This study aimed to determine whether the combined use of bevacizumab could improve overall survival (OS) in patients with brain metastasis (BM), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing cerebral radiotherapy. A total of 237 patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma and BM met the inclusion criteria for this retrospective study, including 102 patients in the bevacizumab treatment group and 135 in the non-bevacizumab group. The Kaplan–Meier method was used for survival analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify EGFR-mutated BM prognostic factors for these patients. At the end of the last follow-up period, 176 patients (74.3

BACKGROUND:Thoracic SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated tumor (SMARCA4-UT) is a newly defined type of epithelial tumor in the 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) fifth edition classification of thoracic tumors, with a low incidence. Currently, its treatment and prognosis remain unclear. Pathologically, it can be distinguished from SMARCA4-deficient non-small cell lung cancer (SMARCA4-dNSCLC) based on histological morphology and immunohistochemistry, yet whether there are differences in their clinical features, sensitivity to radiotherapy, and prognosis remains unknown. This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with SMARCA4-UT and SMARCA4-dNSCLC and to identify prognostic factors. METHODS:A retrospective analysis was performed on pathologically confirmed SMARCA4-UT and SMARCA4-dNSCLC patients with complete follow-up data who were admitted to Shandong First Medical University Affiliated Tumor Hospital from June 2022 to February 2025. The differences in clinicopathological characteristics and imaging findings between the two groups were statistically analyzed, and the impacts of surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and clinicopathological factors on the prognosis of patients in both groups were assessed. RESULTS:A total of 27 SMARCA4-UT patients and 40 SMARCA4-dNSCLC patients were enrolled. Both groups showed similar biological characteristics in terms of gender, age, smoking history, tumor size, symptoms, stage, presence of pleural metastasis, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII). However, there were differences in the predilection sites: SMARCA4-UT occurred more frequently in the mediastinal pleura (22.22%) and right lower lobe (25.93%), while SMARCA4-dNSCLC occurred more frequently in the right upper lobe (25.00%) and left upper lobe (22.50%) (P<0.05). Furthermore, SMARCA4-UT more often presented with local invasion into adjacent structures and more extensive lymph node metastasis (proportion with metastasis in ≥5 lymph node stations: 55.56% vs 27.50%). Both types showed high sensitivity to radiotherapy, with a 6-month local control rate (LCR) of 84.62% vs 83.33% after radiotherapy; the objective response rate (ORR) of immunotherapy was 91.67% vs 68.18% (P>0.05). Regarding survival, the two groups did not show significant differences in progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS). Cox multivariate regression analysis indicated that surgery could improve the prognosis of both types, while a high NLR (≥3.57) was a predictor of poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS:SMARCA4-UT and SMARCA4-dNSCLC share similar clinical characteristics and survival outcomes, with minor differences in local invasion, mediastinal lymph node metastasis, and primary tumor location. Surgery improved survival in both groups. Although both tumor types exhibited high sensitivity to radiotherapy, this did not translate into a significant survival benefit for the patients. Pretreatment NLR is a potential prognostic indicator.

Objective:Although preoperative prediction of axillary lymph nodes status has been achieved using radiomics and combined models, there is a dearth of research on internal mammary lymph node (IMN) metastasis status prediction. We developed a predictive model by combining clinicopathological factors with preoperative dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) radiomics to accurately predict IMN metastasis in breast cancer. Methods:Patients who had no evidence of IMN metastasis on preoperative images but underwent internal mammary sentinel lymph node biopsy (IM-SLNB) were included in this study. Preoperative DCE-MRI and clinicopathological data of 124 patients with breast cancer were obtained, to developed Clinical, radiomics, and clinical-radiomics models, separately. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was employed to assess the models' clinical applicability. Results:The resulting area under the curves (AUCs) were 0.913, 0.831, 0.964 for the clinical model, the radiomics model, and the clinical-radiomics model, respectively. The Delong test revealed significant differences in the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves only between the clinical and clinical-radiomics models (all P<0.05). DCA substantiated the clinical-radiomics model's optimal predictive efficiency, enhanced discriminatory ability, and maximum benefit. The AUC (95% confidence interval: 0.935-0.993) of the clinical-radiomics model is 0.964. Repeated k-fold cross validation showed that average accuracy and Standard deviation of clinical-radiomics model are 90.23% and 8.45%, respectively. And the calibration slope of clinical-radiomics model is 1.08(p=0.071). Conclusions:Although the clinical model was effective in predicting IMN status, the addition of DCE-MRI radiomics significantly improved the predictive value of the clinical-radiomics model, which showed excellent discrimination, calibration, and stability. This suggests that the clinic-radiomics model has potential for preoperative assessment of IMN metastasis risk in breast cancer patients, but external validation is needed to confirm its clinical utility. IMN irradiation is recommended for early patients with high IMN metastasis risk, and overtreatment should be avoided for patients with low metastasis risk.

We evaluated the efficacy of intervention timing of craniocerebral radiotherapy (RT) combined with third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) on prognosis of patients with EGFR mutant lung adenocarcinoma complicated with brain metastasis. In total, 348 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR mutations were enrolled in this retrospective study between March 2008 and September 2023. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to adjust for demographic and clinical variables and compare survival between the EGFR-TKI plus craniocerebral RT group and the EGFR-TKI only group. Patients were categorized into upfront and delayed groups based on the timing of craniocerebral RT. Lung molGPA, overall survival (OS), and intracranial progression-free survival (iPFS) were calculated. Kaplan–Meier analysis compared iPFS and OS across groups. The 348 patients enrolled who used the third generation of EGFR-TKIs during the treatment. The median OS was 61.2 months, while the median iPFS was 15.0 months before PSM. After PSM, the median OS of EGFR-TKIs + craniocerebral radiotherapy group and EGFR-TKI alone group was 67.7 months and 48.4 months respectively (p = 0.0155). Of 206 patients who underwent craniocerebral RT, were enrolled subsequently and divided into upfront-group and delay-group showed that the median OS was 72.0 and 67.7 months respectively (p = 0.2841). For group A, the median OS of upfront-group and delay-group was 27.9 and 45.3 months, respectively (p = 0.0124). For patients in group B, there was significant difference in OS between the two groups (p = 0.0478). The median OS of the two groups was 97.7 and 70.5 months, respectively. Combining third-generation EGFR-TKIs with craniocerebral RT confers enhanced survival benefits for patients with craniocerebral metastases of EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma. Upfront craniocerebral RT is recommended for patients with high lung-molGPA scores to improve both iPFS and OS.

Background and purposeTo investigate the dynamic changes in cardiac enzymes, high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT), pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) during radiotherapy (RT) and 6 months after RT for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the middle and lower locations and to analyse the correlations between these indicators and cardiac radiation dosimetry parameters.MethodsFor 35 patients with ESCC in the middle and lower locations receiving radical concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT), intensity-modulated RT was performed at 1.8 Gy or 2.0 Gy per day, and the totle dose was 50.4 Gy or 60 Gy. Serum creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alpha-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (α-HBDH), hs-TnT, pro-BNP and LVEF were measured before, during, and at the end of RT and 1, 3 and 6 months after RT, and correlations of these indicators with mean heart dose (MHD) and heart V5-V50 were analysed.Resultshs-TnT during, at the end and 6 months after RT for oesophageal cancer showed increasing trends, however, LVEF showed a downward trend. pro-BNP showed an increasing trend during RT and gradually returned to normal after RT. CK and CK-MB showed decreasing trends during RT and continued until one month after RT and then gradually returned to normal. Compared with the low-dose group (MHD < 2000 cGy), the high-dose group (MHD ≥ 2000 cGy) had larger increases in hs-TnT and pro-BNP, a more significant decrease in LVEF, and a longer recovery time for these indicators. MHD and V35 were positively correlated with dynamic changes in hs-TnT.ConclusionsCardiac injury caused by cCRT for ESCC in the middle and lower locations led to increased hs-TnT and pro-BNP levels and a decrease in LVEF in the early stage of treatment, effects that were more pronounced in the high-dose group. MHD and V35 may be potential indicators to predict the degree of cardiac damage. hs-TnT and pro-BNP are sensitive indicators reflecting cardiac injury in RT for oesophageal cancer. Continuous dynamic monitoring of these markers can provide a reference for cardiac protection in clinical RT.

Background and Purpose Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung cancers are associated with a high risk of developing brain metastases (BM). Craniocerebral radiotherapy is a cornerstone for the treatment of BM, and EGFR-TKIs act on craniocerebral metastases”. However, whether EGFR-TKIs combined with craniocerebral radiotherapy can further increase the efficacy and improve the prognosis of patients is unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the difference in efficacy between targeted-therapy alone and targeted-therapy combined with radiotherapy in EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma patients with BM. Materials and Methods A total of 291 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and EGFR mutations were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted using a nearest-neighbor algorithm (1:1) to adjust for demographic and clinical covariates. Patients were divided into two groups: EGFR-TKIs alone and EGFR-TKIs combined with craniocerebral radiotherapy. Intracranial progression-free survival (iPFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to compare iPFS and OS between the two groups. Brain radiotherapy included WBRT, local radiotherapy, and WBRT+Boost. Results The median age at diagnosis was 54 years (range: 28–81 years). Most patients were female (55.9%) and non-smokers (75.5%). Fifty-one pairs of patients were matched using PSM. The median iPFS for EGFR-TKIs alone (n=37) and EGFR-TKIs+craniocerebral radiotherapy (n=24) was 8.9 and 14.7 months, respectively. The median OS for EGFR-TKIs alone (n=52) and EGFR-TKIs+craniocerebral radiotherapy (n=52) was 32.1 and 45.3 months, respectively. Conclusion In EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma patients with BM, targeted therapy combined with craniocerebral radiotherapy is an optimal treatment.

Magnetic resonance-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) not only offers real time magnetic resonance (MR) imags with high-resolution and good soft tissue contrast to guide the delineation of the target volume during simulation and daily radiotherapy, but also reveals the position and shape changes of the target volumes and organs at risk (OAR) during treatment dynamically, which provides the evidence for the individual-adptive planning revision. Thus, MRgRT has the potential to dramatically impact cancer research and treatment. And this treatment mode is theoretically more suitable for the disease with obvious tissue deformation, such as breast. In this review, application of MR scanner with a linear accelerator (MR-linac) in radiotherapy workflows for breast cancer patients was summarized, and its implications and opportunities on breast cancer irradiation were highlighted.

BACKGROUND:This study investigated the differences in target volumes between preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRIpre) and postoperative MRI (MRIpost) for breast radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) using deformable image registration (DIR). METHODS AND MATERIALS:Seventeen eligible patients who underwent whole-breast irradiation in the prone position after BCS were enrolled. On MRIpre, the gross tumor volume (GTV) was delineated as GTVpre, which was then expanded by 10 mm to represent the preoperative lumpectomy cavity (LC), denoted as LCpre. The LC was expanded to the clinical target volume (CTV) and planning target volume (PTV) on the MRIpre and MRIpost, denoted as CTVpre, CTVpost, PTVpre, and PTVpost, respectively. The MIM software system was used to register the MRIpre and MRIpost using DIR. Differences were evaluated regarding target volume, distance between the centers of mass (dCOM), conformity index (CI), and degree of inclusion (DI). The relationship between CILC /CIPTV and the clinical factors was also assessed. RESULTS:Significant differences were observed in LC and PTV volumes between MRIpre and MRIpost (p < 0.0001). LCpre was 0.85 cm3 larger than LCpost, while PTVpre was 29.38 cm3 smaller than PTVpost. The dCOM between LCpre and LCpost was 1.371 cm, while that between PTVpre and PTVpost reduced to 1.348 cm. There were statistically significant increases in CI and DI for LCpost-LCpre and PTVpost-PTVpre (CI = 0.221, 0.470; DI = 0.472, 0.635). No obvious linear correlations (p > 0.05) were found between CI and GTV, primary tumor volume-to-breast volume ratio, distance from the primary tumor to the nipple and chest wall, and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS:Despite using DIR technology, the spatial correspondence of target volumes between MRIpre and MRIpost was suboptimal. Therefore, relying solely on preoperative diagnostic MRI with DIR for postoperative LC delineation is not recommended.

IntroductionTo confirm the efficacy of magnetic resonance-diffusion weighted imaging (MR-DWI) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) early pathological response prediction and assessment to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) using patient-derived xenografts (PDXs)MethodsPDX-bearing mice were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group receiving cisplatin combined with radiotherapy, whereas the control group receiving normal saline. MRI scans were performed in treatment groups in the before, middle, and end of treatment. The correlations between tumor volumes, ADC values and tumor pathological response at different time nodes were explored. Then, expression of proliferation marker and apoptotic marker were detected using immunohistochemistry, and apoptosis rate was detected by TUNEL assay to further verify the results observed in the PDX models.ResultsThe ADC values of the experimental group were significantly higher than the control group in the both middle and end stage of treatment (all P< 0.001), however, significant difference was only observed in tumor volume at the end stage of treatment (P< 0.001). Furthermore, the △ADCmid-pre in our study may able to identify tumors with or without pCR to nCRT at an early stage, due to these changes were prior to the changes of tumor volume after treatment. Finally, TUNEL results also showed that the apoptosis rate of the experiment groups increased the most in the middle stage of treatment, especially the groups with pCR, but the highest apoptosis rate occurred in the end of the treatment. Further, the two PDX models with pCR exhibited the highest levels of apoptotic marker (Bax), and lowest levels of proliferation marker (PCNA and Ki-67) in the both middle and end stage of the treatment.ConclusionsADC values could be used to determine the tumor’s response to nCRT, especially in the middle stages of treatment and before the tumor tissue morphology changes, and further, the ADC values were consistent with the potential biomarkers reflecting histopathological changes. Therefore, we suggest that radiation oncologists could refer to the ADC values in the middle stages of treatment when predicting the tumor histopathological response to n CRT in patients with ESCC.

Background and Purpose:This study aimed to investigate inter-/intra-observer delineation variability in GTVs of primary esophageal carcinomas (ECs) based on planning CT with reference to different combinations of diagnostic multimodal images from endoscopy/EUS, esophagography and FDG-PET/CT.Materials and Methods:Fifty patients with pathologically proven thoracic EC who underwent diagnostic multimodal images before concurrent chemoradiotherapy were enrolled. Five radiation oncologist independently delineated the GTVs based on planning CT only (GTVC), CT combined with endoscopy/EUS (GTVCE), CT combined with endoscopy/EUS and esophagography (X-ray) (GTVCEX), and CT combined with endoscopy/EUS, esophagography, and FDG-PET/CT (GTVCEXP). The intra-/inter-observer variability in the volume, longitudinal length, generalized CI (CIgen), and position of the GTVs were assessed.Results:The intra-/inter-observer variability in the volume and longitudinal length of the GTVs showed no significant differences (p>0.05). The mean intra-observer CIgen values for all observers was 0.73 ± 0.15. The mean inter-observer CIgen values for the four multimodal image combinations was 0.67 ± 0.11. The inter-observer CIgen for the four combined images was the largest, showing significant differences with those for the other three combinations. The intra-observer CIgen among different observers and inter-observer CIgen among different combinations of multimodal images showed significant differences (p<0.001). The intra-observer CIgen for the senior radiotherapists was larger than that for the junior radiotherapists (p<0.001).Conclusion:For radiation oncologists with advanced medical imaging training and clinical experience, using diagnostic multimodal images from endoscopy/EUS, esophagography, and FDG-PET/CT could reduce the intra-/inter-observer variability and increase the accuracy of target delineation in primary esophageal carcinomas.

Background and Purpose The low rate of internal mammary node (IMN) recurrence was attributed to systemic therapy and internal mammary chain (IMC) coverage by the tangential fields of irradiation. This study aimed to evaluate the incidental irradiation dose to the IMC in breast cancer patients after surgery and to estimate the clinical predictive parameters affecting the magnitude of the IMC. Materials and Methods A total of 138 patients treated with postmastectomy radiotherapy and 210 patients undergoing radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The mean dose (Dmean) to the IMC and the first to third intercostal spaces of IMC levels (ICS1–3) were evaluated. We evaluated the IMC coverage according to the type of surgery and whether the ipsilateral supraclavicular fossa (SCF) was included in the irradiation field. Results The incidental radiation dose to the IMC was 29.69 Gy, and the dose delivered to the IMC, ICS1, and ICS2 showed a greater coverage in the modified radical mastectomy (MRM) group when compared with the BCS group (32.85 vs. 27.1 Gy, 26.6 vs. 12.5 Gy, 34.63 vs. 30.42 Gy). The dose delivered to ICS3 showed no difference between the MRM and BCS groups (37.41 vs. 36.24 Gy). Furthermore, 131 patients (37.64%) received radiotherapy to the chest wall and ipsilateral SCF. In the univariate analysis, both surgery type and SCF irradiation were parameters affecting the Dmean of incidental radiation to the IMC ( r = −0.179, P = 0.001; r = −0.175, P = 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, surgery type was the only correlative factor that affected incidental radiation dose to the IMC ( r = –3.534, P = 0.000). Conclusion The real influencing factor of incidental dose to the IMC was the surgery form rather than the accession of SCF irradiation.

Internal mammary lymph node (IMLN) metastasis forms part of the clinical node classification for primary breast cancer, which influences the treatment strategy. However, because of the IMLNs' complicated anatomical structures and relationships with adjacent structures, IMLN biopsy or resection is associated with a limited improvement in prognosis and a high complication rate. The positivity rate also varies broadly according to imaging modality, and there is a low rate of agreement between the imaging and pathological diagnoses, which creates imprecision in the preoperative staging. The IMLN positivity rate also varies remarkably, and there are no clear, accurate, and non-invasive modalities for diagnosing the pre-mastectomy IMLN status. Nevertheless, medical imaging modalities continue to evolve, with functional imaging and image-guided thoracoscopic biopsy of sentinel IMLNs being well established. Thus, personalized decision-making and treatment selection should be based on the modality-specific differences in the diagnosis of IMLN metastasis/recurrence and the patient's specific risk factors.

Background and Purpose This study aimed to systematically evaluate the influence of target-related and clinical factors on volume differences and the similarity of targets derived from four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images in lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Materials and Methods 4DCT and CBCT image data of 210 tumors from 195 patients were analyzed. The internal gross target volume (IGTV) derived from the maximum intensity projection (MIP) of 4DCT (IGTV-MIP) and the IGTV from CBCT (IGTV-CBCT) were compared with the reference IGTV from 10 phases of 4DCT (IGTV-10). The target size, tumor motion, and the similarity between IGTVs were measured. The influence of target-related and clinical factors on the adequacy of IGTVs derived from 4DCT MIP and CBCT images was evaluated. Results The mean tumor motion amplitude in the 3D direction was 6.5 ± 5 mm. The mean size ratio of IGTV-CBCT and IGTV-MIP compared to IGTV-10 in all patients was 0.71 ± 0.21 and 0.8 ± 0.14, respectively. Female sex, greater BSA, and larger target size were protective factors, while the Karnofsky Performance Status, body mass index, and motion were risk factors for the similarity between IGTV-MIP and IGTV-10. Older age and larger target size were protective factors, while adhesion to the heart, coexistence with cardiopathy, and tumor motion were risk factors for the similarity between IGTV-CBCT and IGTV-10. Conclusion Clinical factors should be considered when using MIP images for defining ITV, and when using CBCT images for verifying treatment targets.

目的 评估乳腺癌术后放疗患者内乳淋巴引流区(IMC)非计划性照射剂量,明确乳腺癌手术方式对IMC非计划性受照剂量的影响.方法 回顾性分析2012-01-12-2017-01-26山东省肿瘤防治研究院210例保留乳房术(BCS)后及138例改良根治术(MRM)后接受乳腺(胸壁)±锁骨上淋巴引流区(SCF)放疗的患者,其中131例行患侧乳腺(胸壁)+SCF照射,217例仅行患侧乳腺(胸壁)照射,所有患者原治疗计划中均未接受IMC照射.依据肿瘤放射治疗协作组(RTOG)标准勾画患侧IMC,依据手术方式不同分为BCS及MRM组,比较2组患者间IMC非计划性受照剂量、第1～3肋间IMC受照剂量的差异性.结果 IMC非计划性受照剂量中位数为29.69 Gy,MRM组患者IMC及第1、2肋间IMC非计划性受照剂量高于BCS组(32.85 vs 27.10 Gy,Z=-3.327,P=0.001;26.60 vs 12.50 Gy,Z=-6.922,P<0.001;34.63 vs 30.42 Gy,Z=-2.777,P=0.005),而第3肋间2组差异无统计学意义(37.41 vs 36.24 Gy,Z=-1.103,P=0.270).131例接受侧乳腺(胸壁)+SCF放疗患者IMC(32.87 vs 27.19 Gy)、第1(26.8 vs 13.09 Gy)和2(34.65 vs 30.46 Gy)肋间内乳区非计划性受照剂量高于单纯患侧乳腺(胸壁)放疗组.二分类logistic回归分析结果显示,手术方式及是否行SCF照射均与IMC非计划性受照剂量有关联(OR=1.034,95％CI:1.015～1.054,P=0.001;OR=1.034,95％CI:1.014～1.054,P=0.001).结论 手术方式和SCF照射野的加入均会影响IMC非计划性受照剂量.相较于MRM患者,BCS患者IMC非计划性受照剂量更低,尤其是第1肋间.

Since the end of February 2022, China has experienced a new wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks caused by the Omicron variant. These outbreaks frequently occur at multiple sites, involving many provinces and cities. Prevention and control work is facing more challenges only after the Wuhan epidemic. As a general principle, the priority of treatment should be determined according to the biological features, clinical stages, and treatment stages of different breast cancer (BC) subtypes, and individualized diagnosis and treatment recommendations should be given. These patients belong to a high-priority population, for whom receiving treatment in a hospital is urgently required. In addition, treatment should also be prioritized for patients experiencing new tumor-related symptoms or serious adverse events. If the disease condition is stable, the frequency of follow-up re-examinations can be reduced according to the epidemic control situation. Online diagnosis and treatment are recommended to maintain doctor-patient communication. However, special attention should still be paid to treatment-associated safety issues, and safety monitoring measures should be adopted. For low-priority patients with stable disease, elective follow-up visits may be arranged after risk-benefit assessment based on the severity of the local COVID-19 epidemic and the risk of infection. Based on the above principle, we once again present our opinions on the top ten hot issues concerning the clinical diagnosis and treatment of BC during the COVID-19 epidemic in China.

Background The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) has recently emerged as a predictor of survival in non-small cell lung cancer patients. There is also tight correlation between radiotherapy and immune status, and brain metastases (BM) radiotherapy is an important treatment in patients with BM from lung adenocarcinoma harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. Hence, this study aimed to present the prognostic value of SII and its dynamic changes during BM radiotherapy in EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma patients with BM. Methods Patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma who received BM radiotherapy between November 2011 and April 2021 were included in this retrospective study. The SII was calculated using data acquired within 1 week before the start of radiation treatment and 1 week before its completion. According to the cutoff value of SII before radiation treatment determined using receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, we divided the patients into a high group and a low group. Patients were further classified into high–high, high–low, low–low, and low–high groups based on dynamic changes in SII. Prognostic values of the SII and other factors were determined using the Kaplan–Meier method, as well as univariate and multivariate Cox analysis. Results A total of 202 patients met the inclusion criteria, and the median overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was 36 months. According to the SII cutoff of 859.79, an SII value below this cutoff was associated with longer OS (hazard ratio 0.6653, 95% confidence interval 0.4708–0.9402, P < 0.05). The patients in the low–low group, whose SII within 1 week before the start and end of BM radiotherapy were below the cutoff, had a median OS of 55.2 months, which was significantly longer than the OS in all other groups ( P < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that dynamic SII change ( P = 0.032), Lung-molGPA ( P < 0.001), and thoracic radiation ( P = 0.048) were independently correlated with OS. Conclusions The SII and its dynamic change may have a prognostic value in patients with EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma treated with BM radiotherapy.

China is a country with high incidence of esophageal cancer. In recent years, with the deepening research, the value of neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer has been widely approved by clinicians, compared with surgery alone or adjuvant therapy. However, the survival results of different neoadjuvant therapy options may be quite different, and many problems remain unresolved. In this article, a systemic literature review was carried out to summarize the radiotherapy target, radiotherapy dose, chemotherapy regimen of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and time to surgery, as well as review the research status and progress on targeted therapy and immunotherapy as neoadjuvant therapy for esophageal cancer.

Background and PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the geometrical differences in and metabolic parameters of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography–computed tomography (18F-FDG PET-CT) and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) performed before and during radiotherapy (RT) for patients with esophageal cancer based on the three-dimensional CT (3DCT) medium and explore whether the high signal area derived from DW-MRI can be used as a tool for an individualized definition of the volume in need of dose escalation for esophageal squamous cancer.Materials and MethodsThirty-two patients with esophageal squamous cancer sequentially underwent repeated 3DCT, 18F-FDG PET-CT, and enhanced MRI before the initiation of RT and after the 15th fraction. All images were fused with 3DCT images through deformable registration. The gross tumor volume (GTV) was delineated based on PET Edge on the first and second PET-CT images and defined as GTVPETpre and GTVPETdur, respectively. GTVDWIpre and GTVDWIdur were delineated on the first and second DWI and corresponding T2-weighted MRI (T2W-MRI)-fused images. The maximum, mean, and peak standardized uptake values (SUVs; SUVmax, SUVmean, and SUVpeak, respectively); metabolic tumor volume (MTV); and total lesion glycolysis(TLG) and its relative changes were calculated automatically on PET. Similarly, the minimum and mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC; ADCmin and ADCmean) and its relative changes were measured manually using ADC maps.ResultsThe volume of GTVCT exhibited a significant positive correlation with that of GTVPET and GTVDWI (both p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed in both ADCs and 18F-FDG PET metabolic parameters before and during RT (both p < 0.001). No significant correlation was observed between SUVs and ADCs before and during RT (p = 0.072–0.944) and between ∆ADCs and ∆SUVs (p = 0.238–0.854). The conformity index and degree of inclusion of GTVPETpre to GTVDWIpre were significantly higher than those of GTVPETdur to GTVDWIdur (both p < 0.001). The maximum diameter shrinkage rate (∆LDDWI) (24%) and the tumor volume shrinkage rate (VRRDWI) (60%) based on DW-MRI during RT were significantly greater than the corresponding PET-based ∆LDPET (14%) and VRRPET (41%) rates (p = 0.017 and 0.000, respectively).ConclusionBased on the medium of CT images, there are significant differences in spatial position, biometabolic characteristics, and the tumor shrinkage rate for GTVs derived from 18F-FDG PET-CT and DW-MRI before and during RT for esophageal squamous cancer. Further studies are needed to determine if DW-MRI will be used as tool for an individualized definition of the volume in need of dose escalation.