This review gives a best-possible overview of current knowledge and its limitations and underlines the need for a timely generation of stronger evidence in this rapidly expanding field.

Objectives To evaluate the safety and efficacy of stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) concurrently receiving targeted therapy (TT) or immunotherapy. Patients and Methods Data on patients with mRCC were extracted from a retrospective international multicentre register study (TOaSTT), investigating SRT concurrent (≤30 days) with TT/immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Overall survival (OS), progression‐free survival (PFS), local metastasis control (LC) and time to systemic therapy switch were analysed using Kaplan–Meier curves and log‐rank testing. Clinical and treatment factors influencing survival were analysed using multivariate Cox regression. Acute and late SRT‐induced toxicity were defined according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.4.03. Results Fifty‐three patients who underwent 128 sessions of SRT were included, of whom 58% presented with oligometastatic disease (OMD). ICIs and TT were received by 32% and 68% of patients, respectively. Twenty patients (37%) paused TT for a median (range) of 14 (2–21) days. ICI therapy was not paused in any patient. A median (range) of 1 (1–5) metastatic tumour was treated per patient, with a median (range) SRT dose of 65 (40–129.4) Gy (biologically effective dose). The OS, LC and PFS rates at 1 year were 71%, 75% and 25%, respectively. The median OS and PFS were not significantly different among patients receiving TT vs those receiving ICIs (P = 0.329). New lesions were treated with a repeat radiotherapy course in 46% of patients. After 1 year, 62% of patients remained on the same systemic therapy as at the time of SRT; this was more frequent for ICI therapy compared to TT (83% vs 36%; P = 0.035). OMD was an independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.004, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.035–0.528) and PFS (P = 0.004; 95% CI 0.165–0.717) in multivariate analysis. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG‐PS) was the other independent prognostic factor for OS (P = 0.001, 95% CI 0.001–0.351). Acute grade 3 toxicity was observed in two patients, and late grade 3 toxicity in one patient. No grade 4 or 5 toxicity was observed. Conclusion Combined treatment with TT or immunotherapy and concurrent SRT was safe, without signals of increased severe toxicity. As we observed no signal of excess toxicity, full‐dose SRT should be considered to achieve optimal metastasis control in patients receiving TT or immunotherapy. Favourable PFS and OS were observed for patients with oligometastatic RCC with a good ECOG‐PS, which should form the basis for prospective testing of this treatment strategy in properly designed clinical trials.

Only a small number of studies have examined the relationship between medical students and burnout syndrome. In Salzburg, Paracelsus Private Medical University (PMU) offers a 5-year medical program instead of the regular 6 years of medical studies. Due to the tight schedule and heavy workload, the stress level of students is high. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PMU students show burnout symptoms. Three surveys were conducted: at the beginning of the academic year (T1, December 2009), at the end of the academic year (T2, June 2010), and at the beginning of the following academic year (T3, December 2010). For the assessment of burnout, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism, and low personal accomplishment) was used, as well as the Six Factors Theory of Burnout (workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values) and for comparison, the Austrian norms developed by Unterholzer. Burnout rate was calculated by a combined measure of the three components. The results show a significant difference from the norm means in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization/cynicism, and low personal

Purpose: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is the preferred primary treatment option for patients with a limited number of asymptomatic brain metastases. In case of relapse after initial SRS the optimal salvage treatment is not well defined. Within this retrospective analysis, we investigated the feasibility of repeated courses of SRS to defer Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy (WBRT) and aimed to derive prognostic factors for patient selection.Materials and Methods: From 2014 until 2017, 42 patients with 197 brain metastases have been treated with multiple courses of SRS at our institution. Treatment was delivered as single fraction (18 or 20 Gy) or hypo-fractionated (6 fractions with 5 Gy) radiosurgery. Regular follow-up included clinical examination and contrast-enhanced cMRI at 3–4 months' intervals. Besides clinical and treatment related factors, brain metastasis velocity (BMV) as a newly described clinical prognostic metric was included and calculated between first and second treatment.Results: A median number of 1 lesion (range: 1–13) per course and a median of 2 courses (range: 2–6) per patient were administered resulting in a median of 4 (range: 2–14) metastases treated over time per patient. The median interval between SRS courses was 5.8 months (range: 0.9–35 months). With a median follow-up of 17.4 months (range: 4.6–45.5 months) after the first course of treatment, a local control rate of 84% was observed after 1 year and 67% after 2 years. Median time to out-of-field-brain-failure (OOFBF) was 7 months (95%CI 4–8 months). WBRT as a salvage treatment was eventually required in 7 patients (16.6%). Median overall survival (OS) has not been reached. Grouped by ds-GPA (≤ 2 vs. >2) the survival curves showed a significant split (p = 0.039). OS differed also significantly between BMV-risk groups when grouped into low vs. intermediate/high risk groups (p = 0.025). No grade 4 or 5 acute or late toxicity was observed.Conclusion: In selected patients with relapse after SRS for brain metastases, repeat courses of SRS were safe and minimized the need for rescue WBRT. The innovative, yet easy to calculate metric BMV may facilitate treatment decisions as a prognostic factor for OS.