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Purpose: Studies about the effect of radiation therapy (RT) on immune cells are usually limited to a high-grade glioma mostly exposed to chemotherapy and a high dose of steroid which also could affect immune cells. The purpose of this retrospective analysis of low-grade brain tumor patients treated by RT alone is to determine significant factors influencing neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), absolute neutrophil counts (ANC), and absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC)., Materials and Methods: A total of 41 patients who received RT between 2007 and 2020 were analyzed. Patients who received chemotherapy and high-dose of steroid were excluded. ANC and ALC were collected before starting RT (baseline) and within one-week before ending RT (post-treatment). Changes of ANC, ALC, and NLR between baseline and post-treatment were calculated., Results: ALC decreased in 32 patients (78.1%). NLR increased in 31 patients (75.6%). No patients developed grade 2 or higher hematologic toxicities. The decrease of ALC was significantly correlated with the dose to brain V15 in a simple and multiple linear regression (p = 0.043). Brain V10 and V20 adjacent to V15 were also marginally significant factors determining the reduction of lymphocytes (p = 0.050 and p = 0.059, respectively). However, it was difficult to find predictive factors affecting changes of ANC and NLR., Conclusion: In low-grade brain tumor patients who are treated by RT alone, ALC decreased and NLR increased in three-fourth of patients, although the magnitude was minimal. The decrease of ALC was mainly affected by low dose to the brain. However, RT dose was not correlated with changes of ANC or NLR.

Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) involving the inferior vena cava rarely occurs, but its prognosis is extremely poor, with no established treatment to date. This study aimed to analyze the clinical outcome and toxicity of radiotherapy (RT) targeting inferior vena cava tumor thrombus (IVCTT) in HCC patients.From November 2011 to July 2020, medical record of 19 HCC patients who were treated with RT for IVCTT was retrospectively reviewed. RT was delivered using 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and stereotactic body radiation therapy. The median radiation dose was 50 Gy (range, 45-55.8 Gy) for intensity-modulated radiation therapy and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy. Stereotactic body radiation therapy was performed in 5 patients, for a total of 32 Gy in 4 fractions.The median follow-up duration was 8.1 months (range, 3.3-26.5 months). The median overall survival was 9.4 months (range, 3.7-26.5 months), and the 1-year overall survival rate was 37.1%. Eight of 19 patients (42.1%) had extrahepatic metastasis at the start of RT. Six of 11 patients (54.5%) who did not have extrahepatic metastasis at the start of RT showed extrahepatic metastasis after RT. The major cause of death was progression of extrahepatic metastasis (11 patients, 57.9%). The overall response rate of IVCTT for RT was 84.2%, and the local control rate at the time of the last follow-up was 89.4%. After RT, the most common first progression site was the lungs (9 patients, 47.4%). Most toxicities were grade 1 to 2 gastrointestinal (26.3%) and liver enzyme elevation (68.4%). Three patients occurred pulmonary embolism after RT later than 5 months after.RT is a feasible and safe local therapy for IVCTT, with favorable tumor control and acceptable toxicity. Extrahepatic metastasis is the major progression pattern and a leading cause of death in patients treated with RT. The combination of effective systemic therapy with RT may have to be considered., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)