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ObjectivesIn this prospective cohort study, we investigated whether patient-specific finite element (FE) models can identify patients at risk of a pathological femoral fracture resulting from metastatic bone disease, and compared these FE predictions with clinical assessments by experienced clinicians.MethodsA total of 39 patients with non-fractured femoral metastatic lesions who were irradiated for pain were included from three radiotherapy institutes. During follow-up, nine pathological fractures occurred in seven patients. Quantitative CT-based FE models were generated for all patients. Femoral failure load was calculated and compared between the fractured and non-fractured femurs. Due to inter-scanner differences, patients were analyzed separately for the three institutes. In addition, the FE-based predictions were compared with fracture risk assessments by experienced clinicians.ResultsIn institute 1, median failure load was significantly lower for patients who sustained a fracture than for patients with no fractures. In institutes 2 and 3, the number of patients with a fracture was too low to make a clear distinction. Fracture locations were well predicted by the FE model when compared with post-fracture radiographs. The FE model was more accurate in identifying patients with a high fracture risk compared with experienced clinicians, with a sensitivity of 89% versus 0% to 33% for clinical assessments. Specificity was 79% for the FE models versus 84% to 95% for clinical assessments.ConclusionFE models can be a valuable tool to improve clinical fracture risk predictions in metastatic bone disease. Future work in a larger patient population should confirm the higher predictive power of FE models compared with current clinical guidelines.Cite this article: F. Eggermont, L. C. Derikx, N. Verdonschot, I. C. M. van der Geest, M. A. A. de Jong, A. Snyers, Y. M. van der Linden, E. Tanck. Can patient-specific finite element models better predict fractures in metastatic bone disease than experienced clinicians? Towards computational modelling in daily clinical practice. Bone Joint Res 2018;7:430–439. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.76.BJR-2017-0325.R2.

BACKGROUND:The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of reirradiation and hyperthermia in the treatment of radiation-associated sarcoma (RAS) in the thoracic region, which is an increasing, yet extremely rare condition with a poor prognosis. METHODS: Between 1979 and 2009, 16 patients with RAS in the thoracic region were treated in the Academic Medical Center and the Institute Verbeeten with reirradiation and hyperthermia. In 13 patients, this treatment was given for unresectable disease and 3 times after resection as adjuvant treatment. The median latency period between the original malignancy diagnosis and the RAS diagnosis was 86 months (range 19-212 months). Histology was angiosarcoma in 11 patients (69%). The literature on reirradiation with or without hyperthermia for RAS was reviewed. RESULTS: The median survival was 15.5 months (range, 3-204 months). Four patients were not evaluable for response. The response rate for the remaining 12 patients was 75% (7 complete responses and 2 partial responses). Six patients remained free of local failure until death (5 months and 7 months) or last follow-up (8 months, 11 months, 39 months, and 68 months). CONCLUSIONS: The current study indicates that combined reirradiation and hyperthermia for RAS in the thoracic region is feasible. The high response rate and the possibility of durable local control suggest that this treatment is promising. Cancer 2012;118:180-

Radioguided percutaneous catheterization and embolization of the retroperitoneal lymph vessels offers an excellent treatment option for patients with persistent chylous fistulas after failure of conservative management. We revised our stepwise management protocol (de Gier, Head Neck 1996; 18:347-351) and now consider this procedure as the secondary intervention step.

Background: Impaired cognition can be a late effect after treatment in long-term testicular cancer (TC) survivors, negatively affecting their daily life. However, little data is available beyond 20 years post-treatment. We assessed cognitive impairment in very long-term TC survivors after CT or RT and compared the results with stage I TC survivors and controls. Methods: In this cross-sectional multicenter cohort study, we enrolled TC survivors (treated with orchiectomy followed by CT or RT or orchiectomy only)—with a follow-up duration ≥ 20 years—and age-matched healthy controls. Cognitive testing included the Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Letter Fluency Test, Category Fluency Test, and Trail Making Test. We used fasting blood samples to assess the presence of hypogonadism and measured cardiovascular aging parameters, including carotid pulse wave velocity (c-PWV) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Results: We included 184 TC survivors (66 CT patients, 53 RT patients, and 65 orchiectomy-only patients) and 70 healthy controls. The median follow-up was 26 years (range: 20–42). TC survivors had a lower combined score of the cognitive tests (mean cumulative Z-score −0.85; 95% CI −1.39 to −0.33) compared to controls (mean 0.67; 95% CI −0.21 to 1.57, p < 0.01). In univariate analysis, the presence of hypogonadism (β −1.50, p < 0.01), high c-PWV (β −0.35, p = 0.09), and high AGEs (β −1.27, p = 0.02) were associated with lower cognitive scores, while only AGEs (β −1.17, p = 0.03) remained a significant predictor in multivariate analysis (Model R2 0.31, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Long-term TC survivors performed worse on cognitive tests compared to controls. Physicians and patients should be informed about timely cardiovascular risk management and testosterone supplementation therapy during follow-up to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment. Trial Registration: NCT02572934.