and young adults with metastatic sarcoma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of brachytherapy for the treatment of gynecologic malignancies, particularly cervical cancer, has a long and rich history that is nearly as long as the history of radiation oncology itself. From the first gynecologic brachytherapy treatments in the early 20th century to the modern era, significant transformation has occurred driven largely by advancements in technology. The development of high-dose rate sources, remote afterloaders, novel applicators, and 3-dimensional image guidance has led to improved local control, and thus improved survival, solidifying the role of brachytherapy as an integral component in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To develop expert consensus recommendations regarding radiation therapy for gynecologic malignancies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: An international committee of ten experts in gynecologic radiation oncology convened to provide consensus recommendations for patients with gynecologic malignancies referred for radiation therapy. Treatment priority groups were established.
Purpose: To determine whether a machine learning approach optimizes survival estimation for patients with symptomatic bone metastases (SBM), we developed the Bone Metastases Ensemble Trees for Survival (BMETS) to predict survival using 27 prognostic covariates. To establish its relative clinical utility, we compared BMETS with 2 simpler Cox regression models used in this setting.
Methods And Materials: For 492 bone sites in 397 patients evaluated for palliative radiation therapy (RT) for SBM from January 2007 to January 2013, data for 27 clinical variables were collected.
Purpose: We investigate whether esophageal dose-length parameters (L) can robustly predict significant weight loss-≥5% weight loss during radiation therapy (RT) compared with the weight before RT-in patients with lung cancer treated with definitive intent.
Methods And Materials: Patients with lung cancer treated with conventionally fractionated RT between 2010 and 2018 were retrospectively identified. L and L, the length of full- and partial-circumferential esophagus receiving greater than a threshold dose in Gy, respectively, were created.
Frequency of Complicated Symptomatic Bone Metastasis Over a Breadth of Operational Definitions.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
March 2020
Article Synopsis
- This study explores the definitions and prevalence of complicated symptomatic bone metastases, identifying various features like prior radiation therapy and neuraxis compromise in patients treated at a major hospital.
- Researchers conducted a review of 686 cases from 401 patients over several years to quantify complicating factors and tested various definitions for what constitutes a "complicated" lesion.
- The findings revealed significant variations in the rate of complicated lesions (2.3% to 67.3%) based on different definitions, with a higher likelihood present in lesions located in the spine and certain types of cancer.
Background: Gliomas with 1p/19q-codeletion as well as mutation of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 are typically characterized as oligodendrogliomas with comparatively good response to treatment with radiation and chemotherapy.
Case Presentation: We present the case of a 28-year-old man with an IDH1 and TP53 mutant high grade glioma with abnormalities in chromosomes 1 and 19 suggestive of anaplastic oligodendroglioma that rapidly progressed to widespread metastatic disease. Biopsy of a liver lesion confirmed metastasis of the patient's known brain primary and chemotherapy with temozolomide was initiated.
Background: The majority of patients with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed with metastatic disease at presentation. Nevertheless, local progression is responsible for up to 30% of deaths and can lead to significant morbidity. As a consequence, further exploration of effective methods of local control and palliation is essential.
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