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Objective: The colorectal cancer (CRC) might present loco-regional recurrence, including lymph-node metastasis. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a non-invasive and well-tolerated ablative treatment. Aim of the present study is to evaluate efficacy and toxicity of SBRT with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in this setting., Methods: 35 patients presenting a total of 47 nodal recurrences from CRC, treated with VMAT-SBRT from 2008 to 2015, were selected. About three fourth of the treatments delivered 45 Gy in 6 daily fractions. End-points were the detection of toxicities, overall survival (OS), local control (LC), disease progression free incidence (DPFI) and disease free survival (DFS). Tumour response was assessed according to the RECIST criteria., Results: Only Grade 1 and 2 toxicities were recorded. Median follow-up was 15 months (range 2-68). Local relapse was reported in 6 patients, regional relapse in 10 patients. Complete remission was reported in 20 cases (53%), partial remission in 14 (37%). Rates of LC at 1, 2 and 3 years were 85.3, 75.0 and 75.0%, respectively. At 1 year the actuarial OS was 100%, at 2 and 3 years was 81.4%. Median DFS was estimated in 16 months, with an incidence of 69.4, 33.3 and 19.4% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively., Conclusion: The use of the VMAT-SBRT in lymph-node recurrence of CRC could prevent severe complications and achieve satisfying rates of disease control. Advances in knowledge: The use of VMAT-SBRT is a viable approach for lymph-node recurrence of CRC.

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with limited brain metastases (BMs) treated with local approaches omitting whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT)., Methods: Surgery was performed in case of a single, large BM, controlled extracranial disease and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) 90-100; stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) or hypofractionated stereotactic radiosurgery (HSRS) was performed in all other cases. The prescribed dose was 24 Gy/1 fraction for lesions <2.5 cm, and a median of 30 Gy (24-40 Gy) in 3-5 fractions for lesions >2.5 cm., Results: 156 patients treated for 228 BMs were retrospectively evaluated. The median age was 62 years. The majority of patients had a KPS 90-100, recursive partitioning analysis Class II, diagnosis-specific graded prognostic assessment score 2.5-3 and 1-2 BMs. Surgical resection was performed in 18 cases, and SRS/HSRS was performed in 210 cases. The 1-2-year local control was 87.2 ± 3.0% and 72.8 ± 5.0%; the 1.2-year brain distant failure was 30.8 ± 4.0% and 58.1 ± 6.0%; the 1-2-year overall survival was 60.9 ± 3.9% and 31.4 ± 4.0%. On univariate and multivariate analysis, the following factors influenced survival: age (p = 0.01), the presence of lymph node involvement (p = 0.03), KPS (p << 0.01), the presence of extracranial metastases at the time of BM treatment (p < 0.01), the number of BMs (p = 0.02) and the treatment performed (p < 0.01)., Conclusion: The choice of an adequate local treatment can impact on survival in patients with limited BMs from NSCLC. A careful evaluation of prognostic and predictive factors is a pivotal additional aid. Advances in knowledge: Radiosurgery or surgery followed by radiosurgery on the tumour bed in place of WBRT proved to be an effective treatment influencing outcome. Surgical resection followed by SRS on the tumour bed has to be considered for lesions ≥15 mm, in patients with good KPS, age ≤70 years, adenocarcinoma histology and oligometastatic disease.