KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the correlation between morphological parameters and dosimetric parameters of the heart and spinal cord in patients with advanced EPC.
- Researchers observed the complexity of optimizing radiation therapy for EPC, considering unsegmented tumors and varied locations in assessing organs at risk dose.
Radiation therapy is crucial in esophageal cancer (EPC) treatment, requiring precise dose balancing for target areas and organs at risk in the radiotherapeutic management of EPC.
Wenjuan Zhao and the team aimed to assess the correlation between morphological and dosimetric parameters of the heart and spinal cord in intermediate and advanced-stage EPC.
They performed an inclusive analysis involving 105 patients with intermediate- and advanced-stage EPC treated from 2019 to 2021. Morphological parameters were derived from imaging, and intensity-modulated radiation therapy plans were executed using Raystation4.7. The planning target volumes (PTV-G and PTV-C) received prescription doses of 60Gy/30F and 54Gy/30F, respectively. Linear regression models revealed correlations between EPC morphological parameters and dosimetric parameters of the heart and spinal cord.
Total lung length correlated with spinal cord maximum dose (D2). Heart mean doses (Dmean) and heart V40 correlated with PTV-G volume and length. In middle- and upper-segment EPC cases, total lung volume correlated with spinal cord Dmean, spinal cord D2, heart Dmean, and heart V40.
In middle-stage EPC cases, heart Dmean correlated with PTV-G volume and length, and total lung length correlated with spinal cord D2. In middle- and lower-segment EPC, only PTV-G volume and length correlated with heart Dmean. All correlations were statistically significant.
The study concluded that by integrating considerations of unsegmented tumors and diverse tumor locations, comprehensive evaluation of organ at-risk dose complexity was achieved in EPC treatment.
No funding information was provided.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38488482/
Zhao W, Lan L, Xu B, et al. (2024). “Correlation between morphological parameters and dosimetric parameters of the heart and spinal cord in the intermediate- and advanced-stage esophageal cancer.” Cancer Rep (Hoboken). 2024 Mar;7(3):e2015. doi: 10.1002/cnr2.2015. PMID: 38488482; PMCID: PMC10941519.
