Search

Background: Moderately hypofractionated, preoperative radiotherapy in patients with soft tissue sarcomas (HYPORT-STS; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03819985) investigated a radiobiologically equivalent, moderately hypofractionated course of preoperative radiotherapy (RT) 15 × 2.85 Gy in patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Here, the authors report longer term follow-up to update local control and report late toxicities, as well as functional and patient-reported outcomes., Methods: HYPORT-STS was a single-center, open-label, single-arm, prospective phase 2 clinical trial that enrolled 120 eligible adult patients with localized STS of the extremities or superficial trunk between 2018 and 2021. Patients received a 3-week course of preoperative RT followed by surgery 4-8 weeks later. End points and follow-up were analyzed from the date of surgery., Results: The median follow-up was 43 months (interquartile range, 37-52 months), and the 4-year local recurrence-free survival rate was 93%. Overall RT-related late toxicities improved with time from local therapy (p < .001), and few patients had grade ≥2 toxicities (9%; n = 8 of 88) at 2 years. These included: 2% grade ≥2 skin toxicity, 2% fibrosis, 3% lymphedema, and 1% joint stiffness. Four patients (3%) had bone fractures. Both functional outcomes, as measured by the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Rating Scale (p < .001), and quality of life, as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (p < .001), improved with time from treatment, and both measures were better in follow-up at 2 years compared with baseline., Conclusions: Long-term follow up suggests that moderately hypofractionated preoperative RT for patients with STS is safe and effective. Higher grade late toxicities affect a minority of patients. Late toxicities decrease over time, whereas functional outcomes and health-related quality of life seem to improve with more time from combined modality treatment., (© 2024 American Cancer Society.)

Background: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a technologically advanced and resource-intensive method of delivering radiation therapy (RT) and is used to minimize toxicity for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Dependence on feeding tubes is a significant marker of toxicity of RT. The objective of this analysis was to compare the placement and duration of feeding tube use among patients with HNC from 1999 through 2011., Methods: The cohort, demographics, and cancer-related variables were determined using the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database, and claims data were used to analyze treatment details., Results: In total, 2993 patients were identified. At a median follow-up of 47 months, 54.4% of patients had ever had a feeding tube placed. The median duration from feeding tube placement to removal was 277 days. On zero-inflated negative binomial regression, patients who received IMRT and 3-dimensional RT (3DRT) (non-IMRT) had similar rates of feeding tube placement (odds ratio, 1.10; P = .35); however, patients who received 3DRT had a feeding tube in place 1.18 times longer than those who received IMRT (P = .03). The difference was only observed among patients who received definitive RT; patients who underwent surgery and also received adjuvant RT had no statistically significant difference in feeding tube placement or duration., Conclusions: Patients with HNC who received definitive IMRT had a significantly shorter duration of feeding tube placement than those who received 3DRT. These data suggest that there may be significant quality-of-life benefits to IMRT with respect to long-term swallowing function in patients with HNC. Cancer 2017;123:283-293. © 2016 American Cancer Society., Competing Interests: Disclaimers: There are no conflicts of interest for any author concerning this work., (© 2016 American Cancer Society.)

Background: In the current study, the authors sought to evaluate outcomes, specifically with respect to adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), for patients with desmoplastic melanoma., Methods: The records of 130 consecutive patients who presented between 1985 and 2009 with nonmetastatic desmoplastic melanoma and were treated curatively with either surgery alone (59 patients; 45%) or surgery and postoperative RT (71 patients; 55%) were retrospectively reviewed. Ages ranged from 21 years to 97 years (median age, 66 years). The location of the primary tumor was in the head and neck region in 62% of patients. Only 5 patients (4%) had lymph node involvement at the time of presentation., Results: The median follow-up was 6.6 years (range, 11 months-24 years). Overall survival rates at 5 years and 10 years were 69% and 53%, respectively. Disease-specific survival rates were 84% and 80%, respectively, at 5 years and 10 years. The actuarial rate of local recurrence was 17% at 5 years and beyond. Of the patients who underwent surgery without receiving postoperative RT, 14 (24%) experienced local recurrence. Of the 71 patients treated with surgery and postoperative RT, 5 (7%) experienced local recurrence. In a Cox multivariate regression model, improved local control was significantly associated with the receipt of postoperative RT (P= .009)., Conclusions: Surgery followed by postoperative RT appears to provide superior local control compared with surgery alone for patients with desmoplastic melanoma., (© 2013 American Cancer Society.)

Background: Our goal was to investigate utilization trends for advanced radiation therapy (RT) technologies, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), in the last year of life among patients diagnosed with metastatic cancer., Methods: We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked databases to analyze claims data in the last 12 months of life for 64,525 patients diagnosed with metastatic breast, colorectal, lung, pancreas, and prostate cancers from 2000 to 2007. Logistic regression modeling was conducted to analyze potential demographic, health services, and treatment-related variables' influences on receipt of advanced RT., Results: Among the 19,161 (29.7%) patients who received radiation therapy, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of patients who received the simplest radiation technique (ie, 2D-radiation therapy) (P < .0001), and significant increases in the proportions of patients receiving more advanced radiation techniques (ie, IMRT, and SRS; P < .0001 for all curves); although the rates for use of IMRT and SRS in 2007 remained under 5%. On multivariate analyses, receipt of RT varied significantly by non-clinical characteristics such as race, marital status, neighborhood income, and SEER region. Patients who received hospice care in the last year of life were more likely to receive radiation therapy (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.30-1.40) but less likely to be treated with IMRT (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62-0.92)., Conclusions: Although the proportion of patients receiving RT in the last year of life for metastatic cancer did not change for most of the past decade, we observed significant trends toward more advanced radiation techniques., (Copyright © 2012 American Cancer Society.)

Background: Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) arising from the popliteal fossa present a challenge with regard to local control of primary tumors. Due to concerns of functional morbidity and neurovascular compromise, there is debate about what represents the best therapy for these patients., Methods: We conducted a retrospective medical record review of patients treated at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for STS of the popliteal fossa from 1990 to 2008., Results: There were 47 eligible patients, 28 of whom were male and 19 of whom were female. Synovial sarcoma was the most common diagnosis, with 12 cases. Most patients had T2b tumors (31 patients; 66%). The median duration of follow-up was 3.8 years (range, 0.6-17.9 years). The 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 63% and 51%, respectively. Metastasis at diagnosis was associated with poorer overall survival (5-year overall survival, 74% versus 13%; P<.001) and poorer recurrence-free survival (5-year recurrence-free survival, 51% versus 0%; P<.001) on univariate analysis. Radiation therapy improved local recurrence-free survival (5-year local recurrence-free survival, 56% versus 17%; P = .004), whereas a trend was observed for surgical margin status (P = .07). Tumor size and neurovascular involvement did not influence outcome. Twenty-two patients had recurrent disease, with 15 patients having local recurrence, and 16 patients died from progressive disease., Conclusions: Radiation therapy may play an important role in the treatment of popliteal fossa STS, but further study is needed to better define the best clinical application. Additional study is needed to re-evaluate association of surgical margin status and outcome., (Copyright © 2010 American Cancer Society.)

Background: A study was undertaken to assess patient navigation utilization and its impact on treatment interruptions and clinical trial enrollment among American Indian cancer patients., Methods: Between February 2004 and September 2009, 332 American Indian cancer patients received patient navigation services throughout cancer treatment. The patient navigation program provided culturally competent navigators to assist patients with navigating cancer therapy, obtaining medications, insurance issues, communicating with medical providers, and travel and lodging logistics. Data on utilization and trial enrollment were prospectively collected. Data for a historical control group of 70 American Indian patients who did not receive patient navigation services were used to compare treatment interruptions among those undergoing patient navigation during curative radiation therapy (subgroup of 123 patients)., Results: The median number of contacts with a navigator was 12 (range, 1-119). The median time spent with the navigator at first contact was 40 minutes (range, 10-250 minutes), and it was 15 minutes for subsequent contacts. Patients treated with radiation therapy with curative intent who underwent patient navigation had fewer days of treatment interruption (mean, 1.7 days; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.2 days) than historical controls who did not receive patient navigation services (mean, 4.9 days; 95% CI, 2.9-6.9 days). Of the 332 patients, 72 (22%; 95% CI, 17%-26%) were enrolled on a clinical treatment trial or cancer control protocol., Conclusions: Patient navigation was associated with fewer treatment interruptions and relatively high rates of clinical trial enrollment among American Indian cancer patients compared with national reports., (Copyright © 2010 American Cancer Society.)