Search

Radiation-related lymphopenia has been associated with suboptimal tumor control rates leading to inferior survival outcomes. To date, no standardized dose constraints are available to limit radiation dose to resident and circulating lymphocyte populations. We undertook this systemic review of the literature to provide a synopsis of the dosimetric predictors of radiation-related lymphopenia in solid malignancies.A systematic literature review of PubMed (National Institutes of Health), Cochrane Central (Cochrane collaboration), and Google Scholar was conducted with the following keywords: "radiation", "lymphopenia", "cancer", "dosimetric predictors" with an inclusion deadline of May 31, 2022. Studies that met prespecified inclusion criteria were designated either Good, Fair, or Poor Quality based on the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment. The dosimetric parameters derived from Good Quality studies were tabulated as LymphoTEC dose constraints. Dosimetric parameters derived from Fair and Poor-quality studies were grouped as optional.An initial systematic search of the literature yielded 1,632 articles. After screening, a total of 48 studies met inclusion criteria and were divided into the following categories: central nervous system (CNS, 6), thoracic (11), gastrointestinal (26), gynecologic (2), head and neck, breast, and genitourinary (one each) cancers. Lung mean dose, heart mean dose, brain V25, spleen mean dose, estimated dose to immune cells, and bone marrow V10 were among the strongest predictors for severe lymphopenia related to radiotherapy.Optimizing the delivery of radiation therapy to limit dose to lymphocyte-rich structures may curb the negative oncologic impact of lymphocyte depletion. The dose constraints described herein may be considered for prospective validation and future use in clinical trials to limit risk of radiation-related lymphopenia and possibly improve cancer-associated outcomes.

There are limited data regarding the optimal management of patients with pelvic node-positive, but non-metastatic, bladder cancer. Increasing data demonstrate that this is a distinct clinical entity with outcomes bridging between bladder-confined muscle-invasive bladder cancer and metastatic advanced bladder cancer. Guidelines and staging systems have formalized the need to incorporate the unique considerations of management of pelvic node-positive bladder cancer. However, there remains an absence of a definite standard of care. Treatment options include systemic therapy alone, neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy, or bladder-preserving trimodality therapy. Furthermore, ongoing studies aim to determine the benefit of incorporating immunotherapy into these treatment paradigms. In this review article, we will discuss the key considerations for management of patients with pelvic node-positive bladder cancer.

In the era of molecular diagnostic testing, mixed gliomas are very rarely reported tumors. They can be grade 2 or grade 3 tumors and should be managed similar to their pure counterparts of astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma. This chapter gives an overview of mixed gliomas.

Spinal cord tumors are a wide spectrum tumor based on histology and anatomical location. The tumors can be classified based on imaging into extradural, intradural–extramedullary, or intramedullary. The standard approach for management is complete en bloc excision with neuronavigational techniques including intraoperative ultrasonography and neurophysiologic monitoring. The need for adjuvant radiation depends upon grade, extent of disease and progression of disease after surgical resection. There is no clear role of chemotherapy in spinal cord tumors.