Purpose Standard therapies for localized inoperable intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC) are ineffective. Advances in radiotherapy (RT) techniques and image guidance have enabled ablative doses to be delivered to large liver tumors. This study evaluated the effects of RT dose escalation in the treatment of IHCC. Patients and Methods Seventy-nine consecutive patients with inoperable IHCC were identified and treated with definitive RT from 2002 to 2014. At diagnosis, the median tumor size was 7.9 cm (range, 2.2 to 17 cm). Seventy patients (89%) received systemic chemotherapy before RT. RT doses were 35 to 100 Gy (median, 58.05 Gy) in three to 30 fractions for a median biologic equivalent dose (BED) of 80.5 Gy (range, 43.75 to 180 Gy). Results Median follow-up time for patients alive at time of analysis was 33 months (range, 11 to 93 months). Median overall survival (OS) time after diagnosis was 30 months; 3-year OS rate was 44%. Radiation dose was the single most important prognostic factor; higher doses correlated with an improved local control (LC) rate and OS. The 3-year OS rate for patients receiving BED greater than 80.5 Gy was 73% versus 38% for those receiving lower doses (P = .017); 3-year LC rate was significantly higher (78%) after a BED greater than 80.5 Gy than after lower doses (45%, P = .04). BED as a continuous variable significantly affected LC (P = .009) and OS (P = .004). There were no significant treatment-related toxicities. Conclusion Delivery of higher doses of RT improves LC and OS in inoperable IHCC. A BED greater than 80.5 Gy seems to be an ablative dose of RT for large IHCCs, with long-term survival rates that compare favorably with resection.

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Summary Twenty five patients were treated with proton beam therapy to 45 Gy(RBE), 52.5 Gy(RBE), or 60 Gy(RBE) in 15 fractions using a 3+3 study design. Dose constraints were based on biologically equivalent doses to standard fractionated treatment. Two patients experienced high-grade toxicity, both possibly related to radiation therapy. We consider this approach to be a good option for patients who are not candidates for concurrent chemoradiation. Background Many patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cannot undergo concurrent chemotherapy because of comorbidities or poor performance status. Hypofractionated radiation regimens, if tolerable, may provide an option to these patients for effective local control. Patients and Methods Twenty five patients were enrolled in a phase I dose-escalation trial of proton beam therapy (PBT) from September 2010 through July 2012. Eligible patients had histologically documented lung cancer, thymic tumors, carcinoid tumors, or metastatic thyroid tumors. Concurrent chemotherapy was not allowed, but concurrent treatment with biologic agents was. The dose-escalation schema comprised 15 fractions of 3 Gy(RBE)/fraction, 3.5 Gy(RBE)/fraction, or 4 Gy(RBE)/fraction. Dose constraints were derived from biologically equivalent doses of standard fractionated treatment. Results The median follow-up time for patients alive at the time of analysis was 13 months (range 8-28 months). Fifteen patients received treatment to hilar or mediastinal lymph nodes. Two patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity possibly related to treatment; one received 3.5-Gy(RBE) fractions and developed an in-field tracheoesophageal fistula 9 months after PBT and 1 month after bevacizumab. The other patient received 4-Gy(RBE) fractions and was hospitalized for bacterial pneumonia/radiation pneumonitis 4 months after PBT. Conclusion Hypofractionated PBT to the thorax delivered over 3 weeks was well tolerated even with significant doses to the lungs and mediastinal structures. Phase II/III trials are needed to compare the efficacy of this technique with standard treatment for locally advanced NSCLC.

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Purpose: Older women with nonmetastatic breast cancer can often choose from several surgery and radiation treatment options. Little is known regarding how these choices contribute to decisional regret, which is a negative emotion reflecting the idea that another surgery or radiation decision might have been preferable. We sought to characterize the burden of and examine potential risk factors for local therapy decisional regret among a population-based cohort of older breast cancer survivors.Methods and Materials: National Medicare claims for age ≥67 female breast cancer incident in 2009 identified patients treated with lumpectomy plus whole-breast irradiation, brachytherapy, or endocrine therapy or mastectomy with or without radiation. We sampled 330 patients per treatment group (N = 1650), of whom 1253 agreed to receive a paper survey including the Decisional Regret Scale and EQ-5D-3L Health-Utility Scale. Local therapy regret was defined as neutral or worse response to questions regarding surgery-or radiation-related decisional regret.

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In this nationally diverse cohort, less irradiation and less surgery were associated with better long-term quality-of-life outcomes. However, patient regret regarding surgery and radiation therapy was similar across all groups.

Background The authors compared longitudinal patient-reported outcomes and physician-rated cosmesis with conventionally fractionated whole-breast irradiation (CF-WBI) versus hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation (HF-WBI) within the context of a randomized trial. Methods From 2011 to 2014, a total of 287 women with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage 0 to stage II breast cancer were randomized to receive CF-WBI (at a dose of 50 grays in 25 fractions plus a tumor bed boost) or HF-WBI (at a dose of 42.56 grays in 16 fractions plus a tumor bed boost) after breast-conserving surgery. Patient-reported outcomes were assessed using the Breast Cancer Treatment Outcome Scale (BCTOS), the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast, and the Body Image Scale and were recorded at baseline and 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 years after radiotherapy. Physician-rated cosmesis was assessed at the same time points. Outcomes by treatment arm were compared at each time point using a 2-sided Student t test. Multivariable mixed effects growth curve models assessed the effects of treatment arm and time on longitudinal outcomes. Results Of the 287 patients enrolled, 149 were randomized to CF-WBI and 138 were randomized to HF-WBI. At 2 years, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Trial Outcome Index score was found to be modestly better in the HF-WBI arm (mean 79.6 vs 75.9 for CF-WBI; P5.02). In multivariable mixed effects models, treatment arm was not found to be associated with longitudinal outcomes after adjusting for time and baseline outcome measures (P≥0.14). The linear effect of time was significant for BCTOS measures of functional status (P=0.001, improved with time) and breast pain (P=.002, improved with time). Conclusions In this randomized trial, longitudinal outcomes did not appear to differ by treatment arm. Patient-reported functional and pain outcomes improved over time. These findings are relevant when counseling patients regarding decisions concerning radiotherapy.