Delivery of Online Adaptive MRI-Guided Radiation Therapy for a Deaf Patient.

MRI-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) enables real-time imaging during treatment and daily online adaptive planning. It is particularly useful for areas of treatment that have been previously excluded or restricted from ablative doses due to potential damage to adjacent normal tissue. In certain cases, ablative doses to metastatic lesions may be justified and treated with MRgRT using video-assisted gated breath-hold adjustments throughout delivery. The workflow relies on patient biofeedback and auditory cues. A 74-year-old deaf male with a history of prostate cancer status post prostatectomy was found to have an enlarged cervical lymph node, which was excised with histopathology demonstrating Merkel cell carcinoma. Approximately one year after treatment with two cycles of pembrolizumab, which was subsequently discontinued due to toxicity, surveillance imaging demonstrated an enlarging left adrenal nodule. It was initially stable for an additional seven months with pembrolizumab rechallenge but was again found enlarged on subsequent imaging. The patient underwent MRg stereotactic body radiation therapy (MRgSBRT) to a total dose of 60 Gy in five fractions to this isolated site of progression. The patient was equipped with mirrored glasses to view the tracking structure with respect to gating the boundary structure, and the traditional reliance on verbal cues for coaching was reimagined to rely on visual cues instead. Follow-up positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) two weeks after treatment demonstrated interval resolution of the left adrenal metastatic nodule and a return to symmetric bilateral adrenal gland metabolic activity. The necessary MRgSBRT treatment for single metastatic lesions near normal tissue structures relies on verbal cues and coaching. However, deaf patients are unable to receive this treatment according to the traditional workflow model. Unique opportunities exist for the implementation of culturally competent care for the Deaf community, relying more heavily on visual cues, in radiation oncology practice

Stereotactic radiosurgery and anti-PD-1 + CTLA-4 therapy, anti-PD-1 therapy, anti-CTLA-4 therapy, BRAF/MEK inhibitors, BRAF inhibitors, or conventional chemotherapy for the management of melanoma brain metastases.

BACKGROUND: Immunotherapy and targeted BRAF/MEK inhibitors (i) have revolutionised the systemic management of advanced melanoma. Given the role of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in the local management of brain metastases, we sought to evaluate clinical outcomes in patients with melanoma brain metastases (MBM) treated with SRS and various systemic therapies. METHODS: Patients were included if MBM were diagnosed and treated with SRS within 3 months of receiving anti-PD-1+CTLA-4 therapy, anti-PD-1 therapy, anti-CTLA-4 therapy, BRAF/MEK-i, BRAF-i, or conventional chemotherapy. Comparisons between groups were made for overall survival (OS), distant MBM control, local MBM, systemic progression-free survival (sPFS), and neurotoxicity. RESULTS: In total, 257 patients with 1048 MBM treated over 368 SRS sessions between 2011 and 2020 were identified. On MVA, treatment with anti-PD1+anti-CTLA-4, anti-PD-1, and BRAF/MEK-i improved distant intracranial control over conventional chemotherapy. No significant differences were noted in local control (LC) between groups (p = 0.78). Kaplan-Meier OS at 12 months for anti-PD-1 + CTLA-4 therapy, anti-PD-1 therapy, anti-CTLA-4 therapy, BRAF/MEK-i, BRAF-i, and conventional chemotherapy was 68%, 59%, 45%, 62%, 21%, and 15%, respectively (p = CONCLUSIONS: This is among the largest series evaluating MBM treated with SRS and various systemic therapy regimens. Our analysis noted significant differences in OS, distant MBM control, and sPFS by systemic therapy. No differences in LC or radiation necrosis risk were noted