Comparing intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) and hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HSRT) after brain metastasis surgery: impact on oncological outcome and radionecrosis.
Maria Neu, Ehab Shiban, Philipp Krauss, Björn Sommer, Zoha Roushan, Susanne Gutser, Christoph J Maurer, Tilman Janzen, Georg Stüben, Klaus-Henning Kahl
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Due to significantly lower neurocognitive toxicity, whole-brain irradiation (WBI) has largely been replaced by focal irradiation of the resection cavity following brain metastasis surgery. However, the optimal treatment modality and fractionation scheme remain controversial. This study conducts a comparative analysis of hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HSRT) and intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT), focusing on clinical outcomes and toxicity profiles.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing 129 patients (HSRT: 72, IORT: 57) with 137 treated cavities (HSRT: 75, IORT: 62) at the University Hospital of Augsburg (UKA) between 2013 and 2021. Baseline characteristics, oncological outcomes, incidence of radionecrosis (RN), and time to further treatment were compared.
Results: Radionecrosis occurred significantly less frequently in the IORT group compared to HSRT, with 1-year RN rates of 3.7% (95% CI: 0.5-23.5%) and 21.8% (95% CI: 11.7-39.2%), respectively (p = 0.00025). At two years, the RN rate remained substantially lower after IORT (8.5% vs. 53.2%). Notably, in patients without prior cerebral irradiation, no symptomatic RN (sRN) occurred following IORT, whereas the 2-year sRN rate in the HSRT group reached 35.5% (p = 0.0036). Oncological outcomes, including overall survival (OS), local control (LC), intracranial disease control, leptomeningeal dissemination (LMD), and WBI avoidance, were comparable between the two groups. However, distant brain control (DBC) at one year was higher in the HSRT group. While HSRT was initiated after a median delay of 29 days (range: 14-71), IORT was delivered intraoperatively, enabling immediate continuation of systemic therapy.
Conclusion: In this retrospective single-center analysis, IORT demonstrated comparable oncological efficacy to HSRT while significantly reducing the risk of RN. Given its intraoperative delivery and the ability to promptly resume systemic therapy, and the precise application directly at the resection cavity, IORT may represent a practical and effective alternative in selected patients.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Neuro-Oncology is a multi-disciplinary journal encompassing basic, applied, and clinical investigations in all research areas as they relate to cancer and the central nervous system. It provides a single forum for communication among neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiotherapists, medical oncologists, neuropathologists, neurodiagnosticians, and laboratory-based oncologists conducting relevant research. The Journal of Neuro-Oncology does not seek to isolate the field, but rather to focus the efforts of many disciplines in one publication through a format which pulls together these diverse interests. More than any other field of oncology, cancer of the central nervous system requires multi-disciplinary approaches. To alleviate having to scan dozens of journals of cell biology, pathology, laboratory and clinical endeavours, JNO is a periodical in which current, high-quality, relevant research in all aspects of neuro-oncology may be found.