scholarly journals Tumor size distribution can yield valuable information on tumor growth and tumor control

Author(s):  
Uwe Schneider ◽  
Juergen Besserer

In this work it is shown that tumor volume distributions, can yield valuable information on two completely different topics of cancer research. From the hypothesis that the intrinsic distributions of breast cancer volumes follows an exponential distribution, first the probability density function of tumor growth time was deduced. The resulting distribution of lag times can be used in tumor induction models instead of a fixed lag time to deduce the probability of tumor induction as a function of patient age. In a second step, the distribution of cancer volumes was used to model the variation of the clonogenic cell number for tumor control probability calculations for radiotherapy cancer patients. The integration of the volume variation into a Poisson-TCP model resulted in a logistic function which fits population averaged survival data of radiotherapy patients. To our knowledge this is the first direct derivation of a logistic TCP model for cohorts of patients from a Poisson TCP-model for individuals.

2010 ◽  
Vol 113 (Special_Supplement) ◽  
pp. 90-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Yashar S. Kalani ◽  
Aristotelis S. Filippidis ◽  
Maziyar A. Kalani ◽  
Nader Sanai ◽  
David Brachman ◽  
...  

Object Resection and whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) have classically been the standard treatment for a single metastasis to the brain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of Gamma Knife surgery (GKS) as an alternative to WBRT in patients who had undergone resection and to evaluate patient survival and local tumor control. Methods The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of 150 patients treated with a combination of stereotactic radiosurgery and resection of a cranial metastasis at their institution between April 1997 and September 2009. Patients who had multiple lesions or underwent both WBRT and GKS were excluded, as were patients for whom survival data beyond the initial treatment were not available. Clinical and imaging follow-up was assessed using notes from clinic visits and MR imaging studies when available. Follow-up data beyond the initial treatment and survival data were available for 68 patients. Results The study included 37 women (54.4%) and 31 men (45.6%) (mean age 60 years, range 28–89 years). In 45 patients (66.2%) there was systemic control of the primary tumor when the cranial metastasis was identified. The median duration between resection and radiosurgery was 15.5 days. The median volume of the treated cavity was 10.35 cm3 (range 0.9–45.4 cm3), and the median dose to the cavity margin was 15 Gy (range 14–30 Gy), delivered to the 50% isodose line (range 50%–76% isodose line). The patients' median preradiosurgery Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score was 90 (range 40–100). During the follow-up period we identified 27 patients (39.7%) with recurrent tumor located either local or distant to the site of treatment. The median time from primary treatment of metastasis to recurrence was 10.6 months. The patients' median length of survival (interval between first treatment of cerebral metastasis and last follow-up) was 13.2 months. For the patient who died during follow-up, the median time from diagnosis of cerebral metastasis to death was 11.5 months. The median duration of survival from diagnosis of the primary cancer to last follow-up was 30.2 months. Patients with a pretreatment KPS score ≥ 90 had a median survival time of 23.2 months, and patients with a pretreatment KPS score < 90 had a median survival time of 10 months (p < 0.008). Systemic control of disease at the time of metastasis was not predictive of increased survival duration, although it did tend to improve survival. Conclusions Although the debate about the ideal form of radiation treatment after resection continues, these findings indicate that GKS combined with surgery offers comparable survival duration and local tumor control to WBRT for patients with a diagnosis of a single metastasis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Schwinn ◽  
Zeinab Mokhtari ◽  
Sina Thusek ◽  
Theresa Schneider ◽  
Anna-Leena Sirén ◽  
...  

AbstractMedulloblastoma is the most common high-grade brain tumor in childhood. Medulloblastomas with c-myc amplification, classified as group 3, are the most aggressive among the four disease subtypes resulting in a 5-year overall survival of just above 50%. Despite current intensive therapy regimens, patients suffering from group 3 medulloblastoma urgently require new therapeutic options. Using a recently established c-myc amplified human medulloblastoma cell line, we performed an in-vitro-drug screen with single and combinatorial drugs that are either already clinically approved or agents in the advanced stage of clinical development. Candidate drugs were identified in vitro and then evaluated in vivo. Tumor growth was closely monitored by BLI. Vessel development was assessed by 3D light-sheet-fluorescence-microscopy. We identified the combination of gemcitabine and axitinib to be highly cytotoxic, requiring only low picomolar concentrations when used in combination. In the orthotopic model, gemcitabine and axitinib showed efficacy in terms of tumor control and survival. In both models, gemcitabine and axitinib were better tolerated than the standard regimen comprising of cisplatin and etoposide phosphate. 3D light-sheet-fluorescence-microscopy of intact tumors revealed thinning and rarefication of tumor vessels, providing one explanation for reduced tumor growth. Thus, the combination of the two drugs gemcitabine and axitinib has favorable effects on preventing tumor progression in an orthotopic group 3 medulloblastoma xenograft model while exhibiting a favorable toxicity profile. The combination merits further exploration as a new approach to treat high-risk group 3 medulloblastoma.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1910
Author(s):  
Kaley Woods ◽  
Robert K. Chin ◽  
Kiri A. Cook ◽  
Ke Sheng ◽  
Amar U. Kishan ◽  
...  

This study evaluates the potential for tumor dose escalation in recurrent head and neck cancer (rHNC) patients with automated non-coplanar volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) planning (HyperArc). Twenty rHNC patients are planned with conventional VMAT SBRT to 40 Gy while minimizing organ-at-risk (OAR) doses. They are then re-planned with the HyperArc technique to match these minimal OAR doses while escalating the target dose as high as possible. Then, we compare the dosimetry, tumor control probability (TCP), and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) for the two plan types. Our results show that the HyperArc technique significantly increases the mean planning target volume (PTV) and gross tumor volume (GTV) doses by 10.8 ± 4.4 Gy (25%) and 11.5 ± 5.1 Gy (26%) on average, respectively. There are no clinically significant differences in OAR doses, with maximum dose differences of <2 Gy on average. The average TCP is 23% (± 21%) higher for HyperArc than conventional plans, with no significant differences in NTCP for the brainstem, cord, mandible, or larynx. HyperArc can achieve significant tumor dose escalation while maintaining minimal OAR doses in the head and neck—potentially enabling improved local control for rHNC SBRT patients without increased risk of treatment-related toxicities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 677-683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshifumi Oku ◽  
Hidetaka Arimura ◽  
Tran Thi Thao Nguyen ◽  
Yoshiyuki Hiraki ◽  
Masahiko Toyota ◽  
...  

Abstract This study investigates whether in-room computed tomography (CT)-based adaptive treatment planning (ATP) is robust against interfractional location variations, namely, interfractional organ motions and/or applicator displacements, in 3D intracavitary brachytherapy (ICBT) for uterine cervical cancer. In ATP, the radiation treatment plans, which have been designed based on planning CT images (and/or MR images) acquired just before the treatments, are adaptively applied for each fraction, taking into account the interfractional location variations. 2D and 3D plans with ATP for 14 patients were simulated for 56 fractions at a prescribed dose of 600 cGy per fraction. The standard deviations (SDs) of location displacements (interfractional location variations) of the target and organs at risk (OARs) with 3D ATP were significantly smaller than those with 2D ATP (P &lt; 0.05). The homogeneity index (HI), conformity index (CI) and tumor control probability (TCP) in 3D ATP were significantly higher for high-risk clinical target volumes than those in 2D ATP. The SDs of the HI, CI, TCP, bladder and rectum D2cc, and the bladder and rectum normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) in 3D ATP were significantly smaller than those in 2D ATP. The results of this study suggest that the interfractional location variations give smaller impacts on the planning evaluation indices in 3D ATP than in 2D ATP. Therefore, the 3D plans with ATP are expected to be robust against interfractional location variations in each treatment fraction.


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