Accuracy of Intracavitary Applicator Reconstruction for Cervix Cancer Brachytherapy

The accuracy of intracavitary applicator reconstruction for cervical cancer was assessed. A homemade phantom that mimics clinical applicator placement and reference points was used. Three stainless steel (15°, 30°, and 45°) tandems, x-ray markers, and three reference points were used to compare radiography- and CT-based systems. For CT reconstructions, two Fletcher CT compatible (15° and 30°) tandems, two ovoids, and two reference points, with and without inserted x-ray markers, were used. A 2.5-mm CT slice thickness was used. To check for inter- and intra-operator variations in CT, only a 30° tandem without x-ray markers and 1.25-mm CT slice thickness were used. Applicators were reconstructed three times for each image set to verify the operator reproducibility. A 6 Gy dose was prescribed and normalized at AL-point. Source dwell times were compared to check for dose variation at A-point. Maximum standard deviations SD (σ) for radiography and CT reconstructions were 0.35 and 0.83mm, respectively. Analysis of variance for the means of 15° and 30° tandems showed no significant difference. Levene’s test proved insignificant difference for 15° tandem (p value = 0.131), whereas it showed a significant difference for 30° tandem (p value = 0.011). This phantom study showed that the variance of dwell times between the two methods for 30° tandem was statistically significant due to increased applicator curvature. CT proves superiority to radiography. X-ray marker method was more accurate but has less image quality. Inter- and intra-oncologist variations showed good agreement

SCC antigen and ApoC-II as serum biomarkers of cervical cancer

There are currently no reliable, established serum biomarkers to predict the prognosis of radiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer. We aimed to identify serum biomarkers for survival after radiotherapy for cervical cancer. In this multicenter prospective cohort study, the usefulness of pre- and posttreatment serum protein levels of potential biomarkers, including squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), apolipoprotein C-II (ApoC-II), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)1, and MMP2, were evaluated together with clinical factors in 145 cervical cancer patients in order to determine their suitability to predict survival. Progression-free survival (PFS) was the primary endpoint, and overall survival (OS), pelvic PFS (PPFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were the secondary endpoints. Blood samples were collected before and 1 month after radiotherapy to measure serum biomarker levels. ApoC-II was measured using a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which was developed for this purpose. Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used for statistical analyses. In multivariate analysis, larger tumor size was independently associated with shorter PFS, OS, PPFS, and DMFS, while longer overall treatment time was independently associated with shorter PPFS. Higher pretreatment SCC-Ag (P 25.8 μg/ml (P = 0.023, log-rank test). Pre- and posttreatment serum SCC-Ag and pretreatment serum ApoC-II levels may be important biomarkers to predict survival outcomes of patients with cervical cancer after radiotherapy. Pre- and posttreatment SCC-Ag and pretreatment ApoC-II might be useful in clinical settings for screening patients to improve treatment strategies in cervical cancer

Prediction of recurrence after chemoradiotherapy

We retrospectively assessed whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics combined with clinical parameters can improve the predictability of out-of-field recurrence (OFR) of cervical cancer after chemoradiotherapy. The data set was collected from 204 patients with stage IIB (FIGO: International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2008) cervical cancer who underwent chemoradiotherapy at 14 Japanese institutes. Of these, 180 patients were finally included for analysis. OFR-free survival was calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the statistical significance of clinicopathological parameters for the OFR-free survival was evaluated using the log-rank test and Cox proportional-hazards model. Prediction of OFR from the analysis of diffusion-weighted images (DWI) and T2-weighted images of pretreatment MRI was done using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) model for engineering image feature extraction. The accuracy of prediction was evaluated by 5-fold cross-validation of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Para-aortic lymph node metastasis (p = 0.003) was a significant prognostic factor in univariate and multivariate analyses. ROC analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.709 in predicting OFR using the pretreatment status of para-aortic lymph node metastasis, 0.667 using the LASSO model for DWIs and 0.602 using T2 weighted images. The AUC improved to 0.734 upon combining the pretreatment status of para-aortic lymph node metastasis with that from the LASSO model for DWIs. Combining MRI radiomics with clinical parameters improved the accuracy of predicting OFR after chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer

Deterioration of Performance Status during Palliative Radiotherapy Suggests a Significant Short Survival Duration: Indicating the Necessities for Considering Radiotherapy Discontinuation

Discontinuation of palliative radiotherapy due to a patient’s declining general condition poses a clinical dilemma for palliative care physicians. This study aimed to investigate the survival duration of patients whose performance status (PS) deteriorated during palliative radiotherapy and inform decisions regarding early treatment discontinuation. We retrospectively analyzed data from patients referred from our institute’s palliative care department who underwent ≥10 fractions of palliative radiotherapy between March 2017 and December 2021. PS was assessed using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale. Survival duration was calculated from the final day of palliative radiotherapy to death using the Kaplan–Meier method. A total of 35 patients underwent palliative radiotherapy. Seven (20%) experienced deterioration in ECOG PS during treatment. Their median survival duration was significantly shorter at 22 days (95% confidence interval: 1–94 days) compared to 125 days (95% confidence interval: 82–150 days) for the 28 patients whose PS remained stable (p = 0.0007). Deterioration in ECOG PS during palliative radiotherapy signifies a markedly shorter survival duration. Careful assessment of a patient’s condition throughout treatment is crucial, and early discontinuation should be considered if their general health worsens rather than strictly adhering to the initial schedule

Predictive factors of uterine movement during definitive radiotherapy for cervical cancer

To determine the predictive factors affecting uterine movement during radiotherapy (RT), we quantified interfraction uterine movement using computed tomography (CT) and cone-beam CT (CBCT). A total of 38 patients who underwent definitive RT for cervical cancer were retrospectively analyzed. We compared pre-RT planning CT (n = 38) and intratreatment CBCT (n = 315), measuring cervical and corporal movement in each direction. Correlations between uterine movement and volume changes of the bladder and rectum on all CBCT scans were analyzed using Spearman rank correlation analysis. Relationships between the mean uterine movement and patient factors were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test. The mean corpus movement was: superior margin (cranio–caudal direction), 7.6 ± 5.9 mm; anterior margin (anteroposterior direction), 8.3 ± 6.3 mm; left margin (lateral direction), 3.3 ± 2.9 mm; and right margin (lateral direction), 3.0 ± 2.3 mm. Generally, the mean values for cervical movement were smaller than those for the corpus. There was a significant, weak correlation between changes in bladder volume and the movement of the superior margin of the corpus (ρ = 0.364, P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in movement of the superior margin of the corpus between the subgroups with and without a history of previous pelvic surgery (P = 0.007). In conclusion, change in bladder volume and a history of previous surgery were significantly related to intrafractional corpus movement; however, our observations suggest that the accurate prediction of uterine movement remains challenging

Computed tomography–based image-guided brachytherapy for cervical cancer : correlations between dose–volume parameters and clinical outcomes

This study evaluated the oncologic outcomes and complications of cervical cancer patients in terms of CT-based image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT) parameters. Of 68 cervical cancer patients treated with definitive radiotherapy/concurrent chemoradiotherapy, most received whole-pelvis external beam RT (EBRT) of 40 Gy in 20 fractions, pelvic EBRT with central shield of 10 Gy in 5 fractions, and CT-based IGBT of 18 Gy in 3 fractions prescribed to point A. Cumulative EBRT and IGBT doses were calculated as the total equivalent dose in 2 Gy fractions (EQD2). The median follow-up was 31 (3–52) months. The 2-year overall survival, local control, pelvic control, and disease-free survival rates of the 68 patients were 92%, 83%, 82% and 73%, respectively. The HR-CTV D90, length from the tandem axis to left/right margin of the HR-CTV (T-LR), and HR-CTV volume were significant IGBT parameters for predicting local/pelvic control. Patients who received an HR-CTV D90 of >60 Gy, compared with ≤60 Gy, had significantly better local/pelvic control. Furthermore, 70 Gy was a marginally significant HR-CTV D90 cut-off affecting local control. T-LR was an independent IGBT parameter predicting local/pelvic control on multivariate analysis. Three patients developed Grade 3 or higher treatment-related complications. The D2cm3 of organs at risk were not significant predictors of complications. Future challenges for further improving outcomes include additional interstitial needles for irregularly shaped HR-CTVs, and moderate dose escalation, especially for patients with poor tumor responses

Concurrent weekly cisplatin versus triweekly cisplatin with radiotherapy for locally advanced squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervix : a retrospective analysis from a single institution

Objective:To compare patients with cervical cancer who were primarily treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) using 20 mg m^ CDDP for 5 days every 3 weeks with weekly regimens of 40 mg m^. Methods:We retrospectively analyzed 185 patients with Stage IB-IVA squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervix who were treated with CCRT between 2005 and 2013 at our hospital. The CCRT regimen consisted of cisplatin (CDDP) at 20 mg m^ for 5 days every 3 weeks or 40 mg m^ weekly, administered concomitantly with RT. Results:The median age was 50 years (range: 22-70 years) in the triweekly group and was 50.5 years (range: 28-70 years) in the weekly group. The 5-year overall survival rate in the triweekly and weekly groups were 82.0% and 83.3%, respectively (p = 0.851); their disease-free survival rate was 79.6% and 78.1%, respectively (p = 0.672). In the triweekly group, 56 patients (50.9%) had grade 3/4 leukopenia, which was significantly higher than that of 11 patients (15%) in the weekly group (p < 0.0001). Conclusion:The weekly CDDP regimen for CCRT seems better in patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Stages IB-IVA squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervix. Advances in knowledge: The weekly CDDP regimen for CCRT seems better in patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Stages IB-IVA squamous-cell carcinoma of the cervix