Rationale for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients with Oligometastatic Hormone-Naïve Prostate Cancer

Despite advances in treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, patients eventually progress to castrate-resistant disease and ultimately succumb to their cancer. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard treatment for metastatic prostate cancer and has been shown to improve median time to progression and median survival time. Research suggests that castrate-resistant clones may be present early in the disease process prior to the initiation of ADT. These clones are not susceptible to ADT and may even flourish when androgen-responsive clones are depleted. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a safe and efficacious method of treating clinically localized prostate cancer and metastases. In patients with a limited number of metastatic sites, SBRT may have a role in eliminating castrate-resistant clones and possibly delaying progression to castrate-resistant disease

CyberKnife® enhanced conventionally fractionated chemoradiation for high grade glioma in close proximity to critical structures

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>With conventional radiation technique alone, it is difficult to deliver radical treatment (≥ 60 Gy) to gliomas that are close to critical structures without incurring the risk of late radiation induced complications. Temozolomide-related improvements in high-grade glioma survival have placed a higher premium on optimal radiation therapy delivery. We investigated the safety and efficacy of utilizing highly conformal and precise CyberKnife radiotherapy to enhance conventional radiotherapy in the treatment of high grade glioma.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between January 2002 and January 2009, 24 patients with good performance status and high-grade gliomas in close proximity to critical structures (i.e. eyes, optic nerves, optic chiasm and brainstem) were treated with the CyberKnife. All patients received conventional radiation therapy following tumor resection, with a median dose of 50 Gy (range: 40 - 50.4 Gy). Subsequently, an additional dose of 10 Gy was delivered in 5 successive 2 Gy daily fractions utilizing the CyberKnife^®image-guided radiosurgical system. The majority of patients (88%) received concurrent and/or adjuvant Temozolmide.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During CyberKnife treatments, the mean number of radiation beams utilized was 173 and the mean number of verification images was 58. Among the 24 patients, the mean clinical treatment volume was 174 cc, the mean prescription isodose line was 73% and the mean percent target coverage was 94%. At a median follow-up of 23 months for the glioblastoma multiforme cohort, the median survival was 18 months and the two-year survival rate was 37%. At a median follow-up of 63 months for the anaplastic glioma cohort, the median survival has not been reached and the 4-year survival rate was 71%. There have been no severe late complications referable to this radiation regimen in these patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We utilized fractionated CyberKnife radiotherapy as an adjunct to conventional radiation to improve the targeting accuracy of high-grade glioma radiation treatment. This technique was safe, effective and allowed for optimal dose-delivery in our patients. The value of image-guided radiation therapy for the treatment of high-grade gliomas deserves further study.</p

Refractory trigeminal neuralgia treatment outcomes following CyberKnife radiosurgery.

INTRODUCTION: A handful of studies have reported outcomes with CyberKnife radiosurgery (CKRS) for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. However, the follow-up has been short with no minimum follow-up required and have included patients with short duration of symptoms. Here we report our institutional experience on patients with a minimum follow-up of 1 year and a median follow-up of 28 months (mean 38.84 months). METHODS: Twenty-five patients with medically and surgically intractable TN received CKRS with a mean marginal radiation dose of 64 Gy applied to an average isodose line of 86% of the affected trigeminal nerve. Follow-up data were obtained by clinical examination and telephone questionnaire. Outcome results were categorized based on the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) pain scale with BNI I-III considered to be good outcomes and BNI IV-V considered as treatment failure. BNI facial numbness score was used to assess treatment complications. RESULTS: A large proportion of patients (42.9%) reported pain relief within 1 month following CKRS treatment. The mean time to recurrence of severe pain was 27.8 months (range 1-129 months). At median follow-up of 28 months (mean 38.84 months), actuarial rate of freedom from severe pain (BNI ≥ III) was 72%. At last follow-up 2 (8%) patients had freedom from any pain and no medications (BNI I) and the majority (48%) had some pain that was adequately controlled with medications. Seven patients (28%) had no response to treatment and continued to suffer from severe pain (BNI IV or V). Patient\u27s diabetic status and overall post-treatment BNI facial numbness scores were statistically significant predictors of treatment outcomes. CONCLUSION: CKRS represents an acceptable salvage option for with medically and/or surgically refractory patients. Even patients with severely debilitating symptoms may experience significant and sustained pain relief after CKRS. Particularly, CKRS remains an attractive option in patients who are not good surgical candidates or possibly even failed surgical therapy. This data should help in setting realistic expectations for weighing the various available treatment options

Long-Term Outcomes Following Conventionally Fractionated Stereotactic Boost for High-Grade Gliomas in Close Proximity to Critical Organs at Risk

Purpose/Objective: High-grade glioma is the most common primary malignant tumor of the CNS, with death often resulting from uncontrollable intracranial disease. Radiation dose may be limited by the tolerance of critical structures, such as the brainstem and optic apparatus. In this report, long-term outcomes in patients treated with conventionally fractionated stereotactic boost for tumors in close proximity to critical structures are presented.Materials/Methods: Patients eligible for inclusion in this single institution retrospective review had a pathologically confirmed high-grade glioma status post-surgical resection. Inclusion criteria required tumor location within one centimeter of a critical structure, including the optic chiasm, optic nerve, and brainstem. Radiation therapy consisted of external beam radiation followed by a conventionally fractionated stereotactic boost. Oncologic outcomes and toxicity were assessed.Results: Thirty patients eligible for study inclusion underwent resection of a high-grade glioma. The median initial adjuvant EBRT dose was 50 Gy with a median conventionally fractionated stereotactic boost of 10 Gy. All stereotactic treatments were given in 2 Gy daily fractions. Median follow-up time for the entire cohort was 38 months with a median overall survival of 45 months and 5-year overall survival of 32.5%. The median freedom from local progression was 45 months, and the 5-year freedom from local progression was 29.7%. Two cases of radiation retinopathy were identified following treatment. No patient experienced toxicity attributable to the optic chiasm, optic nerve, or brainstem and no grade 3+ radionecrosis was observed.Conclusions: Oncologic and toxicity outcomes in high-grade glioma patients with tumors in unfavorable locations treated with conventionally fractionated stereotactic boost are comparable to those reported in the literature. This treatment strategy is appropriate for those patients with resected high-grade glioma in close proximity to critical structures

Fiducial-free CyberKnife stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for single vertebral body metastases: acceptable local control and normal tissue tolerance with 5 fraction approach

This retrospective analysis examines the local control and toxicity of 5 fraction fiducial-free CyberKnife stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for single vertebral body metastases. All patients had favorable performance status (ECOG 0-1), oligometastatic disease and no prior spine irradiation. A prescribed dose of 30 to 35 Gy was delivered in 5 fractions to the planning treatment volume (PTV) using the CyberKnife with X-sight spine tracking. Suggested maximum spinal cord and esophagus point doses were 30 Gy and 40 Gy, respectively. A median 30 Gy (range, 30 - 35 Gy) dose was delivered to a median prescription isodose line of 70% (range, 60 - 80%) to 20 patients. At 34 months median follow-up (range, 12-62 months) for surviving patients, the 1- and 2-year Kaplan-Meier local control estimates were 80% and 73%, respectively. Two of the 5 local failures were infield in patients who had received partial vertebral body irradiation and 3 were paravertebral failures just outside the PTV in patients with prior corpectomy. No local failures occurred in patients who completed total vertebral body radiation alone. The 1- and 2-year Kaplan-Meier overall survival estimates were 80% and 57%, respectively. Most deaths were attributed to metastatic disease; one death was attributed to local recurrence. The mean maximum point doses were 26.4 Gy (range, 16.3 - 31.8 Gy) to the spinal cord and 30.7 Gy (15.4- 40.0 Gy) to the esophagus. Patients receiving maximum esophagus point doses greater than 35 Gy experienced acute dysphagia (Grade I/II). No spinal cord toxicity was documented. Five fraction fiducial-free CyberKnife SBRT is an acceptable treatment option for newly diagnosed vertebral body metastases with promising local control rates and minimal toxicity despite the close proximity of such tumors to the spinal cord and esophagus. A prospective study aimed at further enhancing local control by targeting the entire intact vertebral body and escalating the total dose is planne

Five fraction image-guided radiosurgery for primary and recurrent meningiomas.

PURPOSE: Benign tumors that arise from the meninges can be difficult to treat due to their potentially large size and proximity to critical structures such as cranial nerves and sinuses. Single fraction radiosurgery may increase the risk of symptomatic peritumoral edema. In this study, we report our results on the efficacy and safety of five fraction image-guided radiosurgery for benign meningiomas. MATERIALS/METHODS: Clinical and radiographic data from 38 patients treated with five fraction radiosurgery were reviewed retrospectively. Mean tumor volume was 3.83 mm(3) (range, 1.08-20.79 mm(3)). Radiation was delivered using the CyberKnife, a frameless robotic image-guided radiosurgery system with a median total dose of 25 Gy (range, 25-35 Gy). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 20 months. Acute toxicity was minimal with eight patients (21%) requiring a short course of steroids for headache at the end of treatment. Pre-treatment neurological symptoms were present in 24 patients (63.2%). Post treatment, neurological symptoms resolved completely in 14 patients (58.3%), and were persistent in eight patients (33.3%). There were no local failures, 24 tumors remained stable (64%) and 14 regressed (36%). Pre-treatment peritumoral edema was observed in five patients (13.2%). Post-treatment asymptomatic peritumoral edema developed in five additional patients (13.2%). On multivariate analysis, pre-treatment peritumoral edema and location adjacent to a large vein were significant risk factors for radiographic post-treatment edema (p = 0.001 and p = 0.026 respectively). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that five fraction image-guided radiosurgery is well tolerated with a response rate for neurologic symptoms that is similar to other standard treatment options. Rates of peritumoral edema and new cranial nerve deficits following five fraction radiosurgery were low. Longer follow-up is required to validate the safety and long-term effectiveness of this treatment approach

CyberKnife enhanced conventionally fractionated chemoradiation for high grade glioma in close proximity to critical structures.

INTRODUCTION: With conventional radiation technique alone, it is difficult to deliver radical treatment (\u3eor= 60 Gy) to gliomas that are close to critical structures without incurring the risk of late radiation induced complications. Temozolomide-related improvements in high-grade glioma survival have placed a higher premium on optimal radiation therapy delivery. We investigated the safety and efficacy of utilizing highly conformal and precise CyberKnife radiotherapy to enhance conventional radiotherapy in the treatment of high grade glioma. METHODS: Between January 2002 and January 2009, 24 patients with good performance status and high-grade gliomas in close proximity to critical structures (i.e. eyes, optic nerves, optic chiasm and brainstem) were treated with the CyberKnife. All patients received conventional radiation therapy following tumor resection, with a median dose of 50 Gy (range: 40 - 50.4 Gy). Subsequently, an additional dose of 10 Gy was delivered in 5 successive 2 Gy daily fractions utilizing the CyberKnife image-guided radiosurgical system. The majority of patients (88%) received concurrent and/or adjuvant Temozolmide. RESULTS: During CyberKnife treatments, the mean number of radiation beams utilized was 173 and the mean number of verification images was 58. Among the 24 patients, the mean clinical treatment volume was 174 cc, the mean prescription isodose line was 73% and the mean percent target coverage was 94%. At a median follow-up of 23 months for the glioblastoma multiforme cohort, the median survival was 18 months and the two-year survival rate was 37%. At a median follow-up of 63 months for the anaplastic glioma cohort, the median survival has not been reached and the 4-year survival rate was 71%. There have been no severe late complications referable to this radiation regimen in these patients. CONCLUSION: We utilized fractionated CyberKnife radiotherapy as an adjunct to conventional radiation to improve the targeting accuracy of high-grade glioma radiation treatment. This technique was safe, effective and allowed for optimal dose-delivery in our patients. The value of image-guided radiation therapy for the treatment of high-grade gliomas deserves further study