We estimated the likelihood of breast cancer patients having axillary lymph node metastases (ALNM) based on a variety of clinical and pathologic factors. Three hundred sixty-one breast cancer patients without distant metastases and who underwent breast conserving surgery and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) (level I and II) or modified radical mastectomy (MRM) were identified, and we retrospectively reviewed their pathology records and treatment charts. Positive axillary lymph nodes were detected in 104 patients for an overall incidence of 28.8%: 2 patients (5%) with T1a tumor, 5 (9.2%) with T1b tumor, 24 (21.8%) with T1c tumor and 73 (44.2%) with T2 tumor. On the multivariate analysis, an increased tumor size (adjusted OR=11.87, p=0.02), the presence of lymphovascular invasion (adjusted OR=7.41, p<0.01), a triple negative profile (ER/PR-, Her2-) (adjusted OR=2.09, p=0.04) and a palpable mass at the time of diagnosis (adjusted OR=2.31, p=0.03) were all significant independent factors for positive ALNM. In our study, the tumor size, the presence of lymphovascular invasion, a triple negative profile and a palpable mass were the independent predictive factors for ALNM. The tumor size was the strongest predictor of ALNM. Thus, the exact estimation of the extent of tumor is necessary for clinicians to optimize the patients' care. Patients with a triple negative profile have a high incidence of ALNM irrespective of the tumor size.

This study aimed for a collaborative evaluation of variability in the target volumes for glioblastoma, determined and contoured by different radiotherapy (RT) facilities in Korea. Fifteen panels of radiation oncologists from independent institutions contoured the gross target volumes (GTVs) and clinical target volumes (CTVs) for 3-dimensional conformal RT or intensity-modulated RT on each simulation CT images, after scrutinizing the enhanced T1-weighted and T2-weighted-fluid-attenuated inversion recovery MR images of 9 different cases of glioblastoma. Degrees of contouring agreement were analyzed by the kappa statistics. Using the algorithm of simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE), GTVSTAPLE and CTVSTAPLE contours were derived. Contour agreement was moderate (mean kappa 0.58) among the GTVs and was substantial (mean kappa 0.65) among the CTVs. However, each panels’ GTVs and modification of CTVs regarding anatomical structures varied. Three-fourth of contoured panels’ CTVs encompassed the peritumoral areas of T2-high signal intensity (T2-HSI). Nine of nine GTVSTAPLE encompased the surgical cavity and the T1-enhanced lesions. Eight of nine CTVSTAPLE encompassed the peritumoral T2-HSI area. The median MARGIN90 and the median MARGIN95 were 1.4 cm and 1.5 cm, respectively. Moderate to substantial agreement existed in target volumes for 3-dimensional or intensity-modulated RT determined by radiation oncologists in Korea. According to the estimated consensus contours, the initial CTV encompassed the GTV with margin less than 2.0 cm and the whole peritumoral areas of T2-HSI. The findings of our study propose the need for further studies and modified guidelines.

The objective of this study was to evaluate external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in lung cancer patients who suffer from airway obstruction. Medical data of 95 patients with a lung mass that obstructed the airway and received EBRT for it were analyzed. Fifty-nine patients (62.1%) had non-small cell lung cancer and 36 patients (37.9%) had small cell lung cancer. Radiotherapy was given at 8 to 45 Gy (median, 30 Gy) in 1 to 15 fractions (median, 10 fractions). The response to EBRT was assessed through changes in radiographic findings and/or subjective symptoms between before and after EBRT. The median follow-up duration was 124 days. The primary end point was the airway-obstruction resolving rate after EBRT. The secondary end points were patient survival and toxic effects of EBRT. Improvement of airway obstruction after EBRT on chest X-ray was achieved in 75 of 95 patients (78.9%). The median time for resolving the radiologic findings and/or symptoms of airway obstruction after EBRT was 7 days (range, 1 to 76 days). The 1-year survival rate was significantly higher in responders than non-responders (12.5% vs. 0.0%, p < 0.001). The biologically effective dose of ≥ 39 Gyα/β=10 (p < 0.01) and the longest obstructive lesion of < 6 cm (p=0.04) were significantly associated with a good response to EBRT in resolving the airway obstruction. No one had grade 3 or higher acute and chronic toxicities. EBRT is an effective treatment in relieving airway obstruction without severe toxicities in lung cancer patients.

Spinal metastases can present with varying degrees of mechanical instability. The Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS) was developed as a tool to assess spinal neoplastic-related instability while helping to guide referrals among oncology specialists. Some previous papers suggested that the SINS was accurate and reliable, while others disagreed with this opinion. We performed a systematic review regarding the SINS to evaluate its accuracy and precision in predicting vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). The 21 included studies investigated a total of 2118 patients. Thirteen studies dealt with the accuracy of SINS to predict postradiotherapy VCFs, and eight dealt with the precision. Among 13 studies, 11 agreed that the SINS categories showed statistically significant accuracy in predicting VCF. Among eight studies, body collapse was effective for predicting VCFs in six studies, and alignment and bone lesion in two studies. Location has no statistical significance in predicting VCFs in any of the eight studies. The precision of SINS categories was substantial to excellent in six of eight studies. Among the six components of the SINS, the majority of the included studies reported that location showed near perfect agreement; body collapse, alignment, and posterolateral involvement showed moderate agreement; and bone lesion showed fair agreement. Bone lesion showed significant accuracy in predicting VCFs in half of eight studies, but displayed fair reliability in five of seven studies. Although location was indicated as having near perfect reliability, the component showed no accuracy for predicting VCFs in any of the studies and deleting or modifying the item needs to be considered. The SINS system may be accurate and reliable in predicting the occurrence of postradiotherapy VCFs for spinal metastasis. Some components seem to be substantially weak and need to be revised.

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer differs from HPV-negative oropharyngeal cancer in terms of etiology, epidemiology, and prognosis. Younger and lower comorbidity patient demographics and favorable prognosis allow HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer patients to anticipate longer life expectancy. Reducing long-term toxicities has become an increasingly important issue. Treatment deintensification to reduce toxicities has been investigated in terms of many aspects, and the reduction of radiotherapy (RT) dose in definitive treatment, replacement of platinum-based chemotherapy with cetuximab, response-tailored dose prescription after induction chemotherapy, and reduction of adjuvant RT dose after transoral surgery have been evaluated. We performed a literature review of prospective trials of deintensification for HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer. In phase II trials, reduction of RT dose in definitive treatment showed comparable survival outcomes to historical results. Two phase III randomized trials reported inferior survival outcomes for cetuximab-based chemoradiation compared with cisplatin-based chemoradiation. In a randomized phase III trial investigating adjuvant RT, deintensified RT showed noninferior survival outcomes in patients without extranodal extension but worse survival in patients with extranodal extension. Optimal RT dosage and patient selection require confirmation in future studies. Although many phase II trials have reported promising outcomes, the results of phase III trials are needed to change the standard treatment. Since high-level evidence has not been established, current deintensification should only be performed as part of a clinical study with caution. Implementation in clinical practice should not be undertaken until evidence from phase III randomized trials is available.