The eighth tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging system (8-TNM) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was newly released in 2015. This system had limitation because most patients included in the analysis were treated with surgery. Therefore, it might be difficult to reflect prognosis of patients treated with curative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Purpose of this study was to investigate clinical impact of the newly published 8-TNM compared to the current seventh TNM staging system (7-TNM) for locally advanced NSCLC patients treated with CCRT. New 8-TNM was applied to 64 patients with locally advanced NSCLC who were treated with CCRT from 2010 to 2015. Changes in T category and stage group by 8-TNM were recorded and patterns of change were evaluated. Survival was analyzed according to T category, N category, and stage group in each staging system, respectively. Among the total of 64 patients, 38 (59.4%) patients showed change in T category while 22 (34.4%) patients showed change in stage group using 8-TNM compared to 7-TNM. Survival curves were significantly separated in the 8-TNM stage group (p = 0.001) than those in the 7-TNM (p > 0.05). Especially, survival of newly introduced stage IIIC by 8-TNM was significantly lower than that of others. On the other hand, there was no significant survival difference between T categories in each staging system. Subdivision of stage III into IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC by 8-TNM for patients treated with CCRT better reflected prognosis than 7-TNM. However, subdivision of T category according to tumor size in 8-TNM might be less significant.

The role of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) and setting proper RT target volumes have not been clearly demonstrated for extrahepatic bile duct (EHBD) cancer, due to the rarity of the disease and the lack of randomized trials. This study was conducted to evaluate the indication and treatment volume for adjuvant RT in EHBD cancer patients by identifying the prognostic factors for loco-regional (LR) failure, and analyze the patterns of LR failure. Ninety-three patients with EHBD cancer, who underwent resection without adjuvant RT, at 2 medical centers, between 2001 and 2016, were analyzed retrospectively. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to find the prognostic factors for LR recurrence. The initial patterns of failure were recorded, especially those of LR recurrence, and categorized according to the Japanese classification. The median follow-up duration was 30 months, and 38 (40.9%) patients experienced LR recurrence during this period. With regards to LR recurrence, close or positive resection margin (RM) status (p < 0.001) remained statistically significant in the multivariable analysis. The most common LR recurrence sites were the tumor bed (18.3%), and lymph node (LN) stations No. 8 (14.1%), No. 9 (12.7%), No. 12 (12.7%), No. 13 (5.6%), No. 14 (21.1%), No. 16 (14.1%), and No. 17 (1.4%). A close or positive RM status may be suggestive of high LR recurrence rates. In such cases, adjuvant RT may improve outcomes. When adjuvant RT is performed, the treatment volume should be well-designed so as to encompass the tumor bed, as well as LN stations No. 8, No. 9, No. 12, No. 14, and No. 16.

The immunologic aspects of radiation pneumonitis (RP) are unclear. We analyzed variations in cytokine profiles between patients with grade (Gr) 0–1 and Gr ≥ 2 RP. Fifteen patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer were included. Blood samples of 9 patients with Gr 0–1 and 6 with Gr ≥ 2 RP were obtained from the Biobank. Cytokine levels were evaluated using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay at before radiotherapy (RT) initiation, 1, 3, and 6 weeks post-RT initiation, and 1 month post-RT completion. Concentrations of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β were analyzed; none were related to the occurrence of Gr ≥ 2 RP at pre-RT initiation. At 3 weeks, relative changes in the G-CSF, IL-6, and IFN-γ levels differed significantly between the groups (p = 0.026, 0.05 and 0.026, respectively). One month post-RT completion, relative changes of IL-17 showed significant differences (p = 0.045); however, relative changes in TNF-α, IL-10, IL-13, and TGF-β, did not differ significantly. Evaluation of changes in IL-6, G-CSF, and IFN-γ at 3 weeks after RT initiation can identify patients pre-disposed to severe RP. The mechanism of variation in cytokine levels in relation to RP severity warrants further investigation.