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Background: Differences in radiation-induced lymphopenia and prognosis between methods of radiotherapy (RT) for brain metastases remain unclear. Methods: In this retrospective analysis of patients who underwent whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) or stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy (SRS/SRT) for brain metastases, baseline total lymphocyte count (TLC) data were obtained within 2 weeks before RT initiation. Follow-up TLC data were evaluated at 0–2, 2–4, and 4–8 weeks after RT completion. Persistent lymphopenia was defined as <800/μL at any time point. Results: Overall, 138 RT courses in 128 patients were eligible (94 WBRT; 44 SRS/SRT). In the WBRT courses, the median baseline TLC was 1325/μL (IQR: 923–1799). Follow-up TLC decreased significantly to 946/μL (626–1316), 992/μL (675–1291), and 1075/μL (762–1435) (p < 0.001). SRS/SRT courses showed no significant TLC decrease. Multivariate analysis revealed female sex, prior RT, baseline TLC < 800/μL, and WBRT use were significantly associated with persistent lymphopenia. In the WBRT group, overall survival was significantly different between those with and without persistent lymphopenia (median, 2.6 and 6.1 months; p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in survival in the SRS/SRT group (p = 0.60). Conclusion: This study suggests SRS/SRT might be preferable for lymphocyte preservation in brain metastasis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study was a retrospective investigation of a Japanese cohort of 205 metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients who received Ra-223 in 14 hospitals between July 2016 and August 2020 and for whom bone scintigraphy before and after the radium-223 treatment was available. Following treatment, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) decline (%ALP < 0%) was noted in 72.2% (148/205), automated bone scan index (aBSI) decline (%aBSI < 0%) in 52.7% (108/205), and PSA decline (%PSA < 0%) in 27.8% (57/205). Furthermore, a reduction in both aBSI and ALP was seen in 87 (42.4%), a reduction in only ALP was seen in 61 (29.8%), a reduction in only aBSI was seen in 21 (10.2%), and in both aBSI and ALP increasing/stable (≥0%) was seen in 36 (17.6%) patients. Multiparametric analysis showed changes in PSA (HR 4.30, 95% CI 2.32–8.77, p < 0.0001), aBSI (HR 2.22, 95%CI 1.43–3.59, p = 0.0003), and ALP (HR 2.06, 95%CI 1.35–3.14, p = 0.0008) as significant prognostic factors for OS. For mCRPC patients treated with Ra-223, aBSI change is useful as an imaging biomarker for treatment response assessment and survival prediction. To evaluate the usefulness of change in the automated bone scan index (aBSI) value derived from bone scintigraphy findings as an imaging biomarker for the assessment of treatment response and survival prediction in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients treated with Ra-223. This study was a retrospective investigation of a Japanese cohort of 205 mCRPC patients who received Ra-223 in 14 hospitals between July 2016 and August 2020 and for whom bone scintigraphy before and after radium-223 treatment was available. Correlations of aBSI change, with changes in the serum markers alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were evaluated. Additionally, the association of those changes with overall survival (OS) was assessed using the Cox proportional-hazards model and Kaplan–Meier curve results. Of the 205 patients enrolled, 165 (80.5%) completed six cycles of Ra-223. Following treatment, ALP decline (%ALP < 0%) was noted in 72.2% (148/205), aBSI decline (%aBSI < 0%) in 52.7% (108/205), and PSA decline (%PSA < 0%) in 27.8% (57/205). Furthermore, a reduction in both aBSI and ALP was seen in 87 (42.4%), a reduction in only ALP was seen in 61 (29.8%), a reduction in only aBSI was seen in 21 (10.2%), and in both aBSI and ALP increasing/stable (≥0%) was seen in 36 (17.6%) patients. Multiparametric analysis showed changes in PSA [hazard ratio (HR) 4.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.32–8.77, p < 0.0001], aBSI (HR 2.22, 95%CI 1.43–3.59, p = 0.0003), and ALP (HR 2.06, 95%CI 1.35–3.14, p = 0.0008) as significant prognostic factors for OS. For mCRPC patients treated with Ra-223, aBSI change is useful as an imaging biomarker for treatment response assessment and survival prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluoroscopy forms an essential part of endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) and hepaticogastrostomy with antegrade stenting (EUS-HGAS). To date, no study has assessed and compared radiation exposure between EUS-HGS and EUS-HGAS. This study aimed to compare the radiation exposure parameters between EUS-HGS and EUS-HGAS. This retrospective single-center cohort study included consecutive patients who underwent EUS-HGS or EUS-HGAS from October 2017 to March 2019. The air kerma (AK: mGy), kerma–area product (KAP: Gycm2), fluoroscopy time (FT: min), and procedure time (PT: min) were assessed and compared between the two procedures. Altogether, 45 and 24 patients underwent EUS-HGS and EUS-HGAS, respectively. The median AK, KAP, FT, and PT were higher in the EUS-HGAS group than in the EUS-HGS group. A comparison revealed no difference in the technical success rate, complications rate, adverse event occurrence rate, and re-intervention rate between both procedures. This is the first report in which radiation exposure was used as a comparative parameter between EUS-HGS and EUS-HGAS. This study revealed that radiation exposure is significantly higher in EUS-HGAS than in EUS-HGS. Increased awareness on radiation exposure is warranted among gastroenterologists so that they choose the procedure with lower radiation exposure in cases where both procedures are indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a treatment option for early-stage lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the optimal dose distribution and prognostic factors for local control (LC) in 100 patients with lung cancer who underwent SBRT. The 1- and 3-year LC rates were 95.7% and 87.7%, respectively. In summary, we found that squamous cell carcinoma (SQ), T2 tumor stage, and a lower radiotherapy dose were associated with poorer LC in lung cancer. The lower rate of LC in patients with SQ vs. non-SQ was limited to cases with a Dmax below 125 Gy (BED10). Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a treatment option for early-stage lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the optimal dose distribution and prognostic factors for local control (LC) after SBRT for lung cancer. A total of 104 lung tumors from 100 patients who underwent SBRT using various treatment regimens were analyzed. Dose distributions were corrected to the biologically effective dose (BED). Clinical and dosimetric factors were tested for association with LC after SBRT. The median follow-up time was 23.8 months (range, 3.4–109.8 months) after SBRT. The 1- and 3-year LC rates were 95.7% and 87.7%, respectively. In univariate and multivariate analyses, pathologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma (SQ), T2 tumor stage, and a Dmax < 125 Gy (BED10) were associated with worse LC. The LC rate was significantly lower in SQ than in non-SQ among tumors that received a Dmax < 125 Gy (BED10) (p = 0.016). However, there were no significant differences in LC rate between SQ and non-SQ among tumors receiving a Dmax ≥ 125 Gy (BED10) (p = 0.198). To conclude, SQ, T2 stage, and a Dmax < 125 Gy (BED10) were associated with poorer LC. LC may be improved by a higher Dmax of the planning target volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]