Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2024.101712
Michelle A. Wear MSN, APRN, Bradford S. Hoppe MD, MPH, Michael S. Rutenberg MD, PhD, Kathryn C. Moreno MSN, MBA, RN, Anna C. Harrell MPH, Adam L. Holtzman MD, Oluwadamilola T. Oladeru MD, MBA, Jennifer L. Peterson MD, Daniel M. Trifiletti MD, Albert N. Attia MD, Gene M. Logvinov RTT, Terry L. McKenzie RTT, Bryon C. May MD, Laura A. Vallow MD
Patients commonly present to a radiation oncologist (RO) with bone metastases requiring palliative radiation therapy (RT). The standard referral workflow can be inefficient, causing delays in time to RO evaluation and treatment. We created an advanced practice provider (APP)-led rapid access palliative RT clinic (PRC) to manage bone metastases and address these care barriers. Following institutional review board approval, all outpatients receiving palliative RT for bone metastases from June 2021 to June 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients treated in the 12 months after the creation of the PRC represented the PRC cohort. A comparison cohort (“pre-PRC”) included patients treated in the 6 months before the creation of the PRC using a typical RO workflow. Critical analysis assessed the impact of the PRC in reducing the time from referral to evaluation by RO (TTE) and time from referral to treatment (TTT) for patients receiving palliative RT. An independent t test was used to analyze TTE and TTT between the PRC and pre-PRC cohorts. Seventy-nine and 148 patients were treated in the pre-PRC and PRC periods, respectively. The median RT dose delivered was 8 Gy in 1 fraction for both cohorts. The mean TTE was 10.4 days (SD, 10.2) for the pre-PRC cohort versus 6.4 days (SD, 7.8) (P = .005) for the PRC cohort. The mean TTT was 20.7 days (SD, 17.5) in the pre-PRC cohort versus 16.0 days (SD, 13.7) in the PRC cohort (P = .01). The APP-led PRC significantly decreases TTE and TTT in patients requiring palliative RT for bone metastases. Additional analyses are underway to evaluate the impact of the APP-led PRC on patient and physician satisfaction and the effect of the PRC on bone metastasis-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
{"title":"Impact of an Advanced Practice Provider Directed Palliative Bone Metastasis Radiation Therapy Clinic on Patient Care","authors":"Michelle A. Wear MSN, APRN, Bradford S. Hoppe MD, MPH, Michael S. Rutenberg MD, PhD, Kathryn C. Moreno MSN, MBA, RN, Anna C. Harrell MPH, Adam L. Holtzman MD, Oluwadamilola T. Oladeru MD, MBA, Jennifer L. Peterson MD, Daniel M. Trifiletti MD, Albert N. Attia MD, Gene M. Logvinov RTT, Terry L. McKenzie RTT, Bryon C. May MD, Laura A. Vallow MD","doi":"10.1016/j.adro.2024.101712","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adro.2024.101712","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Patients commonly present to a radiation oncologist (RO) with bone metastases requiring palliative radiation therapy (RT). The standard referral workflow can be inefficient, causing delays in time to RO evaluation and treatment. We created an advanced practice provider (APP)-led rapid access palliative RT clinic (PRC) to manage bone metastases and address these care barriers. Following institutional review board approval, all outpatients receiving palliative RT for bone metastases from June 2021 to June 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients treated in the 12 months after the creation of the PRC represented the PRC cohort. A comparison cohort (“pre-PRC”) included patients treated in the 6 months before the creation of the PRC using a typical RO workflow. Critical analysis assessed the impact of the PRC in reducing the time from referral to evaluation by RO (TTE) and time from referral to treatment (TTT) for patients receiving palliative RT. An independent <em>t</em> test was used to analyze TTE and TTT between the PRC and pre-PRC cohorts. Seventy-nine and 148 patients were treated in the pre-PRC and PRC periods, respectively. The median RT dose delivered was 8 Gy in 1 fraction for both cohorts. The mean TTE was 10.4 days (SD, 10.2) for the pre-PRC cohort versus 6.4 days (SD, 7.8) (<em>P</em> = .005) for the PRC cohort. The mean TTT was 20.7 days (SD, 17.5) in the pre-PRC cohort versus 16.0 days (SD, 13.7) in the PRC cohort (<em>P</em> = .01). The APP-led PRC significantly decreases TTE and TTT in patients requiring palliative RT for bone metastases. Additional analyses are underway to evaluate the impact of the APP-led PRC on patient and physician satisfaction and the effect of the PRC on bone metastasis-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7390,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Radiation Oncology","volume":"10 10","pages":"Article 101712"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145319940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2025.101892
Rachel B. Jimenez MD
{"title":"ASTRO’s Advances in Radiation Oncology Outstanding Reviewers for 2024","authors":"Rachel B. Jimenez MD","doi":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101892","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101892","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7390,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Radiation Oncology","volume":"10 10","pages":"Article 101892"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145319939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-29DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2025.101915
Jina Kim MD , Masaru Wakatsuki MD, PhD , Shuri Aoki MD, PhD , Jong Won Park MD, PhD , Nao Kobayashi MD, PhD , Ki Chang Keum MD, PhD , Hirokazu Makishima MD, PhD , Christopher Seungkyu Lee MD, PhD , Hitoshi Ishikawa MD, PhD , Kyung Hwan Kim MD, PhD
Purpose
To our knowledge, no study has compared the treatment outcomes of carbon ion radiation therapy (CIRT) and photon-based stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR) in patients with choroidal melanoma. This study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes of patients with choroidal melanoma treated with CIRT or photon-based SABR.
Methods and Materials
This study included 346 patients with localized choroidal melanoma who received CIRT or photon-based SABR between April 2001 and November 2021. Patients in the CIRT group received a median of 70 Gy delivered in a median dosage of 14 Gy per fraction, and patients in the SABR group received a median of 60 Gy delivered in a median dosage of 15 Gy per fraction. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to account for differences between the 2 groups. The main outcome was progression-free survival (PFS) in the PSM cohort, and secondary endpoints included overall survival, cumulative incidence of local and distant failures, and enucleation.
Results
In all, 282 and 64 patients were included in the CIRT and SABR groups. After PSM, the 5-year PFS was significantly superior in the CIRT group to that in the SABR group (69.0% vs 56.5%, P = .024). The CIRT group also showed significantly reduced risks of local failure (5-year local failure rate 5.6% vs 13.4%, P = .025) and enucleation (5-year enucleation rate 8.5% vs 24.2%, P < .001). Moreover, CIRT was superior in terms of visual acuity preservation: the proportion of patients with visual acuity of ≥20/200 decreased from 64.7% initially to 23.7% at last follow-up in the CIRT group and from 64.1% to 6.3% in the SABR group (P = .005).
Conclusions
CIRT was found to be superior to SABR in patients with choroidal melanoma in terms of PFS, local control, and preservation of vision and eye.
目的据我们所知,目前还没有研究比较碳离子放射治疗(CIRT)和光子立体定向消融放射治疗(SABR)在脉络膜黑色素瘤患者中的治疗效果。本研究旨在评估使用CIRT或光子SABR治疗脉络膜黑色素瘤患者的治疗结果。方法和材料本研究纳入了346例局限性脉络膜黑色素瘤患者,这些患者在2001年4月至2021年11月期间接受了CIRT或光子SABR。CIRT组患者接受的中位放射量为70 Gy,中位剂量为14 Gy /次;SABR组患者接受的中位放射量为60 Gy,中位剂量为15 Gy /次。采用倾向评分匹配(PSM)来解释两组之间的差异。主要终点是PSM队列中的无进展生存期(PFS),次要终点包括总生存期、局部和远处失败的累积发生率以及去核。结果CIRT组282例,SABR组64例。PSM后,CIRT组的5年PFS显著优于SABR组(69.0% vs 56.5%, P = 0.024)。CIRT组局部失败(5年局部失败率5.6% vs 13.4%, P = 0.025)和去核(5年去核率8.5% vs 24.2%, P < 0.001)的风险也显著降低。此外,CIRT在视力保护方面更有优势:CIRT组视力≥20/200的患者比例从最初的64.7%下降到最后随访时的23.7%,SABR组从64.1%下降到6.3% (P = 0.005)。结论scirt在脉络膜黑色素瘤患者的PFS、局部控制、视力和眼睛保护方面优于SABR。
{"title":"Carbon Ion Versus Photon-based Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy for Patients with Choroidal Melanoma","authors":"Jina Kim MD , Masaru Wakatsuki MD, PhD , Shuri Aoki MD, PhD , Jong Won Park MD, PhD , Nao Kobayashi MD, PhD , Ki Chang Keum MD, PhD , Hirokazu Makishima MD, PhD , Christopher Seungkyu Lee MD, PhD , Hitoshi Ishikawa MD, PhD , Kyung Hwan Kim MD, PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101915","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101915","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>To our knowledge, no study has compared the treatment outcomes of carbon ion radiation therapy (CIRT) and photon-based stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR) in patients with choroidal melanoma. This study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes of patients with choroidal melanoma treated with CIRT or photon-based SABR.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and Materials</h3><div>This study included 346 patients with localized choroidal melanoma who received CIRT or photon-based SABR between April 2001 and November 2021. Patients in the CIRT group received a median of 70 Gy delivered in a median dosage of 14 Gy per fraction, and patients in the SABR group received a median of 60 Gy delivered in a median dosage of 15 Gy per fraction. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to account for differences between the 2 groups. The main outcome was progression-free survival (PFS) in the PSM cohort, and secondary endpoints included overall survival, cumulative incidence of local and distant failures, and enucleation.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In all, 282 and 64 patients were included in the CIRT and SABR groups. After PSM, the 5-year PFS was significantly superior in the CIRT group to that in the SABR group (69.0% vs 56.5%, <em>P</em> = .024). The CIRT group also showed significantly reduced risks of local failure (5-year local failure rate 5.6% vs 13.4%, <em>P</em> = .025) and enucleation (5-year enucleation rate 8.5% vs 24.2%, <em>P</em> < .001). Moreover, CIRT was superior in terms of visual acuity preservation: the proportion of patients with visual acuity of ≥20/200 decreased from 64.7% initially to 23.7% at last follow-up in the CIRT group and from 64.1% to 6.3% in the SABR group (<em>P</em> = .005).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>CIRT was found to be superior to SABR in patients with choroidal melanoma in terms of PFS, local control, and preservation of vision and eye.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7390,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Radiation Oncology","volume":"10 12","pages":"Article 101915"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145412560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-26DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2025.101908
Omran Saifi , Scott C. Lester , William G. Rule , William Breen , Randa Tao , Jason R. Young , Liuyan Jiang , Han W. Tun , Emily Liu , Lauren E. Haydu , Allison Rosenthal , Javier Munoz , Jose Caetano Villasboas , Yucai Wang , Muhamad Alhaj Moustafa , Madiha Iqbal , Anna C. Harrell , Jennifer L. Peterson , Bradford S. Hoppe MD, MPH
Indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, including follicular and marginal zone lymphoma, is highly radiosensitive, with radiation therapy (RT) serving as an effective treatment. Although standard RT doses (24 Gy in 12 fractions) provide excellent disease control, they are associated with toxicity. Emerging evidence suggests that lower RT doses may maintain efficacy while reducing toxicity; however, prior prospective randomized attempts to reduce the dose to 4 Gy in 2 fractions have demonstrated inferior disease control. This phase 2 randomized trial aims to determine whether reduced-dose hypofractionated RT can achieve comparable disease control while minimizing toxicity and treatment burden. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive experimental arm treatment with 8 to 10 Gy in 2 to 5 fractions or standard of care treatment with 24 Gy in 12 fractions. The primary endpoint is acute toxicity (grade ≥ 2). Secondary endpoints include patient-reported quality of life (FACIT-Fatigue scale), response rate at 3 months posttreatment (Lugano criteria), local control, relapse-free survival, and overall survival. Exploratory analyses will evaluate financial toxicity (COST-FACIT questionnaire), health care expenditure, late toxicity, and the prognostic value of preradiation metabolic imaging parameters, including metabolic tumor volume, total lesion glycolysis, and maximum standardized uptake value, as well as molecular biomarkers such as TP53, MYC, and Ki-67.
{"title":"Reduced-Dose Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy (3 Gy × 3 Fractions) for Indolent Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (POSEIDON): A Multisite Phase 2 Randomized Trial Protocol","authors":"Omran Saifi , Scott C. Lester , William G. Rule , William Breen , Randa Tao , Jason R. Young , Liuyan Jiang , Han W. Tun , Emily Liu , Lauren E. Haydu , Allison Rosenthal , Javier Munoz , Jose Caetano Villasboas , Yucai Wang , Muhamad Alhaj Moustafa , Madiha Iqbal , Anna C. Harrell , Jennifer L. Peterson , Bradford S. Hoppe MD, MPH","doi":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101908","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101908","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, including follicular and marginal zone lymphoma, is highly radiosensitive, with radiation therapy (RT) serving as an effective treatment. Although standard RT doses (24 Gy in 12 fractions) provide excellent disease control, they are associated with toxicity. Emerging evidence suggests that lower RT doses may maintain efficacy while reducing toxicity; however, prior prospective randomized attempts to reduce the dose to 4 Gy in 2 fractions have demonstrated inferior disease control. This phase 2 randomized trial aims to determine whether reduced-dose hypofractionated RT can achieve comparable disease control while minimizing toxicity and treatment burden. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive experimental arm treatment with 8 to 10 Gy in 2 to 5 fractions or standard of care treatment with 24 Gy in 12 fractions. The primary endpoint is acute toxicity (grade ≥ 2). Secondary endpoints include patient-reported quality of life (FACIT-Fatigue scale), response rate at 3 months posttreatment (Lugano criteria), local control, relapse-free survival, and overall survival. Exploratory analyses will evaluate financial toxicity (COST-FACIT questionnaire), health care expenditure, late toxicity, and the prognostic value of preradiation metabolic imaging parameters, including metabolic tumor volume, total lesion glycolysis, and maximum standardized uptake value, as well as molecular biomarkers such as <em>TP53, MYC</em>, and Ki-67.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7390,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Radiation Oncology","volume":"11 1","pages":"Article 101908"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145615559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-24DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2025.101910
Yash Deshmukh , Melanie L. Rose MD , Renata W. Yen PhD, MPH , Sybil T. Jones MD , Nirav S. Kapadia MD, MS
Purpose
Cancer treatment expenses can lead to financial toxicity (FT), which reduces treatment compliance and impairs outcomes. Little is known regarding the FT among rural cancer populations, where added barriers impair accrual of survey data. To increase our understanding of FT experienced by these patients, we piloted a validated survey instrument and reported on the feasibility of administration.
Methods and Materials
Institutional approval was obtained to prospectively survey rural oncology patients undergoing radiation treatment. Baseline surveys were provided at simulation appointments; weekly surveys were captured during on-treatment visits. Respondents reported on demographics (including self-reported gender, race, education, income, insurance, employment) at baseline and on expenses, the COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity (range, 0-44, modified such that higher score indicates worse toxicity), perception of providers’ financial empathy, and the minimum financially impactful amount of money at weekly visits. Completion rates and associations between demographic characteristics and FT were assessed with Mann–Whitney U test.
Results
Twenty-six participants were enrolled. Patients were elderly (mean 68.3 years old, SD 10.7), male (25 of 26), White (25 of 26). Forty-two percent were low-income (annual income < $48,000) and 50% had high school or less education. Most (n = 19, 73%) were insured through Medicare. Eighty-five percent of surveys were fully complete. The mean COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity score at baseline was 14.0 (SD, 11.5; range, 0-38). The mean amount of money that would make a meaningful difference was $211 at baseline (interquartile range, $87.50-$350) and rose to $329 toward the end of the survey period (week 7).
Conclusions
FT screening of rural radiation oncology populations with a range of education is feasible with high fidelity of data collection. Future steps will identify patterns and predictors of severe FT and develop targeted interventions based on this feasibility study.
{"title":"Rural cancer financial toxicity screening","authors":"Yash Deshmukh , Melanie L. Rose MD , Renata W. Yen PhD, MPH , Sybil T. Jones MD , Nirav S. Kapadia MD, MS","doi":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101910","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101910","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Cancer treatment expenses can lead to financial toxicity (FT), which reduces treatment compliance and impairs outcomes. Little is known regarding the FT among rural cancer populations, where added barriers impair accrual of survey data. To increase our understanding of FT experienced by these patients, we piloted a validated survey instrument and reported on the feasibility of administration.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and Materials</h3><div>Institutional approval was obtained to prospectively survey rural oncology patients undergoing radiation treatment. Baseline surveys were provided at simulation appointments; weekly surveys were captured during on-treatment visits. Respondents reported on demographics (including self-reported gender, race, education, income, insurance, employment) at baseline and on expenses, the COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity (range, 0-44, modified such that higher score indicates worse toxicity), perception of providers’ financial empathy, and the minimum financially impactful amount of money at weekly visits. Completion rates and associations between demographic characteristics and FT were assessed with Mann–Whitney <em>U</em> test.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Twenty-six participants were enrolled. Patients were elderly (mean 68.3 years old, SD 10.7), male (25 of 26), White (25 of 26). Forty-two percent were low-income (annual income < $48,000) and 50% had high school or less education. Most (n = 19, 73%) were insured through Medicare. Eighty-five percent of surveys were fully complete. The mean COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity score at baseline was 14.0 (SD, 11.5; range, 0-38). The mean amount of money that would make a meaningful difference was $211 at baseline (interquartile range, $87.50-$350) and rose to $329 toward the end of the survey period (week 7).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>FT screening of rural radiation oncology populations with a range of education is feasible with high fidelity of data collection. Future steps will identify patterns and predictors of severe FT and develop targeted interventions based on this feasibility study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7390,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Radiation Oncology","volume":"10 12","pages":"Article 101910"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145576308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-22DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2025.101893
Joel A. Pogue PhD , John Fiveash MD , Rex Cardan PhD , Christopher Willey MD, PhD , Natalie Viscariello PhD , Rodney Sullivan PhD , Samuel Marcrom MD , Luke Moradi MD , Philip Schmalz MD , James Markert MD, MPH , Richard Popple PhD
Purpose
Radiosurgery plan safety is commonly estimated by volumes receiving specific doses (ie, 12 Gy/1 fraction [fx]), which are evaluated postplan generation. However, automated treatment planning can produce highly consistent and thus predictable plans. Thus, we hypothesized that HyperArc (HA) automated stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) planning enables clinical decision-making prior to plan generation, such as selecting the appropriate SRS fractionation scheme.
Methods and Materials
All previously treated single-isocenter HA plans at our institution were queried, totaling 3361 marginless targets without bridging at the 50% isodose level (1495 plans), making this the largest single-institutional SRS dosimetry study to the authors’ knowledge. Eight isodose volumes (IDVs; 50.00%-97.60%) were calculated for all HA targets, each corresponding to the ratio of a High Dose per Fraction, Hypofractionated Treatment Effects in the Clinic (HyTEC) brain toxicity dose level and a common prescription dose (eg, 50.00% = 12 Gy/24 Gy). Power law relationships of IDV and target volume () were generated from a training data set of 361 targets (10.7%) and validated on the remaining 3000 targets (89.3%), allowing grade 1 to 3 brain toxicity rates to be predicted from target volume.
Results
Models resulted in high R² values when applied to the validation cohort (≥0.982), allowing targets to be classified as either above or below the HyTEC thresholds (IDV = 5 cm3, 10 cm3, and 20 cm3) with high accuracy (≥97.6%) and precision (≥99.3%). As an example, the 50.0% IDV model predicted that target volumes/diameters of 1.00 cm3/1.24 cm, 2.34 cm3/1.65 cm, and 5.51 cm3/2.19 cm correlate with 3.6%, 4.8%, and 8.6% grade 1 to 3 brain toxicity rates, respectively, when prescribing 24 Gy/1 fx.
Conclusion
The resulting models enabled accurate and precise prediction of target volumes/diameters, resulting in 3.6%, 4.8%, and 8.6% brain grade 1 to 3 toxicity rates, according to HyTEC toxicity estimates. Leveraging relative IDVs rather than prescription doses enabled all 3361 targets to be used for modeling 9 common SRS prescriptions (1 fx: 24 Gy, 20 Gy, 18 Gy, 16 Gy, and 15 Gy; 3 fx: 27 Gy and 24 Gy; 5 fx: 30 Gy and 25 Gy), enabling clinicians to estimate brain toxicity a priori via an open-source calculator.
{"title":"HyperArc Automated Stereotactic Radiosurgery Planning Enables Accurate a Priori Fractionation Scheme Selection via Adherence to HyTEC Toxicity Thresholds","authors":"Joel A. Pogue PhD , John Fiveash MD , Rex Cardan PhD , Christopher Willey MD, PhD , Natalie Viscariello PhD , Rodney Sullivan PhD , Samuel Marcrom MD , Luke Moradi MD , Philip Schmalz MD , James Markert MD, MPH , Richard Popple PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101893","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101893","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Radiosurgery plan safety is commonly estimated by volumes receiving specific doses (ie, 12 Gy/1 fraction [fx]), which are evaluated postplan generation. However, automated treatment planning can produce highly consistent and thus predictable plans. Thus, we hypothesized that HyperArc (HA) automated stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) planning enables clinical decision-making prior to plan generation, such as selecting the appropriate SRS fractionation scheme.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and Materials</h3><div>All previously treated single-isocenter HA plans at our institution were queried, totaling 3361 marginless targets without bridging at the 50% isodose level (1495 plans), making this the largest single-institutional SRS dosimetry study to the authors’ knowledge. Eight isodose volumes (IDVs; 50.00%-97.60%) were calculated for all HA targets, each corresponding to the ratio of a High Dose per Fraction, Hypofractionated Treatment Effects in the Clinic (HyTEC) brain toxicity dose level and a common prescription dose (eg, 50.00% = 12 Gy/24 Gy). Power law relationships of IDV and target volume (<span><math><mrow><mi>I</mi><mi>D</mi><mi>V</mi><mo>=</mo><mi>a</mi><msup><mrow><msub><mi>V</mi><mrow><mi>t</mi><mi>a</mi><mi>r</mi><mi>g</mi><mi>e</mi><mi>t</mi></mrow></msub></mrow><mi>b</mi></msup></mrow></math></span>) were generated from a training data set of 361 targets (10.7%) and validated on the remaining 3000 targets (89.3%), allowing grade 1 to 3 brain toxicity rates to be predicted from target volume.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Models resulted in high R² values when applied to the validation cohort (≥0.982), allowing targets to be classified as either above or below the HyTEC thresholds (IDV = 5 cm<sup>3</sup>, 10 cm<sup>3</sup>, and 20 cm<sup>3</sup>) with high accuracy (≥97.6%) and precision (≥99.3%). As an example, the 50.0% IDV model predicted that target volumes/diameters of 1.00 cm<sup>3</sup>/1.24 cm, 2.34 cm<sup>3</sup>/1.65 cm, and 5.51 cm<sup>3</sup>/2.19 cm correlate with 3.6%, 4.8%, and 8.6% grade 1 to 3 brain toxicity rates, respectively, when prescribing 24 Gy/1 fx.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The resulting models enabled accurate and precise prediction of target volumes/diameters, resulting in 3.6%, 4.8%, and 8.6% brain grade 1 to 3 toxicity rates, according to HyTEC toxicity estimates. Leveraging relative IDVs rather than prescription doses enabled all 3361 targets to be used for modeling 9 common SRS prescriptions (1 fx: 24 Gy, 20 Gy, 18 Gy, 16 Gy, and 15 Gy; 3 fx: 27 Gy and 24 Gy; 5 fx: 30 Gy and 25 Gy), enabling clinicians to estimate brain toxicity a priori via an open-source calculator.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7390,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Radiation Oncology","volume":"10 11","pages":"Article 101893"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145119616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-21DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2025.101911
Felicia B. Guo BA , Hyunsoo Joshua No MD, CMD , Natalie J. Park BA , Santino Butler MD , Scott Jackson MS , June-Wha Rhee MD , Daniel Eugene Clark MD, MPH , Carol Marquez MD , Kathleen Claire Horst MD , Michael Sargent Binkley MD, MS
Purpose
Concern for cardiotoxicity after the treatment of breast cancer necessitates a better understanding of factors that may increase the risk of significant (grade ≥3) cardiac events. We investigated clinical factors, coronary artery calcium (CAC), and radiation therapy dose to cardiac structures as predictive post-radiation therapy cardiotoxicity risk factors.
Methods and Materials
We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of serial patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for stage I to III breast cancer from 2005 through 2014. We measured the incidence of cardiac events after treatment, adjusting for the competing risk of death.
Results
We identified 174 patients with a median follow-up of 117 months and a median age of 47 years. The 10-year incidence of grade ≥3 cardiac events was 8.5% (95% CI, 4.7%-13.6%) with 13 events observed. 78.9% of the 166 patients with available imaging had no measurable CAC. Patients with nodal positivity (N = 75) were 3 times more likely to develop cardiac toxicity (HR=3.30) and were more likely to receive anthracyclines, hormonal therapy, and regional nodal irradiation during treatment (P < 0.05). After multivariable adjustment for age and smoking status, nodal positive disease remained associated with increased risk of significant cardiac events (P < .05).
Conclusions
In a cohort of patients with breast cancer with low CAC burden and overall low doses of radiation, we observed low rates of cardiotoxicity. However, our findings identify patients with nodal positive disease as a particularly high-risk group, suggesting that close follow-up and optimization of therapies for this subgroup is needed.
{"title":"Risk Factors of Cardiotoxicity After Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy","authors":"Felicia B. Guo BA , Hyunsoo Joshua No MD, CMD , Natalie J. Park BA , Santino Butler MD , Scott Jackson MS , June-Wha Rhee MD , Daniel Eugene Clark MD, MPH , Carol Marquez MD , Kathleen Claire Horst MD , Michael Sargent Binkley MD, MS","doi":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101911","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101911","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Concern for cardiotoxicity after the treatment of breast cancer necessitates a better understanding of factors that may increase the risk of significant (grade ≥3) cardiac events. We investigated clinical factors, coronary artery calcium (CAC), and radiation therapy dose to cardiac structures as predictive post-radiation therapy cardiotoxicity risk factors.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and Materials</h3><div>We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of serial patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for stage I to III breast cancer from 2005 through 2014. We measured the incidence of cardiac events after treatment, adjusting for the competing risk of death.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We identified 174 patients with a median follow-up of 117 months and a median age of 47 years. The 10-year incidence of grade ≥3 cardiac events was 8.5% (95% CI, 4.7%-13.6%) with 13 events observed. 78.9% of the 166 patients with available imaging had no measurable CAC. Patients with nodal positivity (N <em>=</em> 75) were 3 times more likely to develop cardiac toxicity (HR=3.30) and were more likely to receive anthracyclines, hormonal therapy, and regional nodal irradiation during treatment (<em>P <</em> 0.05). After multivariable adjustment for age and smoking status, nodal positive disease remained associated with increased risk of significant cardiac events <em>(P</em> < .05)<em>.</em></div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>In a cohort of patients with breast cancer with low CAC burden and overall low doses of radiation, we observed low rates of cardiotoxicity. However, our findings identify patients with nodal positive disease as a particularly high-risk group, suggesting that close follow-up and optimization of therapies for this subgroup is needed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7390,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Radiation Oncology","volume":"10 12","pages":"Article 101911"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145576304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-20DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2025.101907
Bardia Amanirad BSc , Chinmay M. Potdar MSc , Matthew Ramotar H.BSc, Anna T. Santiago MSc, Janet Papadakos PhD, Med , David B. Shultz MD, PhD
Purpose
This study aims to explore perspectives of patients with brain metastasis on posttreatment care, comparing virtual and in-person visits, and identifying factors shaping those views.
Methods and Materials
A cross-sectional survey assessed patient perspectives on posttreatment care. We offered the survey to English-fluent patients with internet access who received posttreatment care at a Brain Metastases Clinic (n = =140). One hundred twenty-three participants returned the survey, and 112 completed at least 80% of it, a criterion for inclusion. Patients received posttreatment follow-up care either virtually, in-person, or both. Nonparametric data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Chi-Square tests, with a modified linear regression model evaluating factors related to visit satisfaction. Our hypothesis was that virtual care would be rated higher based on doctor punctuality, but lower on personal connection, communication, and overall satisfaction.
Results
Participants who experienced both visit types rated in-person visits higher for personal connection (χ²(df = 1) = 19.703, P < .0001), ability to demonstrate physical problems (χ²(df = 1) = 18.778, P < .0001), and confidence in addressing health concerns (χ²(df = 1) = 16.941, P < .0001). Overall satisfaction did not significantly differ between visit types (U = 3607.5, z = 1.613, P = .107). Doctor punctuality (t = –2.328, SE = 0.32, P = .025) and communication effectiveness (t = –3.166, SE = 0.608, P = .003) were significant correlates to visit satisfaction.
Conclusions
Similar levels of satisfaction with virtual and in-person visits suggest that virtual care is a viable alternative to in-person visits. Higher ratings of personal connection felt with the physician, ability to demonstrate physical problems, and having health concerns properly addressed, within in-person visits, underscore their importance within a health care setting. Additionally, a doctor punctuality and communication skills are the most significant factors affecting visit satisfaction in this population, highlighting key areas for improvement in health care delivery.
目的本研究旨在探讨脑转移患者对治疗后护理的看法,比较虚拟访视和现场访视,并找出影响这些看法的因素。方法与材料横断面调查评估患者对治疗后护理的看法。我们对在脑转移诊所接受治疗后护理的英语流利且能上网的患者进行了调查(n = =140)。123名参与者返回了调查,其中112人完成了至少80%的内容,这是纳入标准。患者接受治疗后的随访护理,或虚拟,或面对面,或两者兼而有之。采用Mann-Whitney U检验和卡方检验对非参数数据进行分析,并采用改进的线性回归模型评价访问满意度相关因素。我们的假设是,根据医生的准时性,虚拟医疗的评分会更高,但在个人联系、沟通和总体满意度方面的评分会更低。结果经历过两种访问类型的参与者在人际关系(χ²(df = 1) = 19.703, P < .0001)、展示身体问题的能力(χ²(df = 1) = 18.778, P < .0001)和解决健康问题的信心(χ²(df = 1) = 16.941, P < .0001)方面对亲自访问的评价较高。总体满意度在不同访视类型间无显著差异(U = 3607.5, z = 1.613, P = 0.107)。医生准时性(t = -2.328, SE = 0.32, P = 0.025)和沟通有效性(t = -3.166, SE = 0.608, P = 0.003)与就诊满意度显著相关。结论虚拟和面对面就诊的满意度相近,表明虚拟护理是面对面就诊的可行替代方案。在亲自就诊中,与医生的个人联系、展示身体问题的能力以及健康问题得到妥善解决的程度较高,强调了它们在医疗保健环境中的重要性。此外,医生的准时性和沟通技巧是影响这一人群就诊满意度的最重要因素,这突出了改善医疗保健服务的关键领域。
{"title":"Patient Perspectives on Virtual vs In-Person Posttreatment Care for Brain Metastases","authors":"Bardia Amanirad BSc , Chinmay M. Potdar MSc , Matthew Ramotar H.BSc, Anna T. Santiago MSc, Janet Papadakos PhD, Med , David B. Shultz MD, PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101907","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101907","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>This study aims to explore perspectives of patients with brain metastasis on posttreatment care, comparing virtual and in-person visits, and identifying factors shaping those views.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and Materials</h3><div>A cross-sectional survey assessed patient perspectives on posttreatment care. We offered the survey to English-fluent patients with internet access who received posttreatment care at a Brain Metastases Clinic (n = =140). One hundred twenty-three participants returned the survey, and 112 completed at least 80% of it, a criterion for inclusion. Patients received posttreatment follow-up care either virtually, in-person, or both. Nonparametric data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Chi-Square tests, with a modified linear regression model evaluating factors related to visit satisfaction. Our hypothesis was that virtual care would be rated higher based on doctor punctuality, but lower on personal connection, communication, and overall satisfaction.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Participants who experienced both visit types rated in-person visits higher for personal connection (χ²(df = 1) = 19.703, <em>P</em> < .0001), ability to demonstrate physical problems (χ²(df = 1) = 18.778, <em>P</em> < .0001), and confidence in addressing health concerns (χ²(df = 1) = 16.941, <em>P</em> < .0001). Overall satisfaction did not significantly differ between visit types (U = 3607.5, z = 1.613, <em>P</em> = .107). Doctor punctuality (<em>t</em> = –2.328, SE = 0.32, <em>P</em> = .025) and communication effectiveness (<em>t</em> = –3.166, SE = 0.608, <em>P</em> = .003) were significant correlates to visit satisfaction.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Similar levels of satisfaction with virtual and in-person visits suggest that virtual care is a viable alternative to in-person visits. Higher ratings of personal connection felt with the physician, ability to demonstrate physical problems, and having health concerns properly addressed, within in-person visits, underscore their importance within a health care setting. Additionally, a doctor punctuality and communication skills are the most significant factors affecting visit satisfaction in this population, highlighting key areas for improvement in health care delivery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7390,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Radiation Oncology","volume":"10 12","pages":"Article 101907"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-19DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2025.101891
AiHui Feng MS , YanHua Duan MS , ZhangRu Yang MD , Hao Wang PhD , Hua Chen PhD , HengLe Gu MS , Ying Huang MS , ZhenJiong Shen MS , XuFei Wang PhD , ZhiYong Xu PhD
Purpose
This study aims to reduce the risk of cardiovascular incidents and radiation pneumonia (RP) by improving the dose distribution to cardiac substructures through the use of a dual-layer multileaf collimator (MLC) accelerator- VenusX.
Methods and Materials
Eighteen patients with advanced-stage lung cancer were selected for this study. The total lung, spinal cord, whole heart, and specific cardiac substructures (including the left ventricle [LV], pulmonary artery, left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery [LCX], and coronary artery) were delineated as organs at risk and incorporated into the optimization process of the avoidance plan. Single-layer MLC plans optimized for the whole heart, referred to as S-WH plans (where WH denotes whole heart), were developed alongside single-layer MLC plans specifically designed to avoid cardiac substructures, known as S-CS plans (where CS denotes cardiac substructures). Additionally, dual-layer MLC avoidance plans, designated as D-CS plans, were created for each patient. We evaluated the relative risk of coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure, acute cardiac events, and RP, as well as the effective dose to the immune system.
Results
D-CS plans significantly reduced the dose metrics of LV, pulmonary artery, left anterior descending artery, LCX, and the coronary, while maintaining target coverage and achieving comparable conformity index to the S-WH plans. Additionally, the D-CS plans significantly decreased the volume receiving 5 Gy (V5Gy) for the LV and V15Gy of LCX, with other substructures also experiencing a notable degree of dose reduction. Furthermore, the relative risk of coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure, acute cardiac event, and RP is ranked as follows: D-CS < S-CS < S-WH plans. Effective dose to the immune system of the D-CS plans indicated the lowest risk among the 3 plans.
Conclusions
The dual-layer MLC system demonstrated superior performance compared to the single-layer MLC system in CS-avoidance plans, providing new opportunities for subsequent immunotherapy in patients with locally advanced lung cancer.
{"title":"Dosimetric Performance of Orthogonal Dual-Layer Multi-Leaf Collimator System on Locally Advanced Lung Cancer: Cardiac Substructures Sparing Plans","authors":"AiHui Feng MS , YanHua Duan MS , ZhangRu Yang MD , Hao Wang PhD , Hua Chen PhD , HengLe Gu MS , Ying Huang MS , ZhenJiong Shen MS , XuFei Wang PhD , ZhiYong Xu PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101891","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adro.2025.101891","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>This study aims to reduce the risk of cardiovascular incidents and radiation pneumonia (RP) by improving the dose distribution to cardiac substructures through the use of a dual-layer multileaf collimator (MLC) accelerator- VenusX.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and Materials</h3><div>Eighteen patients with advanced-stage lung cancer were selected for this study. The total lung, spinal cord, whole heart, and specific cardiac substructures (including the left ventricle [LV], pulmonary artery, left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery [LCX], and coronary artery) were delineated as organs at risk and incorporated into the optimization process of the avoidance plan. Single-layer MLC plans optimized for the whole heart, referred to as S-WH plans (where WH denotes whole heart), were developed alongside single-layer MLC plans specifically designed to avoid cardiac substructures, known as S-CS plans (where CS denotes cardiac substructures). Additionally, dual-layer MLC avoidance plans, designated as D-CS plans, were created for each patient. We evaluated the relative risk of coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure, acute cardiac events, and RP, as well as the effective dose to the immune system.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>D-CS plans significantly reduced the dose metrics of LV, pulmonary artery, left anterior descending artery, LCX, and the coronary, while maintaining target coverage and achieving comparable conformity index to the S-WH plans. Additionally, the D-CS plans significantly decreased the volume receiving 5 Gy (V<sub>5Gy</sub>) for the LV and V<sub>15Gy</sub> of LCX, with other substructures also experiencing a notable degree of dose reduction. Furthermore, the relative risk of coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure, acute cardiac event, and RP is ranked as follows: D-CS < S-CS < S-WH plans. Effective dose to the immune system of the D-CS plans indicated the lowest risk among the 3 plans.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The dual-layer MLC system demonstrated superior performance compared to the single-layer MLC system in CS-avoidance plans, providing new opportunities for subsequent immunotherapy in patients with locally advanced lung cancer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7390,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Radiation Oncology","volume":"10 11","pages":"Article 101891"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145107381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}