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Copyright of Journal of Medical Imaging & Radiation Sciences is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Brain metastases (BM) occur in about 30% of all patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). BM treatment guidelines recommend more frequent use of stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT). Overall, studies report no difference in overall survival (OS) comparing SRT to whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT). We examined survival after radiotherapy for BM in a population-based sample from the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority treated 2006-2018. We reviewed electronic medical records of 2140 NSCLC patients treated with SRT or WBRT for BM from 2006–2018. Overall survival (OS) was compared to predicted survival according to the prognostic systems DS-GPA and Lung-molGPA. Use of SRT increased during the period, from 19% (2006–2014) to 45% (2015–2018). Median OS for all patients was 3.0 months, increasing from 2.0 (2006) to 4.0 (2018). Median OS after SRT was 7.0 months (n = 435) and 3.0 months after WBRT (n = 1705). Twenty-seven percent of SRT patients and 50% of WBRT patients died within 90 days after start of RT. Age ≥70, male sex, KPS ≤70, non-adenocarcinoma histology, ECM present, multiple BM, and WBRT were associated with shorter survival (p <.001). Actual mOS corresponded best with predicted mOS by DS-GPA and Lung-molGPA for the SRT group. Overall survival after radiotherapy (RT) for BM improved during the study period, but only for patients treated with SRT. Survival after WBRT remains poor; its use should be questioned. DS-GPA and Lung-molGPA seem most useful in predicting prognosis considered for SRT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the patterns of loco-regional recurrences in head and neck cancer patients METHODS: Twenty-six out of 112 patients treated with primary or postoperative 3D CRT or IMRT for their primary and recurrent disease between 2007 and 2013 were included. The CT images of recurrent disease were rigidly registered with the primary CT images for each patient. To assess overlaps and overlap localization, the recurrence volume overlapping with the primary target volume was identified. For relapses occurring in the regional lymph nodes, the epicenter distance in recurrences and primary volumes and dose in recurrences were also identified. The recurrences were defined as in-field, marginal or out-of-field.Results: The majority of the failures occurred within 1 year after completed primary treatment. The dose differences in recurrence volume were not statistically significant when patients were treated with IMRT or 3D CRT. Recurrence in 15/26 of the included patients occurred in the regional lymph nodes located fully or partly inside the primary target volume or the elective lymph node region. The majority of recurrences were recognized as in-field, independent of the primary treatment.Conclusion: Recurrence in the majority of the patients occurred in the regional lymph nodes located in high dose area. The cause of recurrence may be due to inadequate total dose in the primary treatment and/or lack of optimal primary diagnosis leading to inadequate primary target delineation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To explore the relationship between radiotherapy (RT) dose levels in the arm/shoulder region and arm/shoulder morbidity in breast cancer patients. Material and methods. This study included 183 breast cancer patients who had received locoregional RT with or without chemotherapy and/or hormone treatment during the period 1998-2002. Individual RT dose level, reflected by dose-volume histograms (DVHs), for the shoulder joint and joining structures were obtained from archived CT-based RT plans. Individual median, mean and maximum arm/shoulder RT dose levels were extracted. Arm/shoulder morbidity was assessed 29-58 months after breast cancer treatment using the following clinical endpoints: arm pain, arm stiffness, swollen arm, use of arm, numbness, shoulder flexion and shoulder abduction difference, fibrosis and breast cancer-related lymphedema. The relationship between arm/shoulder RT dose level and these clinical endpoints was assessed by Spearman's correlation and multivariate logistic regression. Results. Ninety-one percent of the included patients had some degree of arm/shoulder morbidity. Neither mean nor maximum RT dose level was associated with clinical endpoints. However, significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between DVHs and arm stiffness, arm pain, use of arm and shoulder abduction difference, when arm/shoulder RT dose levels were approximately 15 Gy. Conclusions. Three-dimensional conformal locoregional RT for breast cancer results in long-term arm/shoulder morbidity. To minimize this risk, large shoulder volumes receiving RT doses of approximately 15 Gy should be reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]