Michael T. Milano

Long-term CT surveillance after primary lung cancer treatment captures events in all risk groups

Oligometastases to the liver: predicting outcomes based upon radiation sensitivity

BACKGROUND: Survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) are at an increased risk of developing second malignancies. To the authors' knowledge, the risks of head and neck cancer (HNC) after HL and subsequent survival have not been thoroughly investigated.METHODS: From the US population‐based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for 1973 through 2011, survivors of HL who developed HNC as a second cancer were analyzed. Patients with a first primary HNC were used as a comparison group. Observed‐to‐expected ratios and summary statistics were performed on patients with HL with squamous cell carcinoma (HL‐SCC) and salivary gland cancer (HL‐SGC). The impact of HL history on overall survival was assessed using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model.RESULTS: The observed‐to‐expected ratio for SCC among patients with HL was 1.73 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.36‐2.16; P<.05), whereas it was 8.56 for SGC (95% CI, 5.82‐12.15; P<.05). Using Cox proportional hazards modeling, a history of HL was found to be an adverse prognostic factor for overall survival for SCC (hazard ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.08‐1.73 [P = .009]) but not SGC (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.82‐1.79 [P = .34]). The inferior survival of the patients in the HL‐SCC cohort appears to be attributable to more deaths from HL and other malignancies diagnosed after SCC.CONCLUSIONS: There is a significantly increased risk of salivary and nonsalivary HNC after HL, and worse survival for patients with HL‐SCC versus those with a first primary SCC. Clinicians should be aware of the risks of HNC after HL. In the absence of evidence‐based criteria, the authors recommend that survivors of HL undergo periodic head and neck examination. Cancer 2015;121:1436–1445. © 2015 American Cancer Society.

BACKGROUND: The current study characterizes the overall survival (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) of patients with stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated with radiotherapy alone, and analyzes the variables potentially affecting survival outcomes. METHODS: A total of 8524 patients with stage I NSCLC (according to the sixth edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual) who were diagnosed between 1988 and 2008 were retrospectively analyzed using the population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) from multivariate analyses. RESULTS: The 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year OS rates were 62%, 37%, and 11%, respectively; the corresponding lung cancer CSS survival rates were 68%, 45%, and 20%, respectively. Approximately 77% of deaths were from lung cancer (5292 of 6891 total deaths). Cardiac (n = 477 deaths) and pulmonary (other than lung cancer deaths; n = 475 deaths) deaths accounted for 14% of deaths. From Cox proportional hazards analyses, male sex (HR, 1.2) and squamous cell carcinoma histology (HR, > 1.1) were found to be significantly (P < .0001) adverse prognostic factors for both OS and lung cancer CSS. A more recent calendar year of diagnosis was associated with significantly (P < .0001) improved OS (HR, 0.84 per decade) and lung cancer CSS. This trend was also significant (P < 0.0001) when restricting analyses to those patients with tumors measuring ≤ 5 cm (n = 5402 patients). T1 classification (vs T2 or T unknown) and smaller tumor size were found to be significantly (P < .0001) favorable factors. CONCLUSIONS: From a population-based registry analysis of patients with stage I NSCLC, significant (albeit modest) improvements in survival in more recent years were appreciated, which likely reflect technologic advances in the diagnosis of, staging of, and radiotherapy for NSCLC. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.

Background: Patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) are at risk of developing second primary lung cancer (SPLC).Methods: Among 61,883 patients with HNSCC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, 4522 developed SPLC (any histology) ≥2 months after HNSCC. We correlated risk with demographic and tumor‐related parameters.Results: The risk of SPLC after HNSCC was 5.8%, 11.4%, and 16.4% at 5, 10, and 15 years, respectively. From Cox regression, significantly adverse (p < .0001) risk factors for SPLC included: regional versus localized HNSCC stage (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.16), hypopharyngeal or supraglottic laryngeal site (HR = 1.57), increased age (HR = 1.26/decade), black race (HR = 1.27), and male sex (HR = 1.26). Glottic (HR = 0.75) and tonsillar or oral cavity sites (HR = 0.80) were associated with significantly (p < .0001) lower risks of SPLC.Conclusion: From population‐based actuarial analyses, HNSCCs with more aggressive clinicopathologic features were more apt to develop SPLC, suggestive of similar environmental and/or host factors for these cancers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2012

To analyze patient and tumor characteristics, and survival of patients who received 2 courses of radiotherapy for different primary head and neck cancers (HNCs). A total of 234 patients who underwent 2 courses of radiotherapy for different primary, localized, or regional HNCs registered in the population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database were identified. The latency between first and second irradiated HNCs ranged from 0.3 to 28.8 years (median, 6.3 years). Only 22% of first irradiated HNCs were node positive, and only 22% of second irradiated HNCs were node positive. After the diagnosis of the second irradiated HNC, the 1-, 2-, and 5-year overall survivals were 68%, 40%, and 17%, respectively. The variables of gender, race, latency, and stage of second cancer did not significantly impact survival. At the time of diagnosis of second irradiated HNC, younger age (P = 0.026), later year of diagnosis (P = 0.005), and cancer-directed surgery (P = 0.032) were favorable predictors of improved survival. With Cox regression analyses, younger age (P = 0.060) and cancer-directed surgery for the second irradiated HNC (HR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.55-1.01, P = 0.062) were borderline significantly favorable risk factors, whereas year of diagnosis (P = 0.13) was not. From a population-based analysis, patients undergoing a second course of radiation for HNC appear to benefit from cancer-directed surgery, although this did not reach statistical significance with Cox regression analyses. The improved outcome after resection is perhaps attributable to a therapeutic benefit from surgery and/or more indolent disease among those amenable to resection.

This study characterizes the overall survival (OS) and cause specific survival (CSS) of patients with thoracic malignant solitary fibrous tumors. Eighty-two patients with malignant solitary fibrous tumors of the lung, pleura or mediastinum, diagnosed from 2001-2007, were retrospectively analyzed using the population-based Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Among 77 patients with available staging information, 42% (n=32) had localized disease, 31% (n=24) had regional disease extension (without nodal involvement) and 27% had regional-nodal (n=2) or distant (n=19) metastases. Cancer-directed surgery was performed in 85%; radiation was performed in 16%. The 1-year, 5-year and median OS were 87%, 49% and 4.6 years respectively. The 1-year, 5-year and median CSS were 89%, 61% and 5.7 years respectively. Less advanced stage and undergoing cancer-directed surgery were favorable prognostic factors. For localized, regional and distant stage the median OS was: not reached at 6.3 years, 4.4 years and 2.0 years respectively (P=0.021); the median CSS was not reached at 6.3 years, 5.0 years and 2.4 years (P=0.068). For patients undergoing versus not undergoing surgery, the median OS was 4.9 vs 0.9 years (P=0.053) and median CSS was 5.7 vs 0.9 years (P=0.011). Tumor size was not significant. From a population-based analysis of patients with thoracic malignant solitary fibrous tumors, stage and cancer-directed surgery had the greatest impact on OS and CSS. While being amenable to surgery likely reflects more indolent disease and/or better performance status and cardiopulmonary function, the significantly favorable impact of surgery also likely reflects a therapeutic benefit.