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Background: While clinical outcomes following induction chemotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) have been reported for borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC) patients, pathologic response has not previously been described., Methods: This single-institution retrospective review evaluated BRPC patients who completed induction gemcitabine-based chemotherapy followed by SBRT and surgical resection. Each surgical specimen was assigned two tumor regression grades (TRG), one using the College of American Pathologists (CAP) criteria and one using the MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) criteria. Overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were correlated to TRG score., Results: We evaluated 36 patients with a median follow-up of 13.8 months (range, 6.1-24.8 months). The most common induction chemotherapy regimen (82%) was GTX (gemcitabine, docetaxel, capecitabine). A median SBRT dose of 35 Gy (range, 30-40 Gy) in 5 fractions was delivered to the region of vascular involvement. The margin-negative resection rate was 97.2%. Improved response according to MDACC grade trended towards superior PFS (P=061), but not OS. Any neoadjuvant treatment effect according to MDACC scoring (IIa-IV vs. I) was associated with improved OS and PFS (both P=0.019). We found no relationship between CAP score and OS or PFS., Conclusions: These data suggest that the increased pathologic response after induction chemotherapy and SBRT is correlated with improved survival for BRPC patients.

Background: Elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios (PLR) may represent markers of a suboptimal host immune response to cancer and have been shown to correlate with prognosis in multiple tumor types across different treatment modalities, including radiation therapy. Limited data suggest that NLR may predict for survival and disease control in patients receiving selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT). The correlation between clinical outcomes and change in NLR and PLR after SIRT has not been evaluated., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 339 consecutive patients with primary (n=37) or metastatic (n=79) liver cancer treated with SIRT from 2006 to 2014. Complete blood counts with differential were available for 116 patients both before and after (median, 29 and 20 days, respectively) SIRT. Survival and progression were calculated from date of initial SIRT. Patient and tumor characteristics evaluated for ability to predict overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) included pre- and post-treatment neutrophil, platelet, and lymphocyte counts (LCs), as well as NLR, PLR, and relative change in NLR and PLR. Cutoff values were determined for variables that were significant on multivariate analysis (MVA) for OS and/or PFS., Results: Median follow-up of surviving patients was 12 months. Median OS was 8 months from SIRT and 20 months from date of liver metastasis diagnosis. Significant factors on univariate analysis (UVA) for both lower OS and PFS included higher post-treatment neutrophil count (NC), higher post-treatment NLR, higher liver tumor volume, higher percentage liver tumor burden, and worse Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status. Significant factors on MVA for lower OS and PFS were ECOG performance status ≥2, higher liver tumor volume, higher pretreatment PLR, and increase in PLR after SIRT. Post-treatment increase in PLR >3-fold was the most predictive early marker for increased risk of death when compared with those whose PLR did not increase or increased <3-fold. Pretreatment PLR >78 was the most predictive serum marker associated with improved OS prior to therapy., Conclusions: This is the largest study to evaluate the association between NLR and PLR with clinical outcomes in patients receiving SIRT, with results that confirm that pre- and/or post-treatment NLR and/or PLR are predictive of clinical outcomes. The largest increase in risk of death as well as local and extrahepatic disease progression was related to change in PLR, a datum not well reported in the literature. The impact of SIRT on blood count changes and the underlying implications of these ratios should be further characterized in a prospective study.

Molecular imaging techniques are increasingly being used in addition to standard imaging methods such as endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and computed tomography (CT) for many cancers including those of the esophagus. In this review, we will discuss the utility of the most widely used molecular imaging technique, (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). (18)F-FDG PET has a variety of potential applications ranging from improving staging accuracy at the time of initial diagnosis to assisting in radiation target volume delineation. Furthermore, (18)F-FDG PET can be used to evaluate treatment response after completion of neoadjuvant therapy or potentially during neoadjuvant therapy. Finally, we will also discuss other novel molecular imaging techniques that have potential to further improve cancer care.

The role of adjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) for pancreas cancer remains unclear. A handful of randomized trials conducted decades of ago ignited a debate that continues today about whether CRT improves survival after surgery. The many flaws in these trials are well described in the literature, which include the use of antiquated radiation delivery techniques and suboptimal doses. Recent prospective randomized data is lacking, and we eagerly await the results the ongoing Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 0848 trial that is evaluating the utility of high quality adjuvant CRT in resected pancreas cancer patients. Until the results of RTOG 0848 are available we should look to other studies from the modern era to guide adjuvant treatment recommendations. Here we review the current state of the art for adjuvant pancreas CRT with respect to patient selection, radiation techniques, radiation dose, and integration with novel systemic agents.