Introduction: The results of the phase 3 ALSYMPCA trial showed that Radium-223 (Ra-223) improves overall survival (OS) and delays onset of first symptomatic skeletal event vs. placebo in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The purpose of the REACTIVATE study was to inform the optimal placement of Ra-233 in the treatment sequence by evaluating clinical outcomes and healthcare resource utilization using real-world data from multiple Canadian provinces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Second malignancy is a rare but potentially lethal event after prostate brachytherapy, but data remain scarce on its long-term risk. The objective of this study is to estimate the number of pelvic second malignancies following brachytherapy compared to radical prostatectomy (RP).
Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients treated with low-dose I brachytherapy and RP in British Columbia from 1999 to 2010.
Introduction: The results of the phase 3 ALSYMPCA trial showed that Radium-223 (Ra-223) improves overall survival (OS) and delays onset of first symptomatic skeletal event vs. placebo in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The purpose of the REACTIVATE study was to inform the optimal placement of Ra-233 in the treatment sequence by evaluating clinical outcomes and healthcare resource utilization using real-world data from multiple Canadian provinces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Radiotherapy delivery regimens can vary between a single fraction (SF) and multiple fractions (MF) given daily for up to several weeks depending on the location of the cancer or metastases. With limited evidence comparing fractionation regimens for oligometastases, there is support to explore toxicity levels to nearby organs at risk as a primary outcome while using SF and MF stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) as well as explore differences in patient-reported quality of life and experience.
Methods: This study will randomize 598 patients in a 1:1 ratio between the standard arm (MF SABR) and the experimental arm (SF SABR).
Aims: Most patients experience stable quality of life (QoL) after stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) treatment for oligometastases. However, a subset of patients experience clinically relevant declines in QoL on post-treatment follow-up. This study aimed to identify risk factors for QoL decline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Medical linear accelerators are the most costly standard equipment used in radiation oncology, however the service costs for these machines are not well understood. With an increasing demand for linear accelerators due to a global increase in cancer incidence, it is important to understand the expected maintenance costs of a larger global installed base so that these costs can be incorporated into budgeting. The purpose of this investigation is to analyze the costs for medical linear accelerator service and maintenance at our institution, in order to estimate the service cost ratio.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: To evaluate longitudinal patient-reported quality of life (QoL) in patients treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for oligometastases.
Materials And Methods: The SABR-5 trial was a population-based single-arm phase II study of SABR to up to five sites of oligometastases, conducted in six regional cancer centres in British Columbia, Canada from 2016 to 2020. Prospective QoL was measured using treatment site-specific QoL questionnaires at pre-treatment baseline and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 30 and 36 months after treatment.
Background: Radiotherapy (RT) and surgery are potential treatment options in patients with biochemical recurrence (BCR) following primary prostate cancer treatment. This study examines the value of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)-informed surgery and RT in patients with BCR treated without systemic therapy.
Methods: This is a post-hoc subgroup analysis of a prospective clinical trial.
Background And Purpose: Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for oligometastases may improve survival, however concerns about safety remain. To mitigate risk of toxicity, target coverage was sacrificed to prioritize organs-at-risk (OARs) during SABR planning in the population-based SABR-5 trial. This study evaluated the effect of this practice on dosimetry, local recurrence (LR), and progression-free survival (PFS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
April 2023
Purpose: Using the primary endpoint of time to biochemical progression (TTP), Androgen Suppression Combined with Elective Nodal and Dose Escalated Radiation Therapy (ASCENDE-RT) randomized National Comprehensive Cancer Network patients with intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer to low-dose-rate brachytherapy boost (LDR-PB) or dose-escalated external beam boost (DE-EBRT). Randomization to the LDR-PB arm resulted in a 2-fold reduction in biochemical progression compared with the DE-EBRT group at a median follow-up of 6.5 years (P < .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The recently developed European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO)/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) oligometastatic disease (OMD) classification has not been validated in terms of its prognostic significance. This study stratified patients from the phase II SABR-5 trial based on ESTRO/EORTC criteria and compared progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) to determine the prognostic significance of the classification scheme.
Methods And Materials: The SABR-5 trial was a single arm phase II study conducted at the 6 regional cancer centers across British Columbia (BC), Canada, where SABR for oligometastases was only offered on trial.
Purpose: Proton Beam Therapy (PBT)is a treatment option for select cancer patients. It is currently not available in Canada. Assessment and referral processes for out-of-country treatment for eligible patients vary by jurisdiction, leading to variability in access to this treatment for Canadian cancer patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: After the publication of the landmark SABR-COMET trial, concerns arose regarding high-grade toxic effects of treatment with stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) for oligometastases.
Objective: To document toxic effects of treatment with SABR in a large cohort from a population-based, provincial cancer program.
Design, Setting, And Participants: From November 2016 to July 2020, 381 patients across all 6 cancer centers in British Columbia were treated in this single-arm, phase 2 trial of treatment with SABR for patients with oligometastatic or oligoprogressive disease.
Purpose: A subset of patients with oligometastatic cancer experience early widespread cancer dissemination and do not benefit from metastasis-directed therapy such as SABR. This study aimed to identify factors associated with early polymetastatic relapse (PMR).
Methods And Materials: The SABR-5 trial was a single arm phase 2 study conducted at all 6 regional cancer centers across British Columbia (BC), Canada.
Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of unfavorable intermediate-risk (UIR) and high-risk (HR) prostate cancer patients treated with combined external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and low-dose-rate prostate brachytherapy (LDR-PB).
Methods And Materials: A population-based cohort of 568 prostate cancer patients treated with combined EBRT and LDR-PB from 2010 to 2016 was analyzed. All patients received EBRT followed by LDR-PB boost.
Purpose: Despite increasing utilization of SABR for oligometastatic cancer, prospective outcomes are lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine progression-free survival (PFS), local control (LC), and prognostic factors from the population-based phase 2 SABR-5 trial.
Methods And Materials: The SABR-5 trial was a single-arm phase 2 study with the primary endpoint of toxicity, conducted at the 6 regional cancer centers across British Columbia (BC), Canada, during which time SABR for oligometastases was only offered on trial.
Introduction: We aimed to describe the oncological outcomes after radical cystectomy and chemo-radiation for localized small cell bladder cancer (SCBC).
Methods: This population-based analysis of localized SCBC from 1985-2018 in British Columbia included an analysis (analysis 1) of cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) of patients treated with curative-intent radical cystectomy (RC) and radiation (RT), and an analysis (analysis 2) of CSS and OS in patients treated with RC and chemoRT consistent with the SCBC Canadian consensus guideline.
Results: Seventy-seven patients who were treated with curative intent were identified: 33 patients had RC and 44 had RT.
Background: Recent clinical trial results reported that stereotactic radiotherapy (SABR) may improve survival for patients with oligometastatic (OM) cancer. Given that these results come from a phase II trial, there remains considerable uncertainty about this finding, and about the cost-effectiveness of SABR for patients with OM cancer. In this analysis, we estimate the cost-effectiveness of SABR for oligometastatic cancer patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Prostate cancer remains the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related mortality in Canadian men, and yet screening for prostate cancer continues to be controversial because the majority of men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die of the disease. It also remains uncertain whether treatment of cases that can be treated with curative intent alters the mortality rate. There are very few studies describing the presenting stage, risk groups, and survival after diagnosis for men dying of prostate cancer in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the long-term toxicities of intracranial germ cell tumor (IGCT) in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population.
Methods: We report late toxicities of a multi-center cohort of AYA patients treated for IGCT between 1975 and 2015. Charts were retrospectively reviewed for hormone deficiency, ototoxicity, seizure disorder, visual deterioration, cerebrovascular events, second neoplasm, psychiatric illness, and neurocognitive impairment.