Long-Term Course of Patients With Stage IA Nodular Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Report From the German Hodgkin Study Group

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (26) ◽  
pp. 2857-2862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis A. Eichenauer ◽  
Annette Plütschow ◽  
Michael Fuchs ◽  
Bastian von Tresckow ◽  
Boris Böll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Combined Modality Treatment ◽  
Study Group ◽  
German Hodgkin Study Group ◽  
Stage Ia ◽  
Overall Survival Rates

Purpose The optimal treatment of stage IA nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is not well defined. Thus, we performed an analysis using the database of the German Hodgkin Study Group. Patients and Methods The long-term outcome of 256 patients with stage IA NLPHL was evaluated. Patients had received combined-modality treatment (CMT; n = 72), extended-field radiotherapy (EF-RT; n = 49), involved-field radiotherapy (IF-RT; n = 108), or four weekly standard doses of rituximab (n = 27) within German Hodgkin Study Group clinical trial protocols between 1988 and 2009. Results The median age at NLPHL diagnosis was 39 years (range, 16 to 75 years). Most patients were male (76%). The whole patient group had a median follow-up of 91 months (CMT: 95 months; EF-RT: 110 months; IF-RT: 87 months; rituximab: 49 months). At 8 years, progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 88.5% and 98.6% for CMT, 84.3% and 95.7% for EF-RT, and 91.9% and 99.0% for IF-RT, respectively. Patients treated with rituximab had 4-year progression-free and overall survival rates of 81.0% and 100%, respectively. A second malignancy during the course of follow-up was diagnosed in 17 (6.6%) of 256 patients. A total of 12 deaths occurred. However, only one patient died from NLPHL. Conclusion Tumor control in this analysis was equivalent with CMT, EF-RT, and IF-RT. Therefore, IF-RT, which is associated with the lowest risk for the development of toxic effects, should be considered as standard of care for patients with stage IA NLPHL. Rituximab alone is associated with an increased risk of relapse in this patient population.

scholarly journals Treatment of Stage IA Nodular Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma (NLPHL): An Analysis from the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG)

Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 3058-3058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis A. Eichenauer ◽  
Annette Pluetschow ◽  
Michael Fuchs ◽  
Karolin Behringer ◽  
Boris Böll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Combined Modality Treatment ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Excellent Outcome ◽  
German Hodgkin Study Group ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Stage Ia

Abstract Introduction: Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is a rare lymphoma entity accounting for about 5% of all HL cases. As compared with classical HL (cHL), NLPHL is characterized by the absence of CD30 and the consistent expression of CD20 on the malignant lymphocyte predominant (LP) cells. Given a more indolent clinical course, especially early-stage NLPHL is often treated less aggressive than classical HL (cHL). In stage IA patients, radiotherapy (RT) alone is applied at most institutions. However, this clinical practice is not based on data from prospective clinical trials with sufficient follow-up. To shed more light on the optimal treatment of stage IA NLPHL, we performed an analysis including patients with long-term follow-up treated within German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) clinical trials. Patients: A total of 256 stage IA NLPHL patients treated within 7 prospective GHSG studies between 1988 and 2009 were included in the analysis. Treatment consisted of combined-modality treatment (CMT) (n=72), extended-field RT (EF-RT) (n=49), involved-field RT (IF-RT) (n=108) or four weekly doses of the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (n=27). Results: The median age at NLPHL diagnosis was 38.5 years (range: 17-75); 194/256 (75.8%) patients were male and 62/256 (24.2%) patients were female. Median follow-up for the whole patient group was 91 months (98 months for CMT, 118 months for EF-RT, 87 months for IF-RT, 49 months for rituximab). All patients responded to treatment irrespective of the treatment modality applied. At 8 years, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 88.5% and 94.5% for CMT, 84.3% and 95.7% for EF-RT and 91.9% and 99.0% for IF-RT; 4-year PFS and OS rates for patients treated with rituximab were 81.0% and 100%. Seventeen patients developed a second malignancy in the course of follow-up (8 after CMT, 3 after EF-RT, 4 after IF-RT, 2 after rituxmab). Nine of these second malignancies were solid tumors (4 after CMT, 2 after EF-RT, 1 after IF-RT, 2 after rituximab) and 8 were hematologic malignancies (4 after CMT, 1 after EF-RT, 3 after IF-RT, none after rituximab). A total 12 deaths occurred. The most common cause of death was cardiac failure (n=3). Only one patient died from NLPHL. Conclusion: Based on this large analysis with long-term follow-up, IF-RT should be the standard of care for stage IA NLPHL. Treatment with single agent rituximab is associated with an increased event rate when compared with IF-RT and should therefore not be routinely used in stage IA NLPHL patients. However, given the shorter follow-up in comparison with CMT, EF-RT and IF-RT, final conclusions regarding rituximab especially in terms of treatment-related late sequelae cannot yet be drawn. Addition of chemotherapy does not improve the excellent outcome achieved with RT alone. Disclosures Off Label Use: Rituximab in NLPHL.

Rituximab in newly diagnosed stage IA nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma: long-term follow-up of a phase 2 study from the German Hodgkin Study Group

Leukemia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 953-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis A. Eichenauer ◽  
Annette Plütschow ◽  
Michael Fuchs ◽  
Sylvia Hartmann ◽  
Martin-Leo Hansmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Newly Diagnosed ◽  
German Hodgkin Study Group ◽  
Phase 2 Study ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Stage Ia

Long-Term Follow-Up of BEACOPPescalated Chemotherapy in Patients with Advanced-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma on Behalf of the German Hodgkin Study Group.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 211-211
Author(s):  
Engert Andreas ◽  
Jeremy Franklin ◽  
Volker Diehl
Keyword(s):  
Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Secondary Malignancy ◽  
Tumor Control ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Advanced Stage ◽  
Secondary Aml ◽  
German Hodgkin Study Group ◽  
Long Term Follow Up

Abstract The HD9 trial of the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) compared two different doses (baseline and escalated) of the novel chemotherapy regimen BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) in patients with advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). The previous analysis with a median follow-up of 5 years showed improved tumor control (FFTF) and overall survival (OS) for BEACOPPescalated. Since BEACOPPescalated had been associated with more toxicity as compared with ABVD we report the results of long-term follow-up of 1196 patients enrolled and randomized in that study. The median follow-up was 112 months; a total of 370 centres contributed. Patients received one of three chemotherapy regimens: 8 cycles of COPP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone) alternating with ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastin, and dacarbazine), 8 cycles of standard-dose BEACOPP or 8 cycles of escalated-dose BEACOPP. At 10 years, FFTF rates were 64%, 70% and 82%, OS rates were 75%, 80%, and 86 for COPP-ABVD (arm A), BEACOPPbaseline (arm B), and BEACOPPescalated, respectively (p < 0,001). Importantly, BEACOPPescalated was also significantly better than BEACOPPbaseline in terms of FFTF (p < 0.0001) and OS (p = 0.0053). Death due to HL occurred in 11.5%, 8.1% and 2.8% in arms A, B, and C, respectively. 74 second malignancies were documented, including secondary acute myeloid leukaemias (1,7,14), Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (7,8,5), and solid tumors (7,16,9) in arms A, B, and C respectively. The corresponding overall secondary malignancy rates were 6.7%, 8.9% and 6.8%. Importantly, the risk of secondary AML (sAML), although increased in this study after BEACOPPescalated, amounts to 0.9% in our follow-up study with BEACOPPescalated (HD12) in 1502 advanced-stage HL patients randomized and four years median follow-up. Although the higher rate of secondary AML after BEACOPPescalated in HD9 most likely occurred by chance, interestingly, 70% of patients in this group had additional radiotherapy whereas only 39% were radiated in HD12. Taken together, the 10 years follow-up of BEACOPPescalated chemotherapy demonstrates a stabilized significant improvement in long-term FFTF and OS for advanced-stage HL. Although for formal prove the results of ongoing prospective randomized comparisons with 8 cycles of ABVD might be required, these results clearly challenge ABVD as standard of care for this patient population.

Vinblastine, Mitoxantrone and Prednisone (MVP) Followed by Involved Field Radiotherapy (IF-XRT) for Early Clinical Stage Hodgkins’s Lymphoma: Long Term Follow-Up.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 2677-2677
Author(s):  
Danielle Shafer ◽  
Hossein Borghaei ◽  
Michael Millenson ◽  
Nicos Nicolaou ◽  
Tahseen I. Al-Saleem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Complete Response ◽  
Left Ventricular ◽  
Left Ventricular Ejection ◽  
Combined Modality Treatment ◽  
Grade 3

Abstract Background: The treatment of early stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) continues to evolve in attempt to improve the safety profile of the regimens and decrease their long-term toxicities. Treatment related mortality exceeds that from HL after 12 to 15 years. In light of the potential long-term complications associated with irradiation and chemotherapy, particularly pulmonary and cardiac toxicity, alternative approaches minimizing exposure to drugs with long-term organ toxicity have been examined. Objectives: We evaluated a novel regimen of MVP and IF-XRT for non-bulky early-stage HL. The primary outcomes were response rate and freedom from disease progression. Secondary outcomes were toxicity, specifically pulmonary and cardiac dysfunction. Methods: Patients were enrolled in this multi-site phase 2 study between 1995 and 1999. Eligible patients were 18 years of age or older, had ECOG performance status 0–2 and pathologically confirmed, clinically staged non-bulky Stage I or II HL. Patients received a minimum of four cycles of mitoxantrone 8mg/m2 and vinblastine 6 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 15 of each 28-day cycle. Prednisone 100mg was given orally days 1 to 5 and 15 to 19. Chemotherapy was continued for two additional cycles after complete response, up to eight cycles. Patients then received IF-XRT (30.6 Gy-39.6 Gy) four weeks after completion of chemotherapy. G-CSF was not used as primary prophylaxis. Results: Thirty-four patients were evaluated for response in a final review. A total of 32 patients (94%) achieved a complete remission after combined therapy. Thirty patients (88%) achieved a complete response after chemotherapy alone. At a median follow-up of 49 months (range 16.9–79.7 months), 10 patients had relapsed, and three deaths were documented. None of the deaths occurred during treatment. The median time to progression was 30 months. The overall survival and disease-free survival rates at 5 years were 90% (95% confidence interval [CI], 73–97%) and 78% (95% CI, 58–89%), respectively. The treatment was well tolerated without significant grade 3/4 toxicity. (Grade 3/4 leukopenia 18% of patients; neutropenia 28%) There were no significant changes in DLCO or left ventricular ejection fraction at 12 months observed after chemotherapy. Twenty-one patients received only 4 cycles of chemotherapy; the median dose intensity for the entire group was 85%. Conclusions: As the management of early-stage HL continues to evolve in attempt to reduce long-term toxicity, this trial serves as a reminder of the balance required between efficacy and toxicity in this largely curable population. In this relatively well-tolerated regimen, there was minimal long-term toxicity, but a high number of relapses, most of which were successfully salvaged with resultant excellent 5-year overall survival rates. As the treatment for early-stage HL moves forward, there will undoubtedly be further attempts to modify the ABVD backbone. We await those results as well as long term data from the German Hodgkin Study group investigating reduction of combined modality treatment (HD10) in a similar patient population.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Contemporary Treatment in Early-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma: Updated Analyses of the German Hodgkin Study Group HD7, HD8, HD10, and HD11 Trials

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (18) ◽  
pp. 1999-2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Sasse ◽  
Paul J. Bröckelmann ◽  
Helen Goergen ◽  
Annette Plütschow ◽  
Horst Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hodgkin Lymphoma ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Therapeutic Strategies ◽  
Combined Modality Treatment ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Extended Field ◽  
Involved Field

Purpose Combined-modality treatment is widely considered the standard of care in early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and treatment intensity has been reduced over the last years. Long-term follow-up is important to judge both efficacy and safety of the different therapies used. Patients and Methods We analyzed updated follow-up data on 4,276 patients treated within the German Hodgkin Study Group trials HD7 and HD10 for early-stage favorable HL and HD8 and HD11 for early-stage unfavorable HL between 1993 and 2003. Results In HD7 (N = 627; median follow-up, 120 months), combined-modality treatment was superior to extended-field radiotherapy (RT), with 15-year progression-free survival (PFS) of 73% versus 52% (hazard ratio [HR], 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3 to 0.6; P < .001), without differences in overall survival (OS). In HD10 (N = 1,190; median follow-up, 98 months), noninferiority of two cycles of doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (ABVD) plus 20 Gy involved-field (IF)–RT to more intensive four cycles of ABVD plus 30 Gy IF-RT was confirmed with 10-year PFS of 87% each (HR, 1.0; 95%, 0.6 to 1.5) and OS of 94% each (HR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.5 to 1.6), respectively. In both trials, no differences in second neoplasias were observed. In HD8 (N = 1,064; median follow-up, 153 months), noninferiority of involved-field RT to extended-field RT regarding PFS was confirmed (HR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.8 to 1.2). In HD11 (N = 1,395; median follow-up, 106 months), superiority of bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone at baseline over ABVD was not observed. After BEACOPPbaseline, 20 Gy IF-RT was noninferior to 30 Gy (10-year PFS, 84% v 84%; HR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.7 to 1.5). In contrast, PFS was inferior in ABVD-treated patients receiving 20 Gy instead of 30 Gy IF-RT (10-year PFS, 76% v 84%; HR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.1). No differences in OS or second neoplasias were observed in in both trials. Conclusion Long-term follow-up data of the four randomized trials largely support the current risk-adapted therapeutic strategies in early-stage HL. Nevertheless, continued follow-up is necessary to assess the long-term safety of currently applied therapeutic strategies.

scholarly journals Late Toxicities, Failure Patterns, Local Tumor Control, and Survival of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients After Chemoradiotherapy With a Simultaneous Integrated Boost: A 5-Year Phase II Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuangzhen Chen ◽  
Jianzhou Chen ◽  
Ting Luo ◽  
Siyan Wang ◽  
Hong Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Local Tumor Control ◽  
Tumor Control ◽  
Local Tumor ◽  
Integrated Boost ◽  
Grade 3 ◽  
Overall Survival Rates

PurposeWe aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) of radiotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods and MaterialsEighty-seven patients with primary ESCC enrolled in this phase II trial. The majority (92.0%) had locoregionally advanced disease. They underwent definitive chemoradiotherapy. The radiotherapy doses were 66 Gy for the gross tumor and 54 Gy for the subclinical disease. Doses were simultaneously administered in 30 fractions over 6 weeks. The patients also underwent concurrent and adjuvant chemotherapy, which comprised cisplatin and fluorouracil. The study end points were acute and late toxicities, first site of failure, locoregional tumor control, and overall survival rates.ResultsThe median follow-up time was 65.7 (range, 2.2-97.5) months for all patients and 81.5 (range, 19.4-97.5) months for those alive. There were 17 cases (19.5%) of severe late toxicities, including four cases (4.6%) of grade 5 and seven (8.0%) of grade 3 esophageal ulceration, four (4.6%) of grade 3 esophageal stricture, and two (2.3%) of grade 3 radiation-induced pneumonia. Twenty-three (26.4%) patients had locoregional disease progression. Most (86.7%) locally progressive lesions were within the dose-escalation region in the initial radiation plan, while majority of the recurrent lymph nodes were found out-of-field (83.3%) and in the supraclavicular region (75.0%). The 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year locoregional tumor control and overall survival rates were 79.2%, 72.4%, 72.4%, 70.8%, and 82.8%, 66.6%, 61.9%, 58.4%, respectively. Incomplete tumor response, which was assessed immediately after CCRT was an independent risk predictor of disease progression and death in ESCC patients.ConclusionsCCRT with SIB was well tolerated in ESCC patients during treatment and long-term follow-up. Moreover, patients who underwent CCRT with SIB exhibited improved local tumor control and had better survival outcomes compared to historical data of those who had standard-dose radiotherapy.

Thirty-Five Year Follow-up Analysis of Follicular Lymphoma Patients Treated through the Nebraska Lymphoma Study Group: Prognostic Factor Analysis and Outcomes

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 7-8
Author(s):  
Amulya Yellala ◽  
Elizabeth R. Lyden ◽  
Heather Nutsch ◽  
Avyakta Kallam ◽  
Kai Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Follicular Lymphoma ◽  
Treatment Regimen ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Secondary Malignancies ◽  
Lymphoma Study Group

Background Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and most common of the clinically indolent NHLs. Although often considered an incurable disease, overall survival has increased significantly with refinement in diagnostic techniques and the addition of rituximab. The course of FL is quite variable and presence of symptoms, organ dysfunction, cytopenias, aggressiveness of tumor are all taken into consideration when deciding individual treatment. In this study, we evaluated a large patient cohort with FL treated over a 35 year period for progression free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) based on FLIPI score, tumor grade, and treatment regimen and also looked at causes of late failures. Methods We evaluated 1037 patients (pts) from the Nebraska Lymphoma Study Group that were diagnosed with FL between the years of 1983-2020. Descriptive statistics were stratified according to age, histological subtype, treatment regimen, FLIPI category, presence and type of secondary malignancy. PFS was calculated from the time of diagnosis to progression or death and OS was the time from diagnosis to death from any cause. PFS and OS were plotted as Kaplan-Meier curves with statistically significant p&lt;0.05. Results The median age at diagnosis and treatment was 61 years (yrs, range 17-91). A total of 9.1% were characterized as FLIPI high risk, 37.8% intermediate risk, and 33.6% low risk, 19.5% unavailable. Among the histological grade, 23.1% had FL- grade 1, 30.2% FL-2, 27.3% FL-3A, 2.5 % FL-3B and 16.9 % Composite Lymphoma. Anthracycline + rituximab was given in 24.5% of pts, whereas 43.8% of pts received an anthracycline based regimen without rituximab, 9.8% received rituximab without an anthracycline and 10.6% received neither of these agents. 6.75% (70 pts) were later found to have secondary malignancies of which 11 pts had myelodysplastic syndrome, 10 pts had acute leukemia and 9 pts had lung cancer. With a median follow up of 9.2 yrs and a maximum of 36 yrs, 29.7% (308 pts) had not relapsed. The median PFS across all groups was 4.6 yrs (Fig 1) and OS was 12.1 yrs. Median OS was significantly longer in patients that received rituximab at 16.1 yrs as compared to patients that did not receive rituximab at 9.89 yrs (Fig 2). PFS was 8.6 yrs, 3.6 yrs and 2.1 yrs and OS was 15.1 yrs, 11.7 yrs and 4.9 yrs in FLIPI low, intermediate and high risk groups respectively (p=&lt;0.001) (Fig 3), suggesting that survival was influenced by FLIPI score. Median PFS in FL-3B and FL-3A was 9.2 yrs and 5.2 yrs respectively which is longer than 4.7 yrs and 4.2 yrs for FL-1 and FL-2 (p=0.24). OS in FL-3A and FL-3B subgroups was 10.8 yrs while it was 11.6 yrs and 14.3 yrs in FL-2 and FL-1 (P=0.081). PFS is significantly longer at 10.6 yrs in pts treated with both anthracycline and rituximab containing regimen as compared to 5.3 yrs in pts treated with rituximab alone and 3.05 yrs in pts that had only anthracycline based regimen (p=&lt;0.001) (Fig 4). The median OS also was significantly higher in the combination regimen group at 18.8 yrs as compared to 11.3 yrs in rituximab only group and 9 yrs in anthracycline based regimen group (p=&lt;0.001). When pts with FL-3A and FL-3B were grouped together and stratified according to treatment regimen, the group that received anthracycline and rituximab combination has highest PFS and OS at 13.3 yrs and 18.8 yrs (p&lt;0.001). when pts with FL-3A were analyzed separately and stratified by treatment regimen, the results of PFS and OS were similar and statistically significant. However, of the 24 pts in FL-3B group, analysis revealed that PFS and OS was longer in anthracycline based regimen only group, however results were not statistically significant. Among the pts that relapsed/died after 10 years (n=190), the cause of death was relapsed lymphoma in 13.7%, unknown in 55.8%, secondary malignancies in 4.2%, treatment related in 2.6% and not related to disease in 23.7%. A total of 278 pts survived &gt; 10 yrs, and of these pts, 119 (30%) had not relapsed at the last follow up. Conclusion The addition of rituximab to standard anthracycline based chemotherapy has resulted in significant improvements in the PFS and OS rates of FL. These results also support the prognostic value of the FLIPI in patients treated in the rituximab era. Late relapses after 10 yrs from disease can occur, but 11.5% of patients had not relapsed with long term follow up. Secondary malignancies are also an important consideration in the long term survivors. Disclosures Lunning: Acrotech: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Kite: Consultancy, Honoraria; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Curis: Research Funding; Beigene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Aeratech: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol Meyers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria; Legend: Consultancy; Verastem: Consultancy, Honoraria; ADC Therapeutics: Consultancy. Armitage:Trovagene/Cardiff Oncology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Samus Therapeutics: Consultancy; Ascentage: Consultancy. Vose:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Allogene: Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Kite, a Gilead Company: Honoraria, Research Funding; Wugen: Honoraria; Novartis: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria; Incyte: Research Funding; Roche/Genetech: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other; Verastem: Consultancy, Honoraria; Miltenyi Biotec: Honoraria; Loxo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria; Epizyme: Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria.

A literature review of the role of brachytherapy in the management of early-stage breast cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-290
Author(s):  
Rebecca Thorpe ◽  
Heather Drury-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Overall Survival ◽  
Local Recurrence ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
External Beam Radiation ◽  
Recurrence Rates ◽  
Overall Survival Rates

AbstractBackground:This review evaluates whether brachytherapy can be considered as an alternative to whole breast irradiation (WBI) using criteria such as local recurrence rates, overall survival rates and quality of life (QoL) factors. This is an important issue because of a decline in local recurrence rates, suggesting that some women at very low risk of recurrence may be incurring the negative long-term side effects of WBI without benefitting from a reduction in local recurrence and greater overall survival. As such, the purpose of this literature review is to evaluate whether brachytherapy is a credible alternative to external beam radiation with a particular focus on the impact it has on patient QoL.Methods:The search terms used were devised by using the Population Intervention Comparison Outcome framework, and a literature search was carried out using Boolean connectors and Medical Subject Headings in the PubMed database. The resultant articles were manually assessed for relevance and appraised using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network tool. Additional papers were sourced from the citations of articles found using the search strategy. Government guidelines and regulations were also used following a manual search on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence website. This process resulted in a total of 30 sources being included as part of the review.Results:Three types of brachytherapy were the foundation for the majority of the papers found: interstitial multi-catheter brachytherapy, intra-cavity brachytherapy and permanent seed implantation. The key themes that arose from the literature were that brachytherapy is equivalent to WBI both in terms of 5-year local recurrence rates and overall survival rates at 10–12 years. The findings showed that brachytherapy was superior to WBI for some QoL factors such as being less time-consuming and equal in terms of others such as breast cosmesis. The results did also show that brachytherapy does come with its own local toxicities that could impact upon QoL such as the poor breast cosmesis associated with some brachytherapy techniques.Conclusion:In conclusion, brachytherapy was deemed a safe or acceptable alternative to WBI, but there is a need for further research on the long-term local recurrence rates, survival rates and quality of life issues as the volume of evidence is still significantly smaller for brachytherapy than for WBI. Specifically, there needs to be further investigation as to which patients will benefit from being offered brachytherapy and the influence that factors such as co-morbidities, performance status and patient choice play in these decisions.

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