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Introduction: Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is a multifactorial disease involving genetic and environmental factors representing one of the most frequent cancer-related deaths worldwide. Tobacco and alcohol use account for most SCCHN, while a growing subset of oropharyngeal cancers is causally associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Despite improvements in overall survival, patients with HPV-negative locally advanced (LA) SCCHN continue to have a poor prognosis. For these patients, the standard of care is radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy (RCT). Methods: This retrospective, multicenter, and observational study analyzed the treatment compliance of 326 patients with LA-SCCHN who underwent RCT between January 1st, 2014, and June 30th, 2017. This study also evaluated the potential factors associated with treatment compliance, the compliance impact on clinical response, and the main toxicities experienced by patients. Results: A total of 274 (84%) patients were compliant and received the planned dose of cisplatin. Overall, 957 adverse events were reported in 98.2% of patients during the study. The overall response rate was 80.2%, with 60.4% of patients achieving a complete response. Discussion: Despite the high treatment compliance, 62.6% of adverse events reported were related to cisplatin. Identifying risk factors associated with non-compliance could enable physicians to identify ineligible patients for cisplatinbased RCT and prevent patients from receiving inadequate treatment leading to severe adverse events.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline recommends consideration of weekly cisplatin as an alternative option for patients with head and neck cancer undergoing definitive chemoradiation. However, in a recent phase III trial (ConCERT), 20% of patients treated with weekly cisplatin could not receive a total of 200 mg/m2, and the association of low adherence to weekly cisplatin and cancer control outcomes remains unclear. To fill this knowledge gap, we performed an observational cohort study of patients with head and neck cancer undergoing definitive chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin. Methods Our institutional database was queried for patients with non-metastatic head and neck cancer who underwent definitive chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin (40 mg/m2) between November 2007 and April 2023. Adherence to weekly cisplatin was defined as receiving at least 5 cycles with a total cumulative dose of 200 mg/m2. Survival outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier method, log-rank tests, Cox proportional hazard multivariable (MVA) analyses. Logistic MVA was performed to identify variables associated with low adherence to weekly cisplatin. Fine-Gray MVA was performed to analyze failure outcomes with death as a competing event. Results Among 119 patients who met our criteria, 51 patients (42.9%) had low adherence to weekly cisplatin. Median follow up was 19.8 months (interquartile range 8.8–65.6). Low adherence to weekly cisplatin was associated with worse overall survival (adjusted hazards ratio [aHR] 2.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.58–5.47, p

Background: The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline recommends consideration of weekly cisplatin as an alternative option for patients with head and neck cancer undergoing definitive chemoradiation. However, in a recent phase III trial (ConCERT), 20% of patients treated with weekly cisplatin could not receive a total of 200 mg/m2, and the association of low adherence to weekly cisplatin and cancer control outcomes remains unclear. To fill this knowledge gap, we performed an observational cohort study of patients with head and neck cancer undergoing definitive chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin. Methods: Our institutional database was queried for patients with non-metastatic head and neck cancer who underwent definitive chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin (40 mg/m2) between November 2007 and April 2023. Adherence to weekly cisplatin was defined as receiving at least 5 cycles with a total cumulative dose of 200 mg/m2. Survival outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier method, log-rank tests, Cox proportional hazard multivariable (MVA) analyses. Logistic MVA was performed to identify variables associated with low adherence to weekly cisplatin. Fine-Gray MVA was performed to analyze failure outcomes with death as a competing event. Results: Among 119 patients who met our criteria, 51 patients (42.9%) had low adherence to weekly cisplatin. Median follow up was 19.8 months (interquartile range 8.8–65.6). Low adherence to weekly cisplatin was associated with worse overall survival (adjusted hazards ratio [aHR] 2.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.58–5.47, p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (aHR 2.32, 95% CI 1.29–4.17, p = 0.005). It was also associated with worse distant failure (aHR 4.55, 95% CI 1.19–17.3, p = 0.03), but not locoregional failure (aHR 1.61, 95% CI 0.46–5.58, p = 0.46). KPS < 90 was the only variable associated with low adherence to weekly cisplatin (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.67, 95% CI 1.10–6.65, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Our study suggested that over 40% of patients underwent fewer than 5 weekly cisplatin cycles and that low adherence to weekly cisplatin was an independent, adverse prognostic factor for worse survival and distant failure outcomes. Those with reduced adherence to weekly cisplatin were more likely to have poor performance status. Further studies are warranted to improve the adherence to chemotherapy and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: Treatments for early laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) include radiotherapy (RT), chemoradiotherapy (CRT), and larynx-preserving surgery. In this study, early laryngeal SCC was treated with RT in patients with stage I (T1N0) tumors and with CRT and docetaxel (DOC) in patients with stage II (T2N0) tumors and the treatment results and effectiveness of the chemotherapy were compared. Patients and Methods: A total of 78 patients with early-stage laryngeal SCC were enrolled in this study. The T1N0 patients received radiation for the primary lesions as outpatients at a total dose of 63- 70 Gy. By contrast, the T2N0 patients were hospitalized and treated with CRT, receiving a total radiation dose of 66-70 Gy. Docetaxel (DOC, 10 mg/m²) was administered intravenously once a week for 6-8 consecutive weeks concurrently with radiotherapy. The adverse events and survival rates with local control rates were examined. Results: The number of non-glottic T2N0 patients was significantly higher than that of T1N0 patients. Although all patients completed their treatment schedule, significantly more grade 3 adverse events were observed in the T2N0 patients, in particular mucositis and dermatitis, than in T1N0 patients. The 5-year overall survival rate, disease specific survival rate, local control rate, and laryngeal preserve rate of the T1N0 and T2N0 patients were 86.1, 93.3, 88.6, and 94.3% and 85.9, 88.0, 93.1, and 93.1%, respectively. Conclusion: CRT with docetaxel showed the best therapeutic outcomes for the treatment of laryngeal SCC in patients with T2N0 tumours, with a higher local control rate, effective laryngeal preservation, and relatively few adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionSquamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is a multifactorial disease involving genetic and environmental factors representing one of the most frequent cancer-related deaths worldwide. Tobacco and alcohol use account for most SCCHN, while a growing subset of oropharyngeal cancers is causally associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Despite improvements in overall survival, patients with HPV-negative locally advanced (LA) SCCHN continue to have a poor prognosis. For these patients, the standard of care is radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy (RCT).MethodsThis retrospective, multicenter, and observational study analyzed the treatment compliance of 326 patients with LA-SCCHN who underwent RCT between January 1st, 2014, and June 30th, 2017. This study also evaluated the potential factors associated with treatment compliance, the compliance impact on clinical response, and the main toxicities experienced by patients.ResultsA total of 274 (84%) patients were compliant and received the planned dose of cisplatin. Overall, 957 adverse events were reported in 98.2% of patients during the study. The overall response rate was 80.2%, with 60.4% of patients achieving a complete response.DiscussionDespite the high treatment compliance, 62.6% of adverse events reported were related to cisplatin. Identifying risk factors associated with non-compliance could enable physicians to identify ineligible patients for cisplatin-based RCT and prevent patients from receiving inadequate treatment leading to severe adverse events..

Objective: To investigate whether pre-treatment and middle-treatment plasma Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA loads are useful predictors of prognosis and indicators of therapy modification in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients undergoing radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Methods: Plasma EBV DNA load was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction before treatment (pre-DNA) and during the second cycle of DDP (mid-DNA). The primary endpoint was 5-year progression-free survival (PFS). Results: A total of 775 NPC patients treated with CCRT were included. In total, 553 patients with pre-DNA <4000 copies/mL and 222 with ⩾4000 copies/mL. A total of 559 patients had mid-DNA undetectable and 216 had detectable. Multivariate analysis showed that pre- and mid-DNA were independent prognostic predictors of PFS [hazard ratio (HR), 2.035; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.406–2.944; p < 0.001; HR, 1.597; 95% CI, 1.101–2.316; p = 0.014]. The area under the curve of the combination of pre-DNA and mid-DNA for 5-year PFS was higher than that of pre-DNA, mid-DNA, and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (0.679 versus 0.622, 0.608, 0.601). In the low-risk group (pre-DNA <4000 copies/mL and undetectable mid-DNA), patients receiving ⩽200 mg/m2 showed similar efficacy as those receiving >200 mg/m2 cumulative cisplatin dose (CCD) but were associated with fewer all-grade late toxicities. However, in the high-risk group (pre-DNA ⩾4000 copies/mL or detectable mid-DNA), patients receiving >200 mg/m2 CCD showed a higher 5-year PFS (73.1% versus 58.6%, p = 0.027) and locoregional relapse-free survival (88.5% versus 76.1%, p = 0.028) than those receiving ⩽200 mg/m2 CCD. Conclusion: The combination of pre-DNA and mid-DNA could be particularly useful for guiding risk stratification and early treatment modification for NPC treated with CCRT. A total of 200 mg/m2 cisplatin seemed to be the optimal dose for the low-risk patients, while >200 mg/m2 cisplatin may be adequate to achieve satisfactory survival outcomes in the high-risk group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective This study aims to evaluate the risk stratification among elderly Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients (≥60 years old) and select the beneficiaries from concurrent chemotherapy (CCRT) combined with induction chemotherapy (IC). Materials and Methods A total of 909 elderly non‐metastatic NPC patients treated with cisplatin‐based CCRT or IC + CCRT between January 2007 and December 2016 were included. Prognostic nomograms were generated according to clinical characteristics and serum biomarkers. The survival outcomes of patients treated with CCRT versus IC + CCRT were compared in three well‐matched risk groups (high, medium, and low risk) after PSM analysis. Benefit of IC in people older or younger than 70 years and effect of different IC regimens and cycles on prognosis were analyzed. Results Nomograms of overall survival (OS) (C‐index: 0.64, 95% CI, 0.61–0.89) and disease special survival (DSS) (C‐index: 0.65, 95% CI, 0.62–0.71) showed good prognostic accuracy. The nomogram for DSS included variables of age, gender, ACE, EBV DNA, N stage, and T stage. OS included variables of age, smoking history, ACE, ALB, EBV DNA, N stage, and T stage. The corresponding 5‐year OS rates of high, medium and low risk groups were 87.4%, 82.2%, and 60.9%, respectively (p

Abstract Background To analysis the clinical outcomes of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) alone based on 10-year results for loco-regionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC), so as to provide evidence for individualized treatment strategy and designing appropriate clinical trial for different risk LANPC patients. Methods Consecutive patients with stage III-IVa (AJCC/UICC 8th) were enrolled in this study. All patients received radical intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and concurrent cisplatin chemotherapy (CDDP). The hazard ratios (HRs) of death risk in patients with T3N0 was used as baseline, relative HRs were calculated by a Cox proportional hazard model to classify different death risk patients. Survival curves for the time-to-event endpoints were analyzed by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. All statistical tests were conducted at a two-sided level of significance of 0.05. Results A total of 456 eligible patients were included. With 12-year median follow-up, 10-year overall survival (OS) was 76%. 10-year loco-regionally failure-free survival (LR-FFS), distant failure-free survival (D-FFS) and failure-free survival (FFS) were 72%, 73% and 70%, respectively. Based on the relative hazard ratios (HRs) of death risk, LANPC patients were classified into 3 subgroups, low-risk group (T1-2N2 and T3N0-1) contained 244 patients with HR 5. The 10-year OS for patients in low-, medium-, and high-risk group were 86%, 71% and 52%, respectively. Significantly differences of OS rates were found between each of the two groups (low-risk group vs. medium-risk group, P

Purpose: Oral mucositis (OM) is the most frequent side effect of radiation. Selenium deficiency leads to increased levels of free oxygen radicals and the selenium level tends to fall during radiotherapy. Hence, in this double-blind randomised controlled clinical trial, the effect of selenium was assessed in patients receiving radiation.Materials and Methods: Patients with head and neck cancer who were candidates to receive radiation were instructed to use selenium 200 mcg tablets twice daily. The grade of OM was evaluated by the World Health Organization (WHO) grading system on a weekly basis. The selenium level was measured at baseline and at the end of the radiation.Results: Seventy-one patients with head and neck cancer (37 in the selenium group, 34 in the placebo group) were enrolled in the study. The cumulative incidence of OM (grade 1-4) was 97.3% in the selenium and 100% in placebo group (p value: 0.79), and difference in the mean serum selenium level at the end of radiation was not statistically significant between the two groups (p value 0.24) Conclusion: Selenium supplementation does not appear to affect the selenium level as well as the severity and duration of OM. It is supposed that higher doses may be effective in the prevention of RT-mucositis. This trial was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials accessible at www.irct.ir (ID No. IRCT2014072718612N1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical cancer patients have a high symptom burden during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and urgently need precise symptom management strategies. Nonetheless, the symptom profile and influencing factors are unclear. Methods: A total of 234 patients with cervical cancer who underwent CCRT in a tertiary care hospital clinical oncology center in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from March 2022 to March 2023 were included in the study. The general information questionnaire, M.D. Anderson symptom inventory, Fatigue Scale-14, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and grip strength test were used for the investigation. Symptom clusters were extracted by exploratory factor analysis, and latent profile analysis was performed using Mplus 8.0 software. Multinomial logistic regression was used to explore the factors influencing the potential categories of symptom clusters. Results: Exploratory factor analysis extracted four symptom clusters: a fatigue-related symptom cluster, a gastrointestinal-related symptom cluster, a mood-related symptom cluster, and a physical-related symptom cluster, of which the fatigue-related symptom cluster was more severe and was divided into three potential categories: low fatigue-good muscle fitness type (25.63%), general fatigue-moderate muscle fitness type (68.37%) and high fatigue-low muscle fitness type (6%). Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that hemoglobin levels, tumor stage, absence of complications, and unemployment were factors influencing the fatigue-related symptom cluster in patients undergoing CCRT for cervical cancer. Conclusions: Cervical cancer patients experience multiple symptom clusters during CCRT. Different characteristics appeared in different clusters. Among them, fatigue-related symptom clusters were more severe and heterogeneous. In clinical practice, we should pay attention to and use high symptom feature predictors, focusing on the core symptoms that play a dominant role, achieving early identification and management, and reducing patients' symptom burden.

As vulvar and vaginal cancers are rare malignancies, treatment is extrapolated from the cervical cancer field. Further studies are necessary to evaluate whether surgery, radiotherapy (RT), or combined chemoRT is most beneficial. A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients diagnosed with vulvar or vaginal cancer in 2000–2017. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize demographic factors. Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank tests, multivariate analysis with hazard ratios (HR) were conducted to compare survival outcomes, including overall survival (OS), disease-free survival, and cancer-specific survival, between surgery, RT, and chemoRT. This study included 688 patients with either vulvar (n = 560, 81%) or vaginal cancer (n = 128, 19%). Median age of diagnosis was 68 (27–98) years. In multivariate survival analysis, vulvar cancer was associated with more likelihood of death (HR: 1.50, p = 0.042) compared to vaginal cancer. For patients who received definitive RT, median OS was 63.8 months with concurrent chemotherapy vs. 46.3 months without for vulvar cancer (p = 0.75); for vaginal, median OS 100.4 with chemotherapy vs. 66.6 months without (p = 0.31). For vulvar cancer patients who received RT (n = 224), adding chemotherapy (n = 100) was not associated with statistically significant OS improvement (HR: 0.989, p = 0.957). Similarly, vaginal cancer patients who received chemoRT (n = 51) did not have significant OS benefit (HR: 0.720, p = 0.331) over patients who received RT (n = 49). In this retrospective study, chemoRT was not associated with significant improvements in survival compared to RT in vulvar or vaginal cancer. Future studies investigating novel therapies to treat these cancers are needed to improve patient outcomes. • Retrospective study evaluating survival outcomes of patients with vulvar and vaginal cancers. • Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors for overall survival, disease-free survival, and cancer-specific survival. • No statistically significant difference in overall survival between radiotherapy with and without concurrent chemotherapy. • Age, prior surgery, and stage of disease are independent prognostic factors for survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opinion statement: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare malignancy, endemic in China, that is commonly diagnosed in locally advanced scenarios. Its pathogenesis is strongly associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), an infection for which measuring EBV plasma DNA levels has helped as a prognostic factor guiding treatment options, including a stronger treatment in those with high titers. Additionally, tobacco and alcohol are often implicated in EBV-negative patients. The local disease is treated with radiotherapy alone, preferentially intensity modulated radiotherapy. For locally advanced disease, the backbone treatment is concurrent chemoradiotherapy with the ongoing research dilemma being adding adjuvant chemotherapy or induction chemotherapy. The ongoing research is focused not only on identifying patients that will benefit from adjuvant or induction chemotherapy, but also on identifying the best chemotherapeutic regimen, regimen alternatives to diminish toxicity, the role that immune checkpoint inhibitors play, and the use of molecularly guided treatment targeting patients with NPC whether driven by EBV or tobacco and alcohol. Knowing the precise oncogenesis of NPC not only offers a better understanding of the role that EBV plays in this tumor but also helps create targeted therapies that could potentially block important pathways such as the NF-κB pathway. Much is yet to be done, but the prognosis and management of NPC patients have changed drastically, offering precise treatment methods and excellent control of the disease, even in locally advanced scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women with high-risk endometrial cancer have a relatively higher recurrence rates and poor prognosis following hysterectomy alone. Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy had been proposed to improve these outcomes. Patterns of relapse are influenced by adjuvant treatment received and other clinical and pathological factors. Objectives: Analysis of patterns of relapse in patients with high-risk endometrial carcinoma after Concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) versus radiotherapy alone (RTH). Patients and methods: This is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of patients with high risk endometrial carcinoma. Patients are divided into two arms: Arm A received weekly paclitaxel and pelvic radiotherapy, Arm B radiotherapy alone. During follow-up; disease relapses were recorded regarding time of failure, site of disease relapse and survivals data. Results: Seventy-one patients were includedin the study; 34 patients received CCRT; and 37 patients received RTH alone. Thirteen patients [18.3%] had a treatment failure; treatment failures are more in RTH group, but without statistical significance [p-value =0.51]; 2 patients had loco-regional failure, 8 patients had distant metastases and 3 patients had both regional and distant failure.Estimated 2-years OS was around 86% with no statistical significance between both treatment arms [p-value = 0.83], and estimated 2-years DFS was; 83.2% for CCRT arm and 77.1% for RTH arm, with no statistical significance [p-value = 0.48].Other disease and treatment related factors didn’t show statistical significance regarding disease relapses. Conclusion: Adding concurrent paclitaxel to pelvic radiotherapy did not decrease disease relapse in high-risk endometrial cancers.

Reliable predictors are urgently needed to identify stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients who could benefit from concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). We aimed to develop a nomogram integrating MRI-identified multidimensional features of lymph nodes to predict survival and assist the decision-making of CCRT for stage II NPC.

Abstract Objective This study introduces innovative strategies, the doublet regimen of concurrent chemoradiotherapy, to ensure longer survival for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 104 locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who underwent taxane combined platinum-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy in our center between January 2013 and December 2018. All statistical analyses were performed using the Kaplan–Meier method (SPSS 23.0). Different groups were compared with the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results Ultimately, 104 patients were selected for this study, including 18 and 86 who received either concurrent chemoradiation therapy alone or concurrent chemoradiation therapy plus adjuvant chemotherapy, respectively. The median follow-up time for progression free survival was 53.0 months (IQR 48.5–57.5). The 3-years progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), local–regional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates of the doublet regimen of concurrent chemotherapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma were 85.9%, 96.0%, 96.0% and 90.8%, respectively. Additionally, we analyzed the subgroups and found that the 3-years PFS, OS, LRRFS and DMFS rates for stage III versus stage IVa were 97.8% versus 75.5% (P = 0.000), 100% versus 92.5% (P = 0.004), 100% versus 92.4% (P = 0.015) and 97.8% versus 82.8% (P = 0.002), respectively. During concurrent chemotherapy, acute chemotherapy adverse events of grade 3 or 4 was only 18.3%. Leukopenia was the most common acute chemotherapy adverse event (in 10 patients [9.6%]), followed by neutropenia (in 8 patients [7.6%]). Conclusion The doublet regimen of taxane plus platinum concurrent chemoradiotherapy resulted in improved long-term survival of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, especially for local control rate and warrants further prospective evaluation.

Background: Detectable Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) DNA levels and unsatisfactory tumor response to induction chemotherapy (IC) could be used to guide the risk-adapted treatment strategy of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC) before concurrent chemoradiotherapy. We aim to compare the efficacy and safety of concurrent chemotherapy using taxane plus cisplatin [double-agent concurrent chemotherapy (DACC) group] with those of cisplatin alone [single-agent concurrent chemotherapy (SACC) group] in high-risk LANPC. Methods: Overall, 197 LANPC patients with detectable EBV DNA or stable disease (SD) after IC were retrospectively included. Potential confounders between the DACC and SACC groups were adjusted by propensity score matching. Short-term efficacy and long-term survival were assessed in the two groups. Results: Although the objective response rate of the DACC group was marginally higher than that of the SACC group, the difference was not significant (92.7% versus 85.3%, p = 0.38). Concerning long-term survival, DACC did not show superiority to SACC after patient matching: 3-year progression-free survival: 87.8% versus 81.7%, p = 0.80; overall survival: 97.6% versus 97.3%, p = 0.48; distant metastasis-free survival: 87.8% versus 90.5%, p = 0.64, and; locoregional relapse-free survival: 92.3% versus 86.9%, p = 0.77. The incidence of grade 1–4 hematological toxicities was significantly higher in the DACC group. Conclusion: Due to the small sample size, we do not have sufficient evidence that concurrent chemotherapy using taxane plus cisplatin provides additional survival benefits in LANPC patients with an unfavorable response (detectable EBV DNA levels or SD) after IC. But concurrent taxane and cisplatin chemotherapy is associated with a higher rate of hematologic adverse events. Further clinical trials will be required to establish evidence and identify more effective treatment modalities for high-risk LANPC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the risk stratification among elderly Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients (≥60 years old) and select the beneficiaries from concurrent chemotherapy (CCRT) combined with induction chemotherapy (IC). Materials and Methods: A total of 909 elderly non‐metastatic NPC patients treated with cisplatin‐based CCRT or IC + CCRT between January 2007 and December 2016 were included. Prognostic nomograms were generated according to clinical characteristics and serum biomarkers. The survival outcomes of patients treated with CCRT versus IC + CCRT were compared in three well‐matched risk groups (high, medium, and low risk) after PSM analysis. Benefit of IC in people older or younger than 70 years and effect of different IC regimens and cycles on prognosis were analyzed. Results: Nomograms of overall survival (OS) (C‐index: 0.64, 95% CI, 0.61–0.89) and disease special survival (DSS) (C‐index: 0.65, 95% CI, 0.62–0.71) showed good prognostic accuracy. The nomogram for DSS included variables of age, gender, ACE, EBV DNA, N stage, and T stage. OS included variables of age, smoking history, ACE, ALB, EBV DNA, N stage, and T stage. The corresponding 5‐year OS rates of high, medium and low risk groups were 87.4%, 82.2%, and 60.9%, respectively (p < 0.001), while the 5‐year DSS rates were 92.2%, 84.3%, and 69.0%, respectively (p < 0.001). In the high risk group, IC + CCRT led to significantly higher 5‐year OS and DSS rate compared with CCRT (5‐year OS rate, 73.5% versus 51.8%, p = 0.006; 5‐year DSS rate, 81.4% versus 61.3%, p = 0.002). While in the medium and low risk groups, OS and DSS were not significantly different (OS: p = 0.259, 0.186; DSS: p = 0.29, 0.094). Subgroup analysis showed in the high risk group, only people younger than 70 years old could benefit from IC. TPF and IC cycles of three could lead to the best survival results. Conclusion: Compared with CCRT, OS, and DSS among high risk elderly patients were significantly improved by the addition of IC in patients younger than 70 years old. TPF and three IC cycles were recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To analysis the clinical outcomes of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) alone based on 10-year results for loco-regionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC), so as to provide evidence for individualized treatment strategy and designing appropriate clinical trial for different risk LANPC patients. Methods: Consecutive patients with stage III-IVa (AJCC/UICC 8th) were enrolled in this study. All patients received radical intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and concurrent cisplatin chemotherapy (CDDP). The hazard ratios (HRs) of death risk in patients with T3N0 was used as baseline, relative HRs were calculated by a Cox proportional hazard model to classify different death risk patients. Survival curves for the time-to-event endpoints were analyzed by the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. All statistical tests were conducted at a two-sided level of significance of 0.05. Results: A total of 456 eligible patients were included. With 12-year median follow-up, 10-year overall survival (OS) was 76%. 10-year loco-regionally failure-free survival (LR-FFS), distant failure-free survival (D-FFS) and failure-free survival (FFS) were 72%, 73% and 70%, respectively. Based on the relative hazard ratios (HRs) of death risk, LANPC patients were classified into 3 subgroups, low-risk group (T1-2N2 and T3N0-1) contained 244 patients with HR < 2; medium-risk group (T3N2 and T4N0-1) contained 140 patients with HR of 2 – 5; high-risk group (T4N2 and T1-4N3) contained 72 patients with HR > 5. The 10-year OS for patients in low-, medium-, and high-risk group were 86%, 71% and 52%, respectively. Significantly differences of OS rates were found between each of the two groups (low-risk group vs. medium-risk group, P < 0.001; low-risk group vs. high-risk group, P < 0.001; and medium-risk group vs. high-risk group, P = 0.002, respectively). Grade 3–4 late toxicities included deafness/otitis (9%), xerostomia (4%), temporal lobe injury (5%), cranial neuropathy (4%), peripheral neuropathy (2%), soft tissue damage (2%) and trismus (1%). Conclusions: Our classification criteria demonstrated that significant heterogeneity in death risk among TN substages for LANPC patients. IMRT plus CDDP alone maybe suitable for low-risk LANPC (T1-2N2 or T3N0-1), but not for medium- and high-risk patients. These prognostic groupings provide a practicable anatomic foundation to guide individualized treatment and select optimal targeting in the future clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: For early-stage cervical cancer patients experiencing radical surgery, postoperative radiotherapy was recommended for patients with a combination of intermediate-risk factors. However, there was no consensus on whether to administer concurrent chemotherapy. The aim of the study was to confirm the clinical value of the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score in guiding the use of concurrent chemotherapy during postoperative radiotherapy. Methods: A total of 969 patients with FIGO stage IB-IIA cervical cancer were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to compare disease-free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates between different group. A Cox proportional hazards regression test was used to conduct multivariate analyses. Results: For the patients in the high CONUT group (≥3), the addition of concurrent chemotherapy had better 5-year DFS (91.2 % vs. 72.8 %, P = 0.005) and CSS (93.8 % vs. 77.4 %, P = 0.013) than those without it. Meanwhile, the patients with concurrent chemotherapy had less rate of locoregional recurrence (8.5 % vs 16.7 %, P = 0.034) and distant metastases (11.7 % vs 30.4 %, P = 0.015). The multivariate analysis showed that concurrent chemotherapy was detected to be a factor significantly associated with DFS (P = 0.011), local control (P = 0.041), distant metastasis (P = 0.005) and CSS (P = 0.023). For the patients in low CONUT group (

Abstract Issa Mohamad Objectives To compare outcomes and toxicity of two standard treatment approaches of advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods Between 2010 and 2016, patients with NPC, stage II–IVa, treated with induction chemotherapy (IC) (TPF), followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) (induction group), or CCRT, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) (PF) (no-induction group), were retrospectively reviewed. CCRT included platinum-based chemotherapy with intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Survival outcomes, the pattern of failures, toxicity, and predictors for survival outcomes were evaluated. Results A total of 110 patients were included, 65 in the induction group and 45 in the no-induction group. There were no significant differences in the DFS and overall survival (OS) at 3 years between the two groups. On multivariate analysis, performance status (1 vs. 0) predicted worse OS. The 3-year cumulative incidence rates for local, regional, and distant failures were 58.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.4–89%), 58.00% (95% CI: 8–88.8%), and 63.90% (95% CI: 14.1–90.2%), respectively. IC had more frequent acute grade (G) II anemia (13 vs. 1, p

Simple Summary: Induction chemotherapy (IC) plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy has been recommended as the standard treatment for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC). However, concurrent chemotherapy was associated with increased toxicities, poor tolerance, and low completion rates. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and toxicity of IC + radiotherapy (RT) and IC + concurrent or adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (IC + CCRT/AC) in patients with negative post-IC EBV DNA. The results showed that IC + RT alone displayed similar efficacy to IC + CCRT/AC. The omission of concurrent or adjuvant chemotherapy did not increase locoregional or distant failure. However, patients treated with IC + RT had fewer acute toxicities than those with IC + CCRT/AC. Our finding provided evidence that the omission of concurrent or adjuvant chemotherapy may be feasible for patients with negative EBV DNA after induction chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and toxicity of induction chemotherapy (IC) plus radiotherapy (RT) and IC plus concurrent or adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT/AC) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients with negative Epstein–Barr virus DNA (EBV DNA) after IC. A total of 547 NPC patients with negative plasma EBV DNA post-IC were included. Patients were classified into the IC + RT group and the IC + CCRT/AC group. Locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated and compared using the Kaplan–Meier method. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance the variables. The median follow-up time was 37 months. The 3-year LRFS, DMFS, OS, and PFS rates for the whole group were 92.2%, 92.4%, 96.4%, and 84.4%, respectively. There was no significant difference in LRFS, DMFS, OS, and PFS between the IC + RT and the IC + CCRT/AC groups, both before PSM (3-year rates of 91.1% vs. 92.6%, p = 0.94; 95.6% vs. 91.5%, p = 0.08; 95.2% vs. 96.8%, p = 0.80; 85.9% vs. 84.0%, p = 0.38) and after PSM (90.7% vs. 92.7%, p = 0.77; 96.8% vs. 93.7%, p = 0.29; 94.5% vs. 93.9%, p = 0.57; 84.7% vs. 85.6%, p = 0.96). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the treatment schedule was not an independent predictor for survival rates. Patients in the IC + RT group had fewer treatment-related acute toxicities and better tolerance. IC + RT displayed similar survival outcomes as IC + CCRT/AC for NPC patients with negative post-IC EBV DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), especially the nonkeratinizing type, is a malignant tumor primarily occurring in southern China and Southeast Asia. Chemotherapy (CT) and combined radiotherapy (RT) is used to treat NPC. However, the mortality rate is high in recurrent and metastatic NPC. We developed a molecular marker, analyzed its correlation with clinical characteristics, and assessed the prognostic value among NPC patients with or without chemoradiotherapy. Methods: A total of 157 NPC patients were included in this study, with 120 undergoing treatment and 37 without treatment. EBER1/2 expression was investigated using in situ hybridization (ISH). Expression of PABPC1, Ki-67, and p53 was detected with immunohistochemistry. The correlations of EBER1/2 and the expression of the three proteins having clinical features and prognosis were evaluated. Results: The expression of PABPC1 was associated with age, recurrence, and treatment but not with gender, TNM classification, or the expression of Ki-67, p53, or EBER. High expression of PABPC1 was associated with poor overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) and was an independent predictor depending on multivariate analysis. Comparatively, no significant correlation was observed between the expression of p53, Ki-67, and EBER and survival. In this study, 120 patients received treatments and revealed significantly better OS and DFS than the untreated 37 patients. PABPC1 high expression was an independent predictor of shorter OS in the treated (HR = 4.012 (1.238–13.522), 95% CI, p = 0.021) and the untreated groups (HR = 5.473 (1.051–28.508), 95% CI, p = 0.044). However, it was not an independent predictor of shorter DFS in either the treated or the untreated groups. No significant survival difference was observed between patients with docetaxel-based induction chemotherapy (IC) + concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and those with paclitaxel-based IC + CCRT. However, when combined with treatment and PABPC1 expression, patients with paclitaxel-added chemoradiotherapy plus PABPC1 low expression had significantly better OS than those who underwent chemoradiotherapy (p = 0.036). Conclusions: High expression of PABPC1 is associated with poorer OS and DFS among NPC patients. Patients with PABPC1 having low expression revealed good survival irrespective of the treatment received, indicating that PABPC1 could be a potential biomarker for triaging NPC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypopharyngeal carcinoma (HPC) is a rare head and neck cancer which poses many therapeutic challenges. There is limited evidence regarding the outcomes of HPC treatment in Iran. Method: In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated patients treated with chemoradiation or radiation alone, between 2007 and 2016 in the radiation oncology ward of the cancer institute affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The design of the study was reviewed and approved by the local institutional review board (code: 86100142). All patients underwent definitive radiotherapy with or without concurrent or sequential chemotherapy. We assessed the two-year overall survival (OS) as the primary outcome. The progression-free survival (PFS) was our secondary outcome. Results: We studied 40 patients whose median age was 58 years. 37 patients were stage 3 or 4, while the most common stage was T3N1-2, observed in 35% of the cases. The most common site of involvement was pyriform sinus (47.5%). The twoyear OS rate was 29%. The two-year PFS was 22%. In the univariate analysis, N0-1 vs. N 2-3 and stage 2 vs. stage 3-4 were significant predictors of OS. In addition, distant metastasis had almost a significant association with lower OS. Conclusion: The outcome of locally advanced HPC was not promising using 3DCRT alone. It is necessary to implement dramatic changes in the management of these patients to achieve better outcomes.

Abstract Background Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is rare and the treatment for recurrent or metastatic UTUC is unclear. We evaluated the outcomes of salvage and palliative radiotherapy (RT) and prognostic factors in UTUC patients and find implications for salvage and palliative RT. Methods Between August 2006 and February 2021, 174 patients (median age, 68 years; range, 37–90) underwent salvage and palliative RT. Disease status at RT included initially diagnosed advanced disease (n = 8, 4.6%), local recurrence only (n = 56, 32.2%), distant metastasis only (n = 59, 33.9%), and local recurrence and distant metastasis (n = 51, 29.3%). The primary tumor location included the renal pelvis (n = 87, 50%), ureter (n = 77, 44.3%), and both (n = 10, 5.7%). Radical nephroureterectomy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy were used in 135 (77.6%), 101 (58%), and 19 (10.9%) patients, respectively. Survival outcomes and prognostic factors were analysed using Cox and logistic regression analysis. Results Salvage RT and palliative RT was administered in 73 (42%) and 101 (58%) patients, respectively. The median radiation dose was 45 Gy (range, 15–65). Two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) RT and intensity modulated RT (IMRT) were used in 61 (35.1%) and 113 (64.9%) patients, respectively. The median follow-up was 7.8 months. The median duration of overall survival (OS) was 13.4 months, and the 1-year OS was 53.5%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.7 months, and the 6-month PFS was 41.9%. The 6-month infield PFS was 84%. In multivariate analysis, RT method (2D/3D vs. IMRT, p = 0.007) and RT response (p = 0.008) were independent prognostic factors for OS, and RT response correlated with PFS (p = 0.015). In subgroup analysis in patients with PD-L1 data, positive PD-L1 correlated with better PFS (p = 0.009). RT response-associated factors were concurrent chemotherapy (p = 0.03) and higher radiation dose (p = 0.034). Of 145 patients, 10 (6.9%) developed grade 3 acute or late toxicity. Conclusions Salvage and palliative RT for UTUC are feasible and effective. Patients with RT response using IMRT may have survival benefit from salvage and palliative RT. Positive PD-L1 status might be related to radiosensitivity. High-dose radiation with concurrent chemotherapy may improve RT response.

Abstract Background The optimal cumulative cisplatin dose (CCD) during radiation therapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA‐NPC) patients receiving induction chemotherapy (IC) plus CCRT remains controversial. This study aimed to explore the treatment efficiency of CCD for high‐and low‐risk patients with LA‐NPC. Methods Data from 472 LA‐NPC patients diagnosed from 2014 to 2018 and treated with IC plus CCRT were reviewed. After propensity score matching, the therapeutic effects of a CCD > 200 and CCD ≤ 200 mg/m2 were evaluated comparatively. Five factors selected by multivariate analysis were incorporated to develop a nomogram. Subgroup analysis was conducted to explore the role of different CCDs in nomogram‐defined high‐ and low‐risk groups. Additionally, acute toxicities were evaluated comparatively between the high‐ and low‐CCD groups. Results After matching, there was no difference between different CCD groups for all patients in terms of 3‐year overall survival (OS), distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS), locoregional recurrence‐free survival (LRRFS), or progression‐free survival (PFS). A nomogram was built by integrating pretreatment EBV DNA, clinical stage, and post‐IC EBV DNA, post‐IC primary gross tumor and lymph node volumes obtained a C‐index of 0.674. The high‐risk group determined by the nomogram had poorer 3‐year PFS, OS, DMFS, and LRRFS than the low‐risk group. A total of CCD > 200 mg/m2 increased the survival rates of 3‐year PFS and DMFS (PFS: 72.5% vs. 54.4%, p = 0.012; DMFS: 81.9% vs. 61.5%, p = 0.014) in the high‐risk group but not in the low‐risk group. Moreover, the high CCD increased treatment‐related acute toxicities. Conclusions A high CCD was associated with better 3‐year PFS and DMFS rates than a low dose for high‐risk patients but could not produce a survival benefit for low‐risk patients.

Objective: This study introduces innovative strategies, the doublet regimen of concurrent chemoradiotherapy, to ensure longer survival for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 104 locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who underwent taxane combined platinum-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy in our center between January 2013 and December 2018. All statistical analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method (SPSS 23.0). Different groups were compared with the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.Results: Ultimately, 104 patients were selected for this study, including 18 and 86 who received either concurrent chemoradiation therapy alone or concurrent chemoradiation therapy plus adjuvant chemotherapy, respectively. The median follow-up time for progression free survival was 53.0 months (IQR 48.5-57.5). The 3-years progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), local-regional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates of the doublet regimen of concurrent chemotherapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma were 85.9%, 96.0%, 96.0% and 90.8%, respectively. Additionally, we analyzed the subgroups and found that the 3-years PFS, OS, LRRFS and DMFS rates for stage III versus stage IVa were 97.8% versus 75.5% (P = 0.000), 100% versus 92.5% (P = 0.004), 100% versus 92.4% (P = 0.015) and 97.8% versus 82.8% (P = 0.002), respectively. During concurrent chemotherapy, acute chemotherapy adverse events of grade 3 or 4 was only 18.3%. Leukopenia was the most common acute chemotherapy adverse event (in 10 patients [9.6%]), followed by neutropenia (in 8 patients [7.6%]).Conclusion: The doublet regimen of taxane plus platinum concurrent chemoradiotherapy resulted in improved long-term survival of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients, especially for local control rate and warrants further prospective evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy, feasibility, tolerability, and toxicity of concurrent chemotherapy and brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical carcinoma.Materials and Methods: Forty patients of cervical carcinoma were included in this study. The study period ranges from October 2016 to September 2019. Patients were evaluated and treated as per the protocol: external beam radiotherapy (50 Gy in 25 fractions) and concurrent weekly chemotherapy with injection (Inj.) cisplatin (30 mg/m2) followed by high-dose rate brachytherapy (3 fractions of 7 Gy each) and concurrent chemotherapy Inj. cisplatin (30 mg/m2).Results: Out of 40 patients enrolled in the study, 36 patients completed the treatment (17 Stage II and 19 Stage III). The incidence of Grade I and II skin toxicities were 78% and 10%, respectively. The incidence of genitourinary toxicities with respect to Grade I and II were 72% and 12%, respectively. There were Grade III hematological toxicities in two patients and the brachytherapy treatment was delayed for 4-6 days. The overall complete response was found in 28 (78%) patients, partial response in six (16.7%) patients, and progressive disease in two (5.6%) patients at 3 months of follow-up. On the last follow-up, 21 (58%) patients were disease-free and there was disease failure in seven patients (5 local recurrence and 2 with distant metastasis).Conclusion: Brachytherapy with the addition of concurrent chemotherapy is effective and feasible with acceptable toxicity for advanced stages of carcinoma cervix. This study upholds an interesting approach that can be regarded as feasible and tolerable for cervical cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To investigate the association between chemotherapy (CMT) cycles and oncological outcomes in elders with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) who treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Methods: We retrospective studied 498 elders with LACC who treated with radiotherapy (RT) or CCRT between 2002 and 2018. Patients were divided into three groups: RT, CCRT with 1–4 and CCRT with 5–6 cycles of CMT. We compared progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) among the three groups and explored survival prognostic factors via multivariate analysis and time‐varying analysis effect. Results: There were 453 eligible patients; 222, 119 and 112 patients who received RT, CCRT with 1–4 and CCRT with 5–6 cycles of CMT, respectively. Patients in the RT group had older age, poorer performance status, more treatment with conventional RT technique and earlier treatment year comparing with both CCRT groups. Patients who received 5–6 cycles of CMT were less to have underweight, comorbidities and anaemia compared with the RT group. There were patients with lower FIGO stage in 5–6 cycles than in 1–4 cycles of CMT and RT groups. The 5‐year PFS and OS between RT, CCRT with 1–4 and CCRT with 5–6 cycles of the CMT group were significantly different. Performance status, comorbidity, histology, FIGO stage and total received 5–6 CMT cycles were significant prognostic factors of PFS and OS. However, the benefits of receiving 5–6 CMT cycles were evidenced only within the first 2.5 years. Conclusion: Elders with LACC who received 5–6 cycles of CMT concurrently with RT can improve PFS and OS, but the benefit persisted only within the first 2.5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate whether completion of concurrent chemotherapy (CCT) improves overall survival (OS) of patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and to identify predictors of non-completion of CCT. Methods: Data of ESCC patients treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy from January 2012 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. CCT completion was defined as receiving recommended cycles with at most 25% dose reduction. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was applied to adjust unbalanced covariates between groups. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors affecting CCT completion. Results: Of the 487 patients in the study, 194 patients (39.8%) had completed CCT. The majority (90.7%) had stage III–IV disease. Three-year OS rate was significantly higher in the completion group than non-completion group (35.4% vs. 30.3%; p = 0.025). Multivariate Cox analysis showed CCT completion was independently associated with longer OS (p = 0.005). The independent risk factors for CCT non-completion were weekly CCT regimen [odds ratio (OR) = 4.35, 95% CI 2.26–8.37; p < 0.001], clinical target volume (CTV)-elective nodal irradiation (ENI) (OR = 3.86, 95% CI 2.41–6.18; p < 0.001), planning target volume (PTV)/50 cm3 (OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.02–1.16; p = 0.017), age (OR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.07, p = 0.011), and tumor in middle/lower esophagus (OR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.05–2.43, p = 0.030). Conclusion: CCT completion can provide superior OS for ESCC patients treated with definitive CCRT. Weekly CCT regimen, CTV-ENI, PTV, older age, and tumor location are independent predictors of non-completion of CCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: For selected patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), trimodal therapy (TMT) incorporating transurethral resection of the tumor and chemoradiotherapy is an alternative to radical cystectomy. Concurrent chemotherapy (CC) is a pivotal component of TMT, however, the optimal CC protocol remains unknown. This systematic review aims to assess efficacy and safety outcomes of CC protocols used in TMT., Methods: A systematic literature search in the PubMed and Embase databases was performed to identify eligible studies published between 1980 and March 2024. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed following predefined criteria., Key Findings and Limitations: 50 studies met the inclusion criteria. Cisplatin-based CC protocols were the most reported. The highest level of evidence was found for 5-fluorouracil and Mitomycin C and for Carbogen-Nicotinamide. However, significant heterogeneity in patient selection, treatment modalities, follow-up and reported outcomes precluded comparison between trials. Outcomes were similar regardless of CC, with 5-year overall survival around 50 %. Bladder preservation rates ranged from 60 % to 90 %. Distant metastasis rates varied from 10 % to 45 %. Locoregional control rates seemed improved with cisplatin combinations despite an increased acute toxicity. Acute and late toxicity were however relatively low across CC protocols. There was no decrease in gastro-intestinal or urinary Quality of Life. Scarce data were available for elderly patients., Conclusions and Clinical Implications: With similar efficacy and toxicity profiles, and in the absence of comparability among trials, our review does not provide sufficient data to determine the optimal CC for TMT of MIBC. TMT is a well-tolerated and efficient approach with tailored strategy available for patients with localized MIBC., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recently, randomized trials have questioned the efficacy of cetuximab‐based bioradiotherapy compared to chemoradiation for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx (HNSCC). We compared the OS of patients treated with radiotherapy alone (RTonly), chemoradiotherapy (chemoRT), and bioradiotherapy (cetuxRT). Methods: Patients with stage III–IVB HNSCC treated with RTonly, chemoRT, or cetuxRT were identified in the National Cancer Database. OS was estimated using Cox proportional hazards. Analyses were conducted on the overall cohort and propensity matched cohorts. Results: 31 014 patients were treated with RTonly (22%), chemoRT (72%), or cetuxRT (6%) from 2013 to 2016. The 2‐year OS was 69% for RTonly, 79% for chemoRT, and 66% for cetuxRT (p < 0.001). In the overall and propensity‐matched cohorts, chemoRT and RTonly were associated with improved OS as compared to cetuxRT (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Compared to chemoRT or RTonly, cetuxRT is associated with decreased OS for patients with HNSCC, suggesting minimal benefit of bioradiotherapy in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For selected patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), trimodal therapy (TMT) incorporating transurethral resection of the tumor and chemoradiotherapy is an alternative to radical cystectomy. Concurrent chemotherapy (CC) is a pivotal component of TMT, however, the optimal CC protocol remains unknown. This systematic review aims to assess efficacy and safety outcomes of CC protocols used in TMT. A systematic literature search in the PubMed and Embase databases was performed to identify eligible studies published between 1980 and March 2024. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed following predefined criteria. 50 studies met the inclusion criteria. Cisplatin-based CC protocols were the most reported. The highest level of evidence was found for 5-fluorouracil and Mitomycin C and for Carbogen-Nicotinamide. However, significant heterogeneity in patient selection, treatment modalities, follow-up and reported outcomes precluded comparison between trials. Outcomes were similar regardless of CC, with 5-year overall survival around 50 %. Bladder preservation rates ranged from 60 % to 90 %. Distant metastasis rates varied from 10 % to 45 %. Locoregional control rates seemed improved with cisplatin combinations despite an increased acute toxicity. Acute and late toxicity were however relatively low across CC protocols. There was no decrease in gastro-intestinal or urinary Quality of Life. Scarce data were available for elderly patients. With similar efficacy and toxicity profiles, and in the absence of comparability among trials, our review does not provide sufficient data to determine the optimal CC for TMT of MIBC. TMT is a well-tolerated and efficient approach with tailored strategy available for patients with localized MIBC. [Display omitted] • The heterogeneity of the current literature regarding TMT of MIBC does not allow for comparability. • Overall, similar survival and safety outcomes were reported across the various chemotherapy protocols tested. • The use of protocols supported by the highest LOE (5FU-Mitomycin C) should be recommended. in a patient-tailored approach. • Data regarding elderly patients and quality of life outcomes were insufficiently reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background To evaluate the long‐term outcomes of high‐dose (74 GyE) proton beam therapy (PBT) with concurrent chemotherapy for stage III non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Between July 2007 and March 2018, 45 patients with stage III NSCLC were treated with passive‐scattering PBT of 74 GyE and concurrent chemotherapy. Among the 45 patients, the median age was 62 years (range 39–79 years) and 32 patients were men. The clinical stages were stage IIIA in 14 patients and stage IIIB in 31 patients. Thirty‐six patients received chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and vinorelbine. Results The median follow‐up time was 42.1 months (range 6.4–127.0 months) for all patients and 63.5 months (range 9.4–127.0 months) for the 12 survivors. The 3‐ and 5‐year overall survival rates were 63.7% and 38.8%, respectively, and the median overall survival was 49.1 months. Over the follow‐up period, disease recurrence was observed in 32 (71%) patients. The 3‐ and 5‐year progression‐free survival rates were 22.2% and 17.7%, respectively, with a median progression‐free survival of 13.1 months. In‐field control improved survival and the in‐field control rate was better in patients with T0–3 tumors (p = 0.023) and stage IIIA/IIIB‐N3 disease (p = 0.030). Dosimetric parameters of the heart and lung were not associated with survival. No grade 4 or 5 acute or late non‐hematologic toxicities were observed. Conclusions Passive‐scattering PBT of 74 GyE with chemotherapy showed favorable survival and a low incidence of severe adverse events in patients with stage III NSCLC.

Purpose: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor endangering human health. Gemcitabine or cisplatin chemotherapy has been regarded as effective treatment for patients with locoregionally advanced NPC. However, the effect of gemcitabine plus cisplatin concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) remained controversial among the studies. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of induction chemotherapy by gemcitabine and cisplatin (GP regimen) in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase to evaluate the survival benefit and toxicity profiles of patients with locoregionally advanced NPC who were treated with CCRT. A random-effects model or a fixed-effects model was used to pool the data according to the heterogeneity among the included studies. Results: A total of five studies with 1286 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled estimate showed that GP regimen was associated with significant improvements in OS (HR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.45, 0.73; P < 0.001), DFS (HR = 0.56, 95% CI 0.47, 0.66; P < 0.001), and DRFS (HR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.36, 0.73; P < 0.001), but not in LRFS (HR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.25, 1.19; P = 0.126) and ORR (RR = 1.30, 95% CI 0.54, 3.09; P = 0.556). Moreover, the incidence of adverse events of all grades (RR = 1.15, 95%CI 0.11, 1.38; P = 0.063) or grade 3–4 (RR = 0.96, 95%CI 0.57, 1.29; P = 0.385), was comparable between GP regimen and control treatments. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis indicated that the patients with locoregionally advanced NPC could benefit from the regimen of gemcitabine plus cisplatin induction chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hypopharyngeal carcinoma (HPC) is a rare head and neck cancer which poses many therapeutic challenges. There is limited evidence regarding the outcomes of HPC treatment in Iran. Method: In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated patients treated with chemoradiation or radiation alone, between 2007 and 2016 in the radiation oncology ward of the cancer institute affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The design of the study was reviewed and approved by the local institutional review board (code: 86100142). All patients underwent definitive radiotherapy with or without concurrent or sequential chemotherapy. We assessed the two-year overall survival (OS) as the primary outcome. The progression-free survival (PFS) was our secondary outcome. Results: We studied 40 patients whose median age was 58 years. 37 patients were stage 3 or 4, while the most common stage was T3N1-2, observed in 35% of the cases. The most common site of involvement was pyriform sinus (47.5%). The twoyear OS rate was 29%. The two-year PFS was 22%. In the univariate analysis, N0-1 vs. N 2-3 and stage 2 vs. stage 3-4 were significant predictors of OS. In addition, distant metastasis had almost a significant association with lower OS. Conclusion: The outcome of locally advanced HPC was not promising using 3DCRT alone. It is necessary to implement dramatic changes in the management of these patients to achieve better outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is rare and the treatment for recurrent or metastatic UTUC is unclear. We evaluated the outcomes of salvage and palliative radiotherapy (RT) and prognostic factors in UTUC patients and find implications for salvage and palliative RT.Methods: Between August 2006 and February 2021, 174 patients (median age, 68 years; range, 37-90) underwent salvage and palliative RT. Disease status at RT included initially diagnosed advanced disease (n = 8, 4.6%), local recurrence only (n = 56, 32.2%), distant metastasis only (n = 59, 33.9%), and local recurrence and distant metastasis (n = 51, 29.3%). The primary tumor location included the renal pelvis (n = 87, 50%), ureter (n = 77, 44.3%), and both (n = 10, 5.7%). Radical nephroureterectomy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy were used in 135 (77.6%), 101 (58%), and 19 (10.9%) patients, respectively. Survival outcomes and prognostic factors were analysed using Cox and logistic regression analysis.Results: Salvage RT and palliative RT was administered in 73 (42%) and 101 (58%) patients, respectively. The median radiation dose was 45 Gy (range, 15-65). Two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) RT and intensity modulated RT (IMRT) were used in 61 (35.1%) and 113 (64.9%) patients, respectively. The median follow-up was 7.8 months. The median duration of overall survival (OS) was 13.4 months, and the 1-year OS was 53.5%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.7 months, and the 6-month PFS was 41.9%. The 6-month infield PFS was 84%. In multivariate analysis, RT method (2D/3D vs. IMRT, p = 0.007) and RT response (p = 0.008) were independent prognostic factors for OS, and RT response correlated with PFS (p = 0.015). In subgroup analysis in patients with PD-L1 data, positive PD-L1 correlated with better PFS (p = 0.009). RT response-associated factors were concurrent chemotherapy (p = 0.03) and higher radiation dose (p = 0.034). Of 145 patients, 10 (6.9%) developed grade 3 acute or late toxicity.Conclusions: Salvage and palliative RT for UTUC are feasible and effective. Patients with RT response using IMRT may have survival benefit from salvage and palliative RT. Positive PD-L1 status might be related to radiosensitivity. High-dose radiation with concurrent chemotherapy may improve RT response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The optimal cumulative cisplatin dose (CCD) during radiation therapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA‐NPC) patients receiving induction chemotherapy (IC) plus CCRT remains controversial. This study aimed to explore the treatment efficiency of CCD for high‐and low‐risk patients with LA‐NPC. Methods: Data from 472 LA‐NPC patients diagnosed from 2014 to 2018 and treated with IC plus CCRT were reviewed. After propensity score matching, the therapeutic effects of a CCD > 200 and CCD ≤ 200 mg/m2 were evaluated comparatively. Five factors selected by multivariate analysis were incorporated to develop a nomogram. Subgroup analysis was conducted to explore the role of different CCDs in nomogram‐defined high‐ and low‐risk groups. Additionally, acute toxicities were evaluated comparatively between the high‐ and low‐CCD groups. Results: After matching, there was no difference between different CCD groups for all patients in terms of 3‐year overall survival (OS), distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS), locoregional recurrence‐free survival (LRRFS), or progression‐free survival (PFS). A nomogram was built by integrating pretreatment EBV DNA, clinical stage, and post‐IC EBV DNA, post‐IC primary gross tumor and lymph node volumes obtained a C‐index of 0.674. The high‐risk group determined by the nomogram had poorer 3‐year PFS, OS, DMFS, and LRRFS than the low‐risk group. A total of CCD > 200 mg/m2 increased the survival rates of 3‐year PFS and DMFS (PFS: 72.5% vs. 54.4%, p = 0.012; DMFS: 81.9% vs. 61.5%, p = 0.014) in the high‐risk group but not in the low‐risk group. Moreover, the high CCD increased treatment‐related acute toxicities. Conclusions: A high CCD was associated with better 3‐year PFS and DMFS rates than a low dose for high‐risk patients but could not produce a survival benefit for low‐risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The current study aimed to compare the performance of radiobiological models in predicting acute esophagitis (AE) complications after three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). Material and Methods: Out of a total of 100 patients, 50 patients with concurrent chemotherapy and 50 patients without such therapy were treated with different total doses and a daily dose range of 1.8-2.4 Gy on the basis of 5 days a week for 3 months. Predictions of AE were based on Lyman–Kutcher–Burman (LKB) and equivalent uniform dose (EUD)-based radiobiological models. Consequently, 3 months of follow-upwere performed to monitor the complication incidence among the studied patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and univariable logistic regression analyses were carried out to determine the effect of mean dose, volume percentage, and weight loss percentage on the probability of AE grade ³ 2. Results: The EUD-basedmodel showed a better concordance with the clinical data for all patients (area under the curve [AUC]=0.919) and the concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) group (AUC=0.986). For the radiation therapy group, the LKB model had a better performance than the EUD-based model (AUC=0.921). Grade ³ 2 esophagitis occurred 37.94±4.0 and 68.39±7.1 days after the initiation of radiation therapy in the chemoradiation and radiation therapy groups, respectively. Conclusion: The EUD-basedmodel showed a higher agreement with the follow-up data. The incidence time of grade ³ 2 AE in the CCRT was approximately two times shorter than that in the non-CCRT group.

Abstract Objective We aimed to establish and validate two nomograms that predict progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with stage II–IVa nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) while evaluating the benefit of concurrent chemotherapy. Patients and Methods We randomly divided 3412 patients newly diagnosed with stage II‐IVa NPC between 2008 and 2013 into training and validation ‘A’ cohorts (n = 1706 each). Another set of patients diagnosed between 2014 and 2016 served as validation cohort ‘B’ (n = 1503). A Cox multivariate model using the backward stepwise approach was applied to develop the nomograms, which were assessed for accuracy (Harrel C index) and calibration. Results The 3‐ and 5‐year PFS rates in the training cohort were 86.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 85.0%‐88.6%) and 82.3% (95% CI 80.1%‐84.5%), respectively. For the PFS nomogram, 5 variables were selected based on a backward procedure in the multivariate Cox model (gender, T stage, N stage, Epstein‐Barr virus DNA, and treatment method). The same variables plus patient age and diabetes mellitus were used for the OS nomogram. The Harrell C indices of the training, validation A, and validation B cohorts were 0.711, 0.700, and 0.703, respectively, for PFS, and 0.775, 0.743, and 0.727, respectively, for OS. Both nomograms performed well in terms of calibration in the training and validation cohorts. Conclusions Our nomograms are reliable prognostic predictors of PFS and OS in patients with stage II‐IVa NPC. These nomograms could robustly estimate an individual's benefit from concurrent chemotherapy, which assists in treatment decision‐making.

Abstract Background To ascertain if concurrent chemotherapy (CCT) benefits people with stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with two‐dimensional radiotherapy (2DRT) or intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Methods A total of 4157 patients diagnosed with stage II NPC were evaluated. Patients received radiotherapy (RT) with/without CCT. Patients were divided into 2DRT and IMRT subgroups. After propensity score matching, the role of CCT was explored in these two subgroups. Overall survival (OS) was the primary endpoint and progression‐free survival (PFS), locoregional relapse‐free survival (LRFS) and distant metastasis‐free survival (DMFS) were secondary endpoints. Results In the 2DRT subgroup, CCT addition to RT benefited cases with T1N1/T2N1 in OS, PFS and LRFS (P

Background/aim: Treatments for early laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) include radiotherapy (RT), chemoradiotherapy (CRT), and larynx-preserving surgery. In this study, early laryngeal SCC was treated with RT in patients with stage I (T1N0) tumors and with CRT and docetaxel (DOC) in patients with stage II (T2N0) tumors and the treatment results and effectiveness of the chemotherapy were compared., Patients and Methods: A total of 78 patients with early-stage laryngeal SCC were enrolled in this study. The T1N0 patients received radiation for the primary lesions as outpatients at a total dose of 63-70 Gy. By contrast, the T2N0 patients were hospitalized and treated with CRT, receiving a total radiation dose of 66-70 Gy. Docetaxel (DOC, 10 mg/m 2 ) was administered intravenously once a week for 6-8 consecutive weeks concurrently with radiotherapy. The adverse events and survival rates with local control rates were examined., Results: The number of non-glottic T2N0 patients was significantly higher than that of T1N0 patients. Although all patients completed their treatment schedule, significantly more grade 3 adverse events were observed in the T2N0 patients, in particular mucositis and dermatitis, than in T1N0 patients. The 5-year overall survival rate, disease specific survival rate, local control rate, and laryngeal preserve rate of the T1N0 and T2N0 patients were 86.1, 93.3, 88.6, and 94.3% and 85.9, 88.0, 93.1, and 93.1%, respectively., Conclusion: CRT with docetaxel showed the best therapeutic outcomes for the treatment of laryngeal SCC in patients with T2N0 tumours, with a higher local control rate, effective laryngeal preservation, and relatively few adverse events., Competing Interests: The Authors have no conflicts of interest to declare in relation to this study., (Copyright 2024, International Institute of Anticancer Research.)

Objective: Anti-EGFR Targeted agents were found to be capable of modulating the antitumor immunity in head and neck cancer and become more and more frequently used in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC). We aimed to explore whether adding concurrent chemotherapy influences the survival outcome of patients with stage II-IVb NPC treated with concurrent anti-EGFR agents and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and explore other prognostic factors for the patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 656 stage II-IVb NPC patients treated with concurrent anti-EGFR agents plus IMRT between January 2011 and November 2015 were enrolled. Firstly, from these patients, a well-balanced cohort of 302 patients who received concurrent chemotherapy was created by matching potential prognostic factors. Furthermore, for all 656 stage II-IVb NPC patients, univariate and multivariate analyses of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were conducted to identify prognostic factors and to confirm the findings from the matching cohort. Results: Compared with concurrent anti-EGFR agents alone, combining concurrent cisplatin and anti-EGFR agents significantly improved the OS (5-year 94.7% versus 84.3%, P=0.012) and PFS (5-year 82.0% versus 71.7%, P=0.039) of NPC patients with more severe hematologic toxicity and mucositis. The independent prognostic factors identified by multivariate analysis of OS and PFS included concurrent chemotherapy, epstein-barr virus(EBV) status and clinical stage. Patients treated without induction chemotherapy (IC) may achieve more benefits from the addition of concurrent chemotherapy to concurrent anti-EGFR agents. Conclusions: For stage II-IVb NPC patients treated with concurrent anti-EGFR agents, the addition of concurrent chemotherapy can significantly improve the survival outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The goal of this study was to confirm the clinical value of pretreatment serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) in the administration of consolidation chemotherapy in patients with cervical cancers undergoing postoperative extended-field radiotherapy (EFRT) and concurrent chemotherapy (CCRT). Methods: Between 2007 and 2018, a total of 113 patients were treated with postoperative extended-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy (EF-IMRT) and CCRT. There were 63 patients receiving extended-field concurrent chemoradiotherapy (EF-CCRT) and consolidation chemotherapy, while another 50 patients underwent EF-CCRT alone. For the planning target volume, the prescribed dose was 45 to 50.4Gy/25 to 28 fractions. The consolidation chemotherapy regimen contained docetaxel and cisplatin. Results: For the patients with high pretreatment SCC-Ag, the addition of consolidation chemotherapy significantly improved their treatment outcomes and they had better 5-year overall survival (OS) (81.02% vs 63.44%, P =.018) and disease-free survival (DFS) (76.95% vs 61.12%, P =.007) than those without it. Meanwhile, the patients with consolidation chemotherapy had a lower rate of distant metastasis (8.8% vs 34.8%, P =.001). For the patients with low pretreatment SCC-Ag, there was no difference in prognosis between patients receiving consolidation chemotherapy and those not receiving consolidation. In multivariate analysis, consolidation chemotherapy was found to be a factor significantly associated with DFS (P =.035, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.304-0.977) and distant metastasis (P =.009, 95% CI: 0.125-0.841). Conclusion: The patients who received consolidation chemotherapy showed significantly better DFS. Furthermore, pretreatment serum SCC-Ag > 6.5 ng/mL may be a predictive factor for the use of consolidation chemotherapy in cervical cancer patients treated with postoperative EF-CCRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) using high‐dose cisplatin (HDC) is standard for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); weekly cisplatin (WC) is an alternative. We aim to compare retrospectively the survival and disease control outcomes between these regimens in our institutional experience. Methods: Patients with stage III‐IV HNSCC treated with definitive or postoperative CRT between 2012 and 2018 were identified. Patients were stratified by intent‐to‐treat CRT. Overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) were generated and multivariable Cox models were performed. Results: 193 patients were treated with concurrent HDC (n = 69), WC at 40 mg/m2 (WC40, n = 88) or WC at <40 mg/m2 (WC<40, n = 36). Treatment intent was definitive in 74% and adjuvant in 26%. Baseline differences included age, performance status and HPV status. Cumulative cisplatin dose ≥200 mg/m2 was achieved in 89% (HDC), 86% (WC40) and 25% (WC<40, P < 0.0001). For HDC, WC40 and WC<40, 2‐year OS rates were 87%, 77%, 60% and 2‐year DFS rates were 75%, 68% and 52%, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed gender, performance status, primary site, T/N stage and chemotherapy as predictive of OS. Primary site, T/N stage and chemotherapy regimen were associated with DFS. Compared with HDC, no differences in locoregional control (LRC) or distant metastasis were observed between groups. Conclusion: Concurrent HDC is associated with increased total cisplatin intensity, OS and DFS compared with weekly cisplatin regimens. LRC was not associated with chemotherapy regimen. HDC remains the standard of care; WC40 is a reasonable alternative that does not appear to sacrifice LRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveAnti-EGFR Targeted agents were found to be capable of modulating the antitumor immunity in head and neck cancer and become more and more frequently used in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC). We aimed to explore whether adding concurrent chemotherapy influences the survival outcome of patients with stage II-IVb NPC treated with concurrent anti-EGFR agents and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and explore other prognostic factors for the patients.Materials and MethodsA total of 656 stage II-IVb NPC patients treated with concurrent anti-EGFR agents plus IMRT between January 2011 and November 2015 were enrolled. Firstly, from these patients, a well-balanced cohort of 302 patients who received concurrent chemotherapy was created by matching potential prognostic factors. Furthermore, for all 656 stage II-IVb NPC patients, univariate and multivariate analyses of overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were conducted to identify prognostic factors and to confirm the findings from the matching cohort.ResultsCompared with concurrent anti-EGFR agents alone, combining concurrent cisplatin and anti-EGFR agents significantly improved the OS (5-year 94.7% versus 84.3%, P=0.012) and PFS (5-year 82.0% versus 71.7%, P=0.039) of NPC patients with more severe hematologic toxicity and mucositis. The independent prognostic factors identified by multivariate analysis of OS and PFS included concurrent chemotherapy, epstein-barr virus(EBV) status and clinical stage. Patients treated without induction chemotherapy (IC) may achieve more benefits from the addition of concurrent chemotherapy to concurrent anti-EGFR agents.ConclusionsFor stage II-IVb NPC patients treated with concurrent anti-EGFR agents, the addition of concurrent chemotherapy can significantly improve the survival outcome.

BackgroundThe efficiency of concurrent chemotherapy (CC) remains controversial for stage II–IVa nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Therefore, we aimed to propose a nomogram to identify patients who would benefit from CC.MethodsA total of 434 NPC patients (stage II–IVa) treated with IC followed by IMRT between January 2010 and December 2015 were included. There were 808 dosimetric parameters extracted by the in-house script for each patient. A dosimetric signature was developed with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm. A nomogram was built by incorporating clinical factors and dosimetric signature using Cox regression to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS). The C-index was used to evaluate the performance of the nomogram. The patients were stratified into low- and high-risk recurrence according to the optimal cutoff of risk score.ResultsThe nomogram incorporating age, TNM stage, and dosimetric signature yielded a C-index of 0.719 (95% confidence interval, 0.658–0.78). In the low-risk group, CC was associated with a 9.4% increase of 5-year locoregional RFS and an 8.8% increase of 5-year overall survival (OS), whereas it was not significantly associated with an improvement of locoregional RFS (LRFS) and OS in the high-risk group. However, in the high-risk group, patients could benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) by improving 33.6% of the 5-year LRFS.ConclusionsThe nomogram performed an individualized risk quantification of RFS in patients with stage II–IVa NPC treated with IC followed by IMRT. Patients with low risk could benefit from CC, whereas patients with high risk may require additional AC.

Background: The efficiency of concurrent chemotherapy (CC) remains controversial for stage II–IVa nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Therefore, we aimed to propose a nomogram to identify patients who would benefit from CC. Methods: A total of 434 NPC patients (stage II–IVa) treated with IC followed by IMRT between January 2010 and December 2015 were included. There were 808 dosimetric parameters extracted by the in-house script for each patient. A dosimetric signature was developed with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm. A nomogram was built by incorporating clinical factors and dosimetric signature using Cox regression to predict recurrence-free survival (RFS). The C-index was used to evaluate the performance of the nomogram. The patients were stratified into low- and high-risk recurrence according to the optimal cutoff of risk score. Results: The nomogram incorporating age, TNM stage, and dosimetric signature yielded a C-index of 0.719 (95% confidence interval, 0.658–0.78). In the low-risk group, CC was associated with a 9.4% increase of 5-year locoregional RFS and an 8.8% increase of 5-year overall survival (OS), whereas it was not significantly associated with an improvement of locoregional RFS (LRFS) and OS in the high-risk group. However, in the high-risk group, patients could benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) by improving 33.6% of the 5-year LRFS. Conclusions: The nomogram performed an individualized risk quantification of RFS in patients with stage II–IVa NPC treated with IC followed by IMRT. Patients with low risk could benefit from CC, whereas patients with high risk may require additional AC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]