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Purpose: Black men in the United States experience significantly higher incidence of and mortality from prostate cancer (PCa) than non-Black men. The cause of this disparity is multifactorial, though inequitable access to curative radiation modalities, including low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy, may contribute. Despite this, there are few analyses evaluating the potential of different radiation therapies to mitigate outcome disparities. Therefore, we examined the clinical outcomes of Black and non-Black patients treated with definitive LDR brachytherapy for PCa., Methods: Data were collected for all patients treated with definitive LDR brachytherapy between 2005 and 2018 on a retrospective institutional review board approved protocol. Pearson χ 2 analysis was used to assess demographic and cancer differences between Black and non-Black cohorts. Freedom from biochemical failure (FFBF) was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify factors predictive of biochemical failure., Results: One hundred and sixty-seven patients were included in the analysis (Black: n = 81; 48.5%) with a median follow-up of 88.4 months. Black patients were from lower income communities (P < .01), had greater social vulnerability (P < .01), and had a longer interval between diagnosis and treatment (P = .011). Overall cumulative FFBF was 92.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 87.8%-96.8%) at 5 years and 87.7% (95% CI, 82.0%-93.4%) at 7 years. There was no significant difference in FFBF in Black and non-Black patients (P = .114) and Black race was not independently predictive of failure (hazard ratio, 1.51; 95% CI, 0.56-4.01; P = .42). Overall survival was comparable between racial groups (P = .972). Only nadir prostate-specific antigen was significantly associated with biochemical failure on multivariate (hazard ratio, 3.57; 95% CI, 02.44-5.22; P < .001)., Conclusions: Black men treated with LDR brachytherapy achieved similar FFBF to their non-Black counterparts despite poorer socioeconomic status. This suggests that PCa treatment with brachytherapy may eliminate some disparities in clinical outcomes., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) have both shown acceptable outcomes in the treatment of low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer. Minimal data have been published directly comparing rates of biochemical control and toxicity with these 2 modalities. We hypothesize that LDR and SBRT will provide similar rates of biochemical control., Methods and Materials: All low- and intermediate-risk patients with prostate cancer treated definitively with SBRT or LDR between 2010 and 2018 were captured. Phoenix definition was used for biochemical failure. Independent t tests were used to compare baseline characteristics, and repeated measure analysis of variance test was used to compare American Urologic Association (AUA) and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) scores between treatment arms over time. Biochemical control was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences in acute and late toxicity were assessed via Pearson χ 2 ., Results: In the study, 219 and 118 patients were treated with LDR and SBRT. Median follow-up was 4.3 years (interquartile range, 3.1-6.1). All patients treated with LDR received 125.0 Gy in a single fraction. SBRT consisted of 42.5 Gy in 5 fractions. Five-year biochemical control for LDR versus SBRT was 91.6% versus 97.6% (P = .108). LDR patients had a larger increase in mean AUA scores at 1 month (17.2 vs 10.3, P < .001) and 3 months posttreatment (14.0 vs 9.7, P < .001), and in mean EPIC scores at 1 month (15.7 vs 13.8, P < .001). There was no significant difference between LDR and SBRT in late grade 3 genitourinary toxicity (0.9% vs 2.5%, P = .238); however, LDR had lower rates of late grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicity (0.0% vs 2.5%, P = .018)., Conclusions: Our data show similar biochemical control and genitourinary toxicity rates at 5 years for both SBRT and LDR, with slightly higher gastrointestinal toxicity with SBRT and higher AUA and EPIC scores with LDR., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) with balloon and strut adjusted volume implants (SAVI) show promising results with excellent tumor control and minimal toxicity. Knowing the factors that contribute to a high skin dose, rib dose, and D95 coverage may reduce toxicity, improve tumor control, and help properly predict patient outcomes following APBI., Methods and Materials: A retrospective analysis of 594 patients treated with brachytherapy based APBI at a single institution from May 2008 to September 2014 was grouped by applicator subtype. Patients were treated to a total of 34 Gy (3.4 Gy x 10 fractions over 5 days delivered BID) targeting a planning target volume (PTV) 1.0 cm beyond the lumpectomy cavity using a high dose rate source., Results: SAVI devices had the lowest statistically significant values of DmaxSkin (81.00 ± 29.83), highest values of D90 (101.50 ± 3.66), and D95 (96.09 ± 4.55). SAVI-mini devices had the lowest statistically significant values of DmaxRib (77.66 ± 32.92) and smallest V150 (18.01 ± 3.39). Multi-lumen balloons were able to obtain the smallest V200 (5.89 ± 2.21). Strut-based applicators were more likely to achieve a DmaxSkin and a DmaxRib less than or equal to 100 %. The effect of PTV on V150 showed a strong positive relationship (p < .001). PTV and DmaxSkin showed a weak negative relationship in multi-lumen applicators (p = .016) and SAVI-mini devices (p < .001). PTV and DmaxRib showed a weak negative relationship in multi-lumen applicators (p = .009), SAVI devices (p < .001), and SAVI-mini devices (p < .001)., Conclusion: PTV volume is strongly correlated with V150 in all devices and V200 in strut based devices. Larger PTV volumes result in greater V150 and V200, which could help predict potential risks for hotspots and resulting toxicities in these devices. PTV volume is also weakly negatively correlated with max skin dose and max rib dose, meaning that as the PTV volumes increase one can expect slightly smaller max skin and rib doses. Strut based applicators are significantly more effective in keeping skin and rib dose constraints under 125 and 100 % when compared to any balloon based applicator.

Purpose: Non-melanoma skin cancers of the face are at high-risk for local recurrence and metastatic spread. While surgical interventions such as Mohs microsurgery are considered the standard of care, this modality has the potential for high rates of toxicity in sensitive areas of the face. Catheter flap high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy has shown promising results, with high rates of local control and acceptable cosmetic outcomes. Material and methods: Patients with non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) located on the face were treated with 40 Gy in 8 fractions, given twice weekly via catheter flap HDR brachytherapy. Clinical target volume (CTV) included the visible tumor plus a margin of 5 mm in all directions, with no additional planning target volume (PTV) margin. Results: Fifty patients with 53 lesions on the face were included, with a median follow-up of 15 months. All were considered high-risk based on NCCN guidelines. Median tumor size and thickness were 18 mm and 5 mm, respectively. Median PTV volume and D90 were 1.7 cc and 92%, respectively. Estimated rate of local control at twelve months was 92%. Three patients (5%) experienced acute grade 2 toxicity. Two patients (4%) continued to suffer from chronic grade 1 skin toxicity at 12 months post-radiotherapy (RT), with an additional two patients (4%) experiencing chronic grade 2 skin toxicity. Forty-nine lesions (92%) were found to have a good or excellent cosmetic outcome with complete tumor remission. Conclusions: CT-based flap applicator brachytherapy is a valid treatment option for patients with NMSC of the face. This modality offers high rates of local control with acceptable cosmetic outcomes and low rates of toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]