Intensity-modulated proton radiation therapy as a radical treatment modality for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in China: Cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: Compared to conventional intensity-modulated photon radiation therapy (IMRT), intensity-modulated proton radiation therapy (IMPT) has potential to reduce irradiation-induced late toxicities while maintaining excellent tumor control in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the relevant cost-effectiveness remains controversial.

Methods: A Markov decision tree analysis was performed under the assumption that IMPT offered normal tissue complication probability reduction (NTCP reduction) in long-term dysphagia, xerostomia, and hearing loss, compared to IMRT.

Small but Challenging Conjunctival Melanoma: New Insights, Paradigms and Future Perspectives.

Although its incidence has increased over the last decades, conjunctival melanoma (CM) remains a rare but challenging periocular malignancy. While there is currently no recognized standard of care, "no-touch" surgical excision followed by adjuvant treatments is usually recommended. Despite its small size, managing CM is challenging for clinicians.

High-dose-rate brachytherapy boost for locally advanced cervical cancer: Oncological outcome and toxicity analysis of 4 fractionation schemes.

Purpose: Brachytherapy (BT) boost after radio-chemotherapy (RCT) is a standard of care in the management of locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). As there is no consensus on high-dose-rate (HDR) BT fractionation schemes, our aim was to report the oncological outcome and toxicity profile of four different schemes using twice-a-day (BID) HDR-BT.

Patients And Methods: This was an observational, retrospective, single institution study for patients with LACC receiving a HDR-BT boost.

Brachytherapy for oligometastatic prostate cancer to the penis.

The origin of penile metastases is in 70% of cases from primary pelvic cancers (genitourinary and recto-sigmoid primary tumors). The prognosis is poor and it is often associated with synchronous bone metastases at the time of diagnosis. We present the case of a 61-year-old patient who developed a penile induration 7 years after radical prostatectomy followed by adjuvant external beam radiation therapy for high-risk prostatic adenocarcinoma.

Avelumab for platinum-ineligible/refractory recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: phase Ib results from the JAVELIN Solid Tumor trial.

Background: Recurrent and/or metastatic (R/M) disease develops in approximately 65% of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) and is associated with a poor prognosis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have proven effective in multiple tumor types, including R/M SCCHN. We report the efficacy and safety of avelumab (antiprogrammed death ligand 1 antibody) in an expansion cohort of patients with platinum-refractory/ineligible R/M SCCHN enrolled in the phase I JAVELIN Solid Tumor trial (NCT01772004).

Myocardial Metabolic Response Predicts Chemotherapy Curative Potential on Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

Unlabelled: Genome sharing between cancer and normal tissues might imply a similar susceptibility to chemotherapy toxicity. The present study aimed to investigate whether curative potential of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) is predicted by the metabolic response of normal tissues in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).

Methods: According to current guidelines, 86 patients with advanced-stage (IIB-IVB) HL, prospectively enrolled in the HD0607 trial (NCT00795613), underwent 18 F-fluorodeoyglucose PET/CT imaging at diagnosis and, at interim, after two ABVD courses, to decide regimen maintenance or its escalation.

Optimizing oropharyngeal cancer management by using proton beam therapy: trends of cost-effectiveness.

Background: Proton beam therapy (PBT) is a new-emerging cancer treatment in China but its treatment costs are high and not yet covered by Chinese public medical insurance. The advanced form of PBT, intensity-modulated proton radiation therapy (IMPT), has been confirmed to reduce normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) as compared to conventional intensity-modulated photon-radiation therapy (IMRT) in patients with oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). Herein, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness and applicability of IMPT versus IMRT for OPC patients in China, aiming at guiding the proper use of PBT.

Salvage stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for intraprostatic relapse after prostate cancer radiotherapy: An ESTRO ACROP Delphi consensus.

Background And Purpose: Between 30% and 47% of patients treated with definitive radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer are at risk of intraprostatic recurrence during follow-up. Re-irradiation with stereotactic body RT (SBRT) is emerging as a feasible and safe therapeutic option. However, no consensus or guidelines exist on this topic.

What is the optimal treatment for T1N0 anal squamous cell carcinoma? Analysis of current practices in the prospective French FFCD ANABASE cohort.

Introduction: for localized T1N0 squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) standard radiotherapy (RT) may result in overtreatment and alternative strategies are debated.

Methods: T1N0M0 SCCA treated between 2015 and 2020 by local excision (LE) or RT were analyzed from the French prospective FFCD ANABASE cohort. Treatment strategies, recurrence-free and colostomy-free survivals (RFS, CFS) and prognostic factors were reported.

APBI Versus Ultra-APBI in the Elderly With Low-Risk Breast Cancer: A Comparative Analysis of Oncological Outcome and Late Toxicity.

Purpose: Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) represents a validated technique for low-risk breast cancer. Recently, ultra-APBI (uAPBI) using fewer than 5 fractions was described in the literature. We compared clinical outcomes and late toxicity after APBI or uAPBI in older patients.

High-dose rate brachytherapy in localized penile cancer: 5-Year clinical outcome analysis.

Purpose: To analyze the oncological outcome and toxicity profile after conservative treatment based on multicatheter interstitial high-dose rate brachytherapy (MHB) for patients presenting a localized penile cancer.

Materials And Methods: Patients with histologically proven, non-metastatic (T1-T2 N0-N2 M0) localized penile cancer were treated with MHB. Needles were placed under general anesthesia into the target volume using a dedicated template.

From biomarkers to therapeutic targets: the promise of PD-L1 in thyroid autoimmunity and cancer.

The programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immune checkpoint proteins hold promise as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets for precision oncology. By restoring antitumor T cell surveillance, the high degree of effectiveness of the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized cancer treatment. However, the majority of patients (65-80 %) treated with ICIs experience significant side effects, called immune-related adverse events (irAEs), resulting in autoimmune damage to various organs.

Biomolecular Factors Represented by Bcl-2, p53, and Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Predict Response for Adjuvant Anthracycline Chemotherapy in Patients with Early Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Treatment of triple-negative breast cancer is challenging. Standard adjuvant tretment is considered to be the cobination of anthracycline and taxanes although the role of anthracyclines administered preoperatively  remains controversial. Actually, some studies recommended taxane-only regimens.

Liquid Biopsy for Solid Ophthalmic Malignancies: An Updated Review and Perspectives.

Tissue biopsy is considered the gold standard when establishing a diagnosis of cancer. However, tissue biopsies of intraocular ophthalmic malignancies are hard to collect and are thought to be associated with a non-negligible risk of extraocular dissemination. Recently, the liquid biopsy (LB) has emerged as a viable, non-invasive, repeatable, and promising way of obtaining a diagnosis, prognosis, and theragnosis of patients with solid tumors.

Standardization of F-FDG-PET/CT According to Deauville Criteria for Metabolic Complete Response Definition in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma.

Purpose: F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is currently the standard technique to define minimal residual disease (MRD) status outside the bone marrow (BM) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). This study aimed to define criteria for PET complete metabolic response after therapy, jointly analyzing a subgroup of newly diagnosed transplantation-eligible patients with MM enrolled in two independent European randomized phase III trials (IFM/DFCI2009 and EMN02/HO95).

Patients And Methods: Two hundred twenty-eight patients were observed for a median of 62.

Accelerated partial breast irradiation in the elderly: 8-year oncological outcomes and prognostic factors.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to evaluate long-term clinical outcomes and prognostic factors after accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) in the elderly using high-dose-rate interstitial multicatheter brachytherapy (HIBT).

Methods And Materials: Between 2005 and 2018, 109 patients underwent APBI using HIBT (34 Gy/10f/5d or 32 Gy/8f/4d). Based on a prospective database, outcomes were retrospectively analyzed (local relapse-free survival, metastatic-free survival, specific survival (SS), and overall survival (OS)).

Consolidation Radiotherapy Could Be Safely Omitted in Advanced Hodgkin Lymphoma With Large Nodal Mass in Complete Metabolic Response After ABVD: Final Analysis of the Randomized GITIL/FIL HD0607 Trial.

Purpose: To investigate the role of consolidation radiotherapy (cRT) in advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) presenting at baseline with a large nodal mass (LNM) in complete metabolic response after doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Advanced-stage (IIB-IVB) HL patients, enrolled in the HD 0607 trial (Clinicaltrial.gov identifier NCT00795613), with both a negative PET after two (PET-2) and six (PET-6) ABVD cycles, who presented at baseline with an LNM, defined as a nodal mass with the largest diameter ≥ 5 cm, were prospectively randomly assigned to receive cRT over the LNM or no further treatment (NFT).

Primary prophylaxis with G-CSF may improve outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed stage III/IV Hodgkin lymphoma treated with brentuximab vedotin plus chemotherapy.

We investigate the impact of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) primary prophylaxis (G-PP,  = 83) versus no G-PP ( = 579) on safety and efficacy of brentuximab vedotin plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A + AVD) in the ECHELON-1 study of previously untreated stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma. G-PP was associated with lower incidence of ≥ grade 3 neutropenia (29% versus 70%) and febrile neutropenia (11% versus 21%). Fewer dose delays (35% versus 49%), reductions (20% versus 26%), and hospitalizations (29% versus 38%) were observed.

Radiotherapy for primary tumor in lung cancer with synchronous metastases: Overview from the past and proposal for the future.

The management of metastatic lung cancers, either of the small-cell (SCLC) or the non-small cell (NSCLC) subtype, largely based on systemic treatments so far, has been the subject of breakthrough advances over the past few years, with notably the wide use of immunotherapy changing the landscape of these harmful prognosis diseases. In parallel with this major progress, the increasing use of radiotherapy (RT) for the treatment of the primary thoracic lesion±the distant lesions, may contribute to improving the condition of these metastatic patients, both in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). This review proposes to summarize and explain the findings provided by the different studies published in the last years experiencing RT of the primary tumor in metastatic lung cancers, either associated or not with the local ablative treatment of a low number of distant lesions.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of proton beam therapy for treatment decision making in paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancers in China.

Background: Cost-effectiveness is a pivotal consideration for clinical decision making of high-tech cancer treatment in developing countries. Intensity-modulated proton radiation therapy (IMPT, the advanced form of proton beam therapy) has been found to improve the prognosis of the patients with paranasal sinus and nasal cavity cancers compared with intensity-modulated photon-radiation therapy (IMRT). However, the cost-effectiveness of IMPT has not yet been fully evaluated.

Pathologic Response After Weekly Paclitaxel versus Docetaxel in Operable Breast Cancer.

Introduction: Weekly paclitaxel (Ptx) and q3w docetaxel (Dtx) are equivalent in adjuvant breast cancer treatment. Weekly Ptx is better tolerated than q3w Dtx and became the first choice in daily practice, even preoperatively.

Methods: To compare the efficacy and safety of the two regimens, a retrospective analysis was performed in breast cancer patients (pts) referred for neoadjuvant, sequential, taxane-containing chemotherapy to the Institute of Oncology and Oncofort Clinic, Bucharest, between 2008 and 2017.

Second conservative treatment for second ipsilateral breast tumor event: A systematic review of the different re-irradiation techniques.

Aim: To address the different partial breast re-irradiation techniques available in the context of second conservative treatment (SCT), as an alternative to salvage mastectomy, for 2nd ipsilateral breast tumor event (IBTE) and summarize their respective oncological and toxicity outcomes.

Material And Methods: A literature search was made based on MeSH/PubMed, including papers from 1995 to 2019. Each article was described according to the main irradiation technique, fractionation, oncological results and grade 3 toxicities related to the salvage conservative treatment.

Oncologic and visual outcomes after postoperative proton therapy of localized conjunctival melanomas.

Introduction: conjunctival melanomas have high local relapse rates. Oncologic and visual outcomes can be improved with proton therapy and no-touch surgery.

Material And Methods: a monocentric retrospective study of consecutive patients treated with surgery and proton therapy for conjunctival melanoma was conducted.