Correlation between lung fibrosis and radiation therapy dose after concurrent radiation therapy and chemotherapy for limited small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between physician-identified radiographic fibrosis, lung tissue physical density change, and radiation dose after concurrent radiation therapy and chemotherapy for limited small cell lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fibrosis volumes of different severity levels were delineated on computed tomography (CT) images obtained at 1-year follow-up of 21 patients with complete response to concurrent radiation therapy and chemotherapy for limited small cell lung carcinoma. Delivered treatments were reconstructed with a three-dimensional treatment planning system and geometrically registered to the follow-up CT images. Tissue physical density change and radiation dose were computed for each voxel within each fibrosis volume and within normal lung. Patient responses were grouped per radiation and chemotherapy protocol. RESULTS: A significant correlation was noted between fibrosis grade and tissue physical density change and fibrosis grade. For doses less than 30 Gy, the probability of observing fibrosis was less than 2% with conventional fractionation and less than 4% with accelerated fractionation. Physical lung density change also showed a threshold of 30-35 Gy. For doses of 30-55 Gy and cisplatin and etoposide (PE) chemotherapy, fibrosis probability was 2.0 times greater for accelerated fractionation compared with conventional fractionation (P < .005) and was correlated to increasing dose for both fractionation schedules. CONCLUSION: Lung tissue physical density changes correlated well with fibrosis incidence, and both increased with increasing dose greater than a threshold of 30-35 Gy. With concurrent PE chemotherapy, fibrosis probability was twice as great with accelerated fractionation as with once-daily fractionation.     

Conservative surgery and radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer after previous mantle radiation for Hodgkin's disease

There is an increased incidence of breast cancer in female patients who have previously undergone mantle radiation for Hodgkin's disease. Lumpectomy followed by breast irradiation is generally considered to be contraindicated in such patients owing to the high cumulative radiation dose to the breast. Mastectomy is therefore recommended as the preferred treatment option in these women. We report two cases of breast cancer occurring in women previously treated with mantle radiation for Hodgkin's disease. Both women declined mastectomy and requested breast-conserving treatment.     

Results of radiation therapy in early glottic carcinoma: multivariate analysis of prognostic and radiation therapy variables.

A detailed retrospective analysis was performed with 103 patients who had T1 carcinoma of the glottic larynx and underwent radiation therapy between 1960 and 1987. Prognostic and radiation therapy variables were analyzed including sex; age; staging procedures; mucosal extent; histologic grading of tumor; field size; use of wedges; treatment of alternate fields versus both fields every day; nominal standard dose; time, dose, and fraction; dose per fraction; total radiation dose per fraction; total radiation doses; and the impact of cord stripping. Initial local control was 89%, and ultimate control after surgical salvage was 97%, with a 5- and 10-year adjusted survival of 98%. Univariate analysis indicated that larger field size (P = .04), histologic grade (P = .02), and treatment strategy (P = .08) were of some value in predicting recurrence. Multivariate analysis indicated that field size (P = .03) was the only significant variable in predicting local recurrence. These data confirm that radiation is highly effective in the treatment of early laryngeal cancer.     

Effects of niacin therapy that simulate neoplasia: hepatic steatosis with concurrent hepatic dysfunction

Niacin, a widely used antihyperlipidemic agent, can produce hepatic steatosis and clinical hepatic abnormalities that together simulate the presentation of hepatobiliary neoplasia. We describe a patient initially suspected of having hepatobiliary neoplasia for whom imaging studies played a pivotal role in reaching the correct diagnosis of niacin-induced hepatotoxicity. Radiologists should become knowledgeable of these niacin-related effects, add niacin effects to the differential diagnosis of hepatic steatosis, and understand the value of correlative imaging in distinguishing these effects from hepatobiliary neoplasia.     

Regression of mediastinal Hodgkin disease after therapy: evaluation of time interval

Ninety-one patients with Hodgkin disease of the upper torso who had mediastinal masses were studied to determine the frequency of residual mass and the time required for resolution or stabilization of the mass. In 72 of these patients, radiographs from sufficient intervals were available for determination of the rate of regression. In 62 patients (86%), the mediastinum returned to normal width within 11 months, regardless of the size of the mass. The mediastinum returned to normal in all but one patient with small masses. The intrathoracic relapse rate did not correlate with the regression time of the masses, but relapse occurred more than twice as often in patients with residual mediastinal widening.     

Endorectal MRI after radiation therapy: questioning the sextant analysis

Purpose:

To evaluate whether the information gained by three coregistration systems (sextant, hemi‐prostate, and whole gland) differs significantly, suggesting that one approach should be routinely favored over the others. Despite its known limitations, sextant is the generally accepted standard for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biopsy coregistration; nevertheless, depending on the magnitude of localization errors, other options may be adequate.

Materials and Methods:

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained and the study was Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)‐compliant. We identified 70 patients who underwent 1.5 T endorectal MRI of the prostate between 1999 and 2008 after external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer. A single reader reviewed all T2‐weighted images for the presence or absence of tumor. The performance of each approach was quantified using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Transrectal ultrasound‐guided sextant biopsies were used as a standard of reference.

Results:

The areas under the ROC curve indicating accuracy for each MRI approach were 0.63 (sextant), 0.68 (hemi‐prostate), and 0.71 (whole gland). There was no statistically significant difference among these approaches.

Conclusion:

As expected, the point estimate was higher for the whole‐gland approach, but not significantly. Reliable assessment of locally recurrent prostate cancer after external beam radiotherapy by endorectal MRI may be made using a sextant, hemi‐prostate, or whole gland approach. The option for one or another approach should not be solely based on estimations of imaging accuracy, but on the purpose of the procedure. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;33:1086–1090. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

心脏舒张功能衰竭新观念和常用超声检查指标临床意义(二)

4 常用超声心动图检测指标及临床意义心导管检测舒张功能更准确但难为患者所接受和普遍实施。现在超声心动图已普及加之其无创、经济、快捷、简便等优点,已成为评价舒张功能最常用和重要的方法。由于舒张功能机制复杂并涉及多种影响因素,目前尚无一种类似EF那样能有效评估收缩功能的简明指标用于舒张功能的评价。现超声心动图可用多种模式从多种角度评价舒张功能,但每种方法和结果各有优缺点,须结合临床合理应用和给予正确解释。由于篇幅所限本文仅就简便常用指标予以讨论。     

动态增强MRI定量评估喉及下咽鳞癌同步放化疗近期疗效研究

目的:探讨MRI动态增强扫描(DCE-MRI)对喉及下咽鳞癌同步放化疗近期疗效的预测价值.方法:2014年12月-2015年12月经本院喉镜活检病理证实并行同步放化疗的喉(10例)及下咽(26例)鳞癌患者共36例,于治疗前行DCE-MRI检查,并在放疗剂量累积达50Gy时行治疗中MRI复查.根据治疗结束后肿瘤缓解情况,将患者分为完全缓解组(CR)及部分缓解组(PR).测量DCE-MRI定量参数值,包括容积转移常数(Ktrans)、速率常数(Kep)和血管外细胞外容积分数(Ve),分别比较三者在CR组与PR组间的差异,并绘制ROC曲线评估各定量参数预测喉及下咽鳞癌同步放化疗近期疗效的效能.结果:36例患者在同步放化疗后达CR20例,PR16例.喉癌和下咽癌两组间治疗前DCE-MRI各定量参数比较,差异均无统计学意义(P＞0.05).CR组治疗前Ktrans、Kep和Ve值分别为(0.307±0.055)min-、(0.527±0.114)min-1和0.587±0.045,PR组的相应值分别为(0.234±0.049) min-1/min、(0.390±0.090) min-1和0.602±0.037.两组比较,Ktrans和Kep的差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05),Ve的差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).ROC曲线分析,以Ktrans=0.283min-1为阈值,预测同步放化疗后达CR的曲线下面积(AUC)、敏感度及特异度分别为0.839、70.0％和81.2％;以Kep=0.446min-1为阈值,预测同步放化疗后达CR的AUC、敏感度及特异度分别为0.809、75.0％和75.0％.结论:DCE-MRI定量参数有助于预测喉及下咽鳞癌同步放化疗的近期疗效.     

Adjuvant and salvage radiation therapy after prostatectomy: investigating beliefs and practices of radiation oncologists

Objective:

Evidence regarding adjuvant radiation therapy (ART) and salvage radiation therapy (SRT) following radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate cancer is inconsistent. The study objectives were to collect survey information on Italian radiation oncologists'' (RO) beliefs regarding the use of ART and SRT following RP and to compare the results of Italian RO with those of American RO available from an analogous survey.

Methods:

A modified version of a US-based questionnaire captured attitudes and clinical approaches regarding post-RP RT of all 716 RO practicing in 147 radiation oncology centres in Italy. Bivariate analyses compared the responses of Italian RO with those of American RO retrieved from a previously published study.

Results:

Analysable questionnaires were completed by 153 Italian RO (response rate, 21%). Variations in practice were found for RT use, timing, dosage and technique. All Italian RO supported ART use, although factors influencing the decision to initiate ART varied. Most RO (81%) would wait 3–6 months after surgery before beginning RT. Compared with Italian RO, more American RO believed ART improves survival outcomes (70% vs 35%, p < 0.001), would initiate ART based solely on adverse pathological features (79% vs 69%, p < 0.001) and would initiate SRT based on any detectable prostate-specific antigen (37% vs 11%, p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Italian RO strongly supported ART, but their approach to patient selection for ART and SRT varied. Striking differences between Italian RO and American RO regarding ART and SRT practices were found.

Advance in knowledge

Differential RT practices and perceptions exist among RO internationally. Clinical studies must inform evidence-based guidelines to harmonize the use of post-RP RT.     

Primary tumors and mediastinal lymph nodes after neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy of lung cancer: serial CT findings with pathologic correlation

PURPOSE: The purpose of this work was to describe the changes of primary tumor and mediastinal lymph nodes on CT after neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy and to correlate the CT findings with pathology. METHOD: Twenty-one consecutive patients [N2 disease (n = 19) or resectable T4 and N2 disease (n = 2)] with non-small cell lung cancer underwent neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Changes of primary tumor and mediastinal nodes before and after the therapy were assessed using CT. The CT findings were correlated with pathologic findings. RESULTS: With neoadjuvant therapy, decrease in T stage was achieved in 9 of 21 (43%) patients on CT. On pathology, the remaining tumor consisted mostly of fibrosis and necrosis with little proportion of viable tumor cells (mean volume 17%, range 0-55%). Decrease in nodal stage was achieved in 14 of 21 (67%) patients on pathologic examination. Seven patients had cancer cells in mediastinal lymph nodes: in 6 of 9 (67%) patients with adenocarcinoma and 1 of 12 (8%) patients with squamous cell carcinoma (p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: With neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy, the remaining tumor consists mostly of fibrosis or necrosis. Decreased nodal stage on pathology is achieved especially in patients with N2 disease of squamous cell carcinoma. The CT findings of the tumor and mediastinal nodes are not helpful in predicting the pathology after the therapy.     

Radiation-induced apoptosis in vivo: therapeutic significance of apoptosis in radiation therapy

Apoptotic cell death is frequently found in certain tumor cells after irradiation; however, the incidence is not always high in vivo. Seven tumors were transplanted to nude mice, and their organs were histologically examined after irradiation to study the therapeutic significance of apoptosis in radiation therapy. A high incidence of apoptosis was found only in radiosensitive tumors or normal cells with wild-type p53, but the peak incidence in most cells was only a few percent or less. However, the calculated total incidence of apoptotic cell death was much higher than the actual peak incidence, because the half-life of apoptosis is very short. Even in radioresistant tumors, total radiation-induced apoptosis was estimated to be about 10 percent. These results suggest that apoptotic cell death in radiotherapy may be more important in vivo than previously estimated.     

Prognostic factors for recurrence and cosmesis in 393 patients after radiation therapy for early mammary carcinoma

Between 1978 and 1985, 393 of 2,765 (14%) patients with operable cancer of the breast (clinical stage T0-3N0-2M0) were irradiated after excisional biopsy and staging axillary dissection. Of 77 patients with microscopic axillary metastases, 68 received systemic adjuvant therapy. Treatment failed locally in 26 cases, and there were seven patients with distant metastasis. The three major factors for increased local treatment failure were (a) age below 40 years (P = .003), (b) negative estrogen receptor assay result (P = .03), and (c) failure to deliver a radiation boost dose when tumor was present at the margin of the specimen (P = .002). The size of the tumor, the nodal status, the progesterone receptor assay result, and the presence of ductal carcinoma in situ mixed with infiltrating carcinoma did not show a significant influence on local recurrence. In 274 of 393 (70%) patients, cosmesis was evaluated. The four major factors affecting cosmesis favorably were (a) utilization of a wedge (P less than .0001); (b) treatment of two fields a day (P less than .0001); (c) failure to use a separate treatment port to the regional lymph nodes, so as to avoid field junctions (P = .0003); and (d) small size of specimen (less than 50 cm2) (P = .0171). A second or third cancer was found in 39 of the 393 (10%) patients; contralateral breast cancer was the most common form (n = 23), followed by genitourinary cancer (n = 5). The most frequent complication was arm edema (6%).     

Role of radiation therapy in the management of primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMLBL)

PURPOSE: PMLBL is a rare disease in Japan, and its optimal management and prognosis remain to be examined. A retrospective analysis of combined modality treatment in PMLBL was performed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three women and four men (mean age, 36 years) were found to have PMLBL. Six patients had stage II disease, and one patient stage III disease. Each patient had a mediastinal tumor over 9 cm in diameter. The numbers of risk factors according to the international prognostic index (IPI) and modified tumor score (mTS) were 2 and 2 or 3, respectively. All patients were treated by doxorubicin-based chemotherapy. Two patients underwent tumor resection. Radiation therapy of 27.3 to 40 Gy (mean, 32 Gy) was delivered, after chemotherapy in six patients, and before chemotherapy in one. RESULTS: Only one stage IIE patient recurred in the bilateral kidneys and had a fatal outcome. The remaining six patients remain disease-free at follow-up ranging from seven to 126 months. Positive accumulation of gallium scintigraphy after chemotherapy was converted to negative by radiation therapy. CONCLUSIONS: The favorable prognosis of PMLBL was confirmed in this study. Radiation therapy should preferably be delivered to all patients with PMLBL after chemotherapy.     

PET/CT in initial staging and therapy response assessment of early mediastinal lymphoma

Objective

To detect accuracy of PET/CT in the initial staging, response after the first line and end of treatment in early mediastinal lymphoma patients compared to contrast CT.

Materials and methods

We studied 50 patients with pathologically proven lymphoma with a mean age = 27.5. All patients were at early stage. All patients performed CT and PET/CT for initial staging, after the first course of chemotherapy (after 4–6 weeks) and at the end of treatment (after 2–4 months).

Results

PET/CT upstaged 5 cases. At first line of treatment, PET/CT and CECT were agreeable in 32% of cases. PET/CT showed 100% sensitivity, 96.7% specificity, 95% positive predictive value and 100% negative predictive value. At the end of treatment both methods showed a 46% agreement. PET/CT was statistically significant in the follow up of hilar and axillary lymph nodes. PET/CT showed 100% sensitivity and specificity; compared to 62.5% sensitivity and 97.6% specificity for CECT in detection of extra-nodal disease sites.

Conclusion

PET/CT proved higher sensitivity and specificity over CECT. The major strength of PET/CT over CECT was its higher ability for detection of extra-nodal sites of lymphoma and excluding active disease in residual nodal mass lesions on follow up.     

MR imaging of the spine after radiation therapy: easily recognizable effects

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the spine after radiation treatment in four patients demonstrated well defined areas of increased signal intensity in the vertebral bodies on short or T1-weighted sequences. Radiation doses of 4000-5790 rad (40-57.9 Gy) were administered to the mediastinum, rectum, and spine. The interval between radiation treatment and MR imaging was 2 months to 10 years. The abnormally increased areas of signal intensity seen on MR images were best demonstrated in the midsagittal plane and were easily differentiated from involvement by tumor. The alteration in signal intensity probably was secondary to replacement of marrow by fatty tissue and corresponded closely with radiation therapy portals.     

Myocardial ischemia in the absence of obstructive coronary lesion: The role of post-stress diastolic dysfunction in detecting early coronary atherosclerosis

Background

The interactions between non-obstructive coronary atherosclerosis (<50% stenosis) and myocardial perfusion and functional parameters on myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) have never been evaluated.

Methods and Results

One-hundred and ninety-five patients were submitted to stress-rest MPI and invasive coronary angiography. The presence of obstructive coronary lesions (>50% stenosis) was excluded. The summed stress score (SSS) was calculated in every patient. Moreover, the left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) and peak filling rate (PFR) were computed from gated MPI images as measures of systolic and diastolic functions. Sixty/195 patients (31%) showed the presence of non-obstructive atherosclerosis (>20% and <50% diameter reduction). Interestingly, they presented a higher SSS than those with normal coronary arteries (P < 0.001) despite a similar myocardial scar burden. If compared to patients with normal coronary arteries, those with non-obstructive atherosclerosis showed more abnormal post-stress PFR values (2.5 ± 0.9 vs 2.9 ± 0.8, P = 0.004), despite a similar EF. On multivariate analysis, the presence non-obstructive atherosclerosis was the only significant predictor (P = 0.026) of post-stress LV diastolic impairment, independently from perfusion parameters.

Conclusions

In patients without anatomically significant coronary lesions, the development of post-stress LV diastolic dysfunction on MPI associates with the presence of non-obstructive atherosclerosis on coronary angiography.

     

Recurrent pituitary adenomas after surgical resection: the role of radiation therapy

Postoperative radiation therapy for pituitary adenomas is usually reserved for extensive lesions or those that are incompletely resected. Nineteen patients who received external beam radiation as a salvage procedure after recurrence following surgery alone for pituitary adenomas were studied. At recurrence, nine patients underwent reexcision. All 19 patients underwent external beam irradiation for salvage. Within a median follow-up time of 11.8 years from the time of surgical failure, two patients have died of progressive adenoma, two are alive with disease progression, eight are alive without disease progression, and seven have died of intercurrent disease. The 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year overall actuarial (and progression-free) survival rates were 79% (90%), 62% (90%), 44% (80%), and 44% (53%), respectively. Dose of radiation, suprasellar extension at the time of surgical failure, and histologic findings had no bearing on prognosis. One patient developed a radiation-induced brain necrosis that was successfully resected. Radiation therapy can be an effective salvage modality for recurrent pituitary adenomas after surgical failure.