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Purpose: The goal of this study was to assess the potential real-world effect of the recently reported SC.24 trial on spine stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) utilization. We estimated the proportion of patients treated with conventional radiation therapy (CRT) who would have been eligible for spine SBRT per trial inclusion criteria and analyzed the potential estimated increased costs to our institution. Methods and Materials: This was a retrospective review of patients who received spine CRT at our institution between August and October 2020. Data abstracted included demographics, SC.24 eligibility criteria, provider-reported pain response, and survival. A cost analysis and time survey was performed using institutional and provincial data. Results: Of 73 patients reviewed, 24 patients (33%) were eligible. The most common exclusion factors included irradiation of ≥3 consecutive spinal segments (n = 32, 44%), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status >2 (n = 17, 23%), and symptomatic spinal cord compression (n = 13, 18%). Of eligible patients, the mean age was 68.92 years, median spinal instability in neoplasia score was 8 (interquartile range, 7-9), and median Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 2 (interquartile range, 1-2). The most common primary cancer types among eligible patients were lung (n = 10) and breast (n = 4). The median survival of eligible patients was 10 months (95% confidence interval, 4 months to not reached) with 58% surviving longer than 3 months. Of patients who had subjective pain documented after CRT, 54% had at least some response. The cost of spine SBRT was estimated at CA$4764.80 compared with $3589.10 for CRT, and tasks for spine SBRT took roughly 3 times as long as those for CRT. Conclusions: One-third of patients who received palliative spine CRT met eligibility criteria for SC.24. This possible expanded indication for spine SBRT can have a substantial effect on resource utilization. These data may be useful in guiding resource planning at institutions looking to commence a spine SBRT program.

Purpose: With the integration of immunotherapy (IO) agents in the management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), there has been interest in the combined use with radiation therapy (RT). However, real world data are limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes in patients with mRCC receiving both RT and IO compared with IO alone. Methods and Materials: Data were collected from Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System from January 2011 to September 2019 across 14 academic centers. Patients with mRCC who received IO as first- or second-line therapy were included. RT was categorized as radical dose or palliative dose. Kaplan-Meier estimates were reported for overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure. Cox proportional hazard models were used adjusted for age and International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium risk categories. Results: In total, 505 patients were included in the study: 179 received RT + IO and 326 received IO alone. Two-year OS for the RT + IO group was 55.0% compared with 66.4% in the IO alone cohort (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.38; P = .07). At 2 years, 12.2% of the RT + IO patients remained on therapy versus 30.9% in the IO alone group (aHR, 1.30; P = .02). For patients receiving first-line therapy, 2-year OS in the RT + IO group was 56.4% versus 78.4% in the IO alone arm, though this difference was not statistically significant (aHR, 1.23; P = .56). For patients receiving radical dose and palliative dose, 2-year OS was 57.0% and 53.9%, respectively (aHR, 0.86; P = .63). Conclusions: In this descriptive analysis, more than one-third of patients with mRCC received RT and demonstrated inferior outcomes compared with IO alone. Potential explanations include greater presence of adverse metastatic sites in those receiving RT. Prospective clinical trials evaluating potential benefits of RT in an IO era remain an important need.