DeWees, T.A.

LBA5012 Background: There is a critical evidence gap on the relative benefits and harms of proton therapy (PT) compared with photon-based intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in prostate cancer. Herein we report early results from COMPPARE, a non-randomized comparative study of outcomes with PT and IMRT in prostate cancer. Methods: Between 2018-2022, 2524 patients from 51 facilities (28 PT and 23 IMRT) enrolled in COMPPARE, including 1501 treated with PT and 1023 treated with IMRT, and were followed prospectively. Treatment naïve patients with localized prostate cancer except those with very high-risk disease were eligible. Treatment was pragmatic with daily standard fractionation (1.8-2.1 Gy) and moderate hypofractionation (2.4-3.1 Gy) permitted. Use of rectal spacers and androgen deprivation were at physician discretion. Patient-reported quality of life data and treatment team-reported toxicity and disease control outcomes were collected at baseline and pre-specified time intervals via VisionTreeOptimalCare; treatment planning and delivery data were collected via the Advanced Treatment Consortium. We analyzed 1404 PT patients and 939 IMRT patients. We report the early primary endpoint of the study, a comparison of patient reported bowel urgency and bowel frequency at 2-years using the EPIC tool, and the secondary endpoints of 2-year CTCAE v5 ≥ grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicity outcomes and 3-year freedom from biochemical progression (FFBP) results reported by the study teams. Results: Study sample size was targeted at 1,500 PT patients and 1,000 IMRT patients, and median follow-up time was 4.0 years. The primary endpoint and secondary toxicity 2-year endpoints focused on the alternative hypothesis of PT superiority. All results include inverse probability of treatment weighting. Using generalized linear mixed effects models, we found there to be no significant difference in EPIC bowel urgency scores (p = 0.324) or bowel frequency scores (p = 0.514) between PT and IMRT cohorts over time up to the 2-year endpoint. For grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicity, the 2-year cumulative incidence was 5.2% for PT and 5.6% for IMRT. Gray’s Test for competing risks showed a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.91 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65-1.28, p = 0.6] for PT versus IMRT. The exploratory non-inferiority endpoint of 3-year FFBP was 98.0% for PT and 97.9% for IMRT, and Gray’s Test showed a HR of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.52-1.71, p = 0.90). Conclusions: Analysis of early results of COMPPARE show no significant differences between PT and IMRT in patient reported bowel frequency and urgency, grade ≥2 gastrointestinal toxicity, or FFBP. Assessment of long-term disease control, late toxicity and secondary malignancy will require longer follow-up. Clinical trial information: NCT03561220 .

Abstract Purpose: Head and neck (HN) radiotherapy contour quality directly impacts local control (LC) and survival; however, few departments peer review (PR) contours prior to radiotherapy planning (RTP). This study reports outcomes of a single institution’s formal HN contour PR process. Methods: A formal HN contour PR process was implemented. Prior to RTP, HN radiation oncologists reviewed contours, provided feedback and assigned contour grades as follows: R0 (no change), R1 (minor revision, not high risk) or R2 (major revision; high risk). The PR task was completed and the contour grade was recorded. Cochran-Armitage trend test was performed. Results: Pilot PR process was performed over a 7-month period for 88 patients, followed by a maintenance phase. Contours were graded as follows: R0 ( N = 51), R1 ( N = 20) and R2 ( N = 17). Over time, the number of R2 revisions decreased ( p = 0.0001); month 1 ( N = 7), month 2 ( N = 3), month 3 ( N = 5), month 4 ( N = 2) and months 5–7 ( N = 0). Conversely, the number of R0 revisions improved over time ( p = 0.0203); month 1 ( N = 5), months 2–3 ( N = 9), month 4 ( N = 5), month 5 ( N = 8), month 6 ( N = 12) and month 7 ( N = 3). Each radiation oncologist demonstrated reduction in R2 revisions during the pilot. During maintenance, all 3 radiation oncologists demonstrated low rates of R2 revisions of less than 3 cases per year. Conclusion: Incorporation of HN contour PR into routine clinical workflow is feasible. The collective experience of multiple high-volume HN radiation oncologists led to improved contour quality in the pilot for each radiation oncologist and continued to ensure high quality in the maintenance phase.

Abstract Background Minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) quantify the clinical relevance of quality of life results at the individual patient and group level. The aim of this study was to estimate the MCID for the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and the Worst and Usual Fatigue items in patients with brain or CNS cancer undergoing curative radiotherapy. Methods Data from a multi-site prospective registry was used. The MCID was calculated using distribution-based and anchor-based approaches. For the anchor-based approach, the fatigue item from the PROMIS-10 served as the anchor to determine if a patient improved, deteriorated, or had no change from baseline to end of treatment (EOT). We compared the unadjusted means on the BFI for the 3 groups to calculate the MCID. For the distribution-based approaches, we calculated the MCID as 0.5 SD of the scores and as 1.96 times the standard error of measurement. Results Three-hundred and fifty nine patients with brain or CNS tumors undergoing curative radiotherapy filled out the 9-item BFI at baseline and EOT. The MCID for the BFI was 1.33 (ranging from 0.99 to 1.70 across the approaches), 1.51 (ranging from 1.16 to 2.02) and 1.76 (ranging from 1.38 to 2.14) for the usual and worst fatigue items, respectively. Conclusions This study provides the MCID ranges for the BFI and Worst and Usual fatigue items, which will allow clinically meaningful conclusions to be drawn from BFI scores. These results can be used to select optimal treatments for patients with brain or CNS cancer or to interpret BFI scores from clinical trials.

2002 Background: Elderly patients with glioblastoma have a poor prognosis with phase III trials reporting median overall survival (OS) and global time to deterioration of 6–9 and 1.2 months respectively. 18F-DOPA (3,4-dihydroxy-6-[18F]-fluoro-L-phenylalanine) positron emission tomography (PET) is sensitive and specific for identifying regions of high density and biologically aggressive glioblastoma. Proton beam therapy (PBT) can spare more healthy tissue that may improve quality of life for this patient population. With improved targeting of disease along with dosimetric advantages of PBT, this phase II trial tested whether hypofractionated PBT can offer both improved survival and quality of life. Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma aged ≥65 years without contraindications to 18F-DOPA were eligible. Target volumes were defined by PET (tumor/normal brain SUV ≥2.0) and MRI areas of contrast enhancement including surgical cavity. Patients received dose escalated hypofractionated PBT of 35-40 GyE to PET/MRI over 5-10 treatments with 10 mm margin. Patients received concurrent/adjuvant temozolomide. With an alpha of 0.1, 18 of 39 patients would be required to be alive at 12 months for the study to be considered a success. Kaplan-Meier/Cox regression analysis was performed for progression free survival (PFS) and OS. Toxicities were evaluated with CTCAE v4.0. Patients completed EORTC BN20, QLQ-C30, and MMSE questionnaires. Time to deterioration, defined as a 10-point decrease in the score of the function domain or 10-point increase in score of symptom domain, was evaluated. Results: Between 5/2019-6/2021, 43 patients were enrolled, with 4 patients withdrawing due to progression/insurance denial prior to beginning protocol therapy. The median age was 70.2 yrs. and median follow-up was 12.5 months. MGMT methylation was present in 13 (33%). Tumors were multifocal in 10 (26%) and unifocal in 29 (74%). The primary endpoint was met with median PFS/OS was 6.5/12.9 months for all patients and for MGMT methylated patients 11.9/29.8 months respectively. Grade 3 baseline adjusted treatment related adverse events included 1 (3%) confusion, 2 (5%) fatigue, and 1 (3%) seizure. There were no grade 4/5 events. Multivariate analysis revealed MGMT unmethylated, ECOG 2 and biopsy only patients had worse survival. PET volume was more predictive than MRI volume for OS with PET volume>26 cc having a hazard ratio of 3.7. The median time to global deterioration per QLC-C30 was 6.3 months. Conclusions: This phase II trial incorporating 18F-DOPA PET-guided dose escalated hypofractionated proton beam treatment for elderly patients with glioblastoma met its primary endpoint for improved OS and patient reported quality of life compared to historical controls. Further investigation is warranted. Clinical trial information: NCT03778294 .

Surgical treatment of pelvic sarcoma involving the bone is the standard of care but is associated with several sequelae and reduced functional quality of life (QOL). Treatment with photon and proton radiotherapy is associated with relapse. Carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) may reduce both relapse rates and treatment sequelae. The PROSPER study is a tricontinental, nonrandomized, prospective, three-arm, pragmatic trial evaluating treatments of pelvic sarcoma involving the bone. Patients aged at least 15 years are eligible for inclusion. Participants must have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status score of two or less, newly diagnosed disease, and histopathologic confirmation of pelvic chordoma, chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma with bone involvement, rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) with bone involvement, or non-RMS soft tissue sarcoma with bone involvement. Treatment arms include (1) CIRT (n = 30) delivered in Europe and Asia, (2) surgical treatment with or without adjuvant radiotherapy (n = 30), and (3) proton therapy (n = 30). Arms two and three will be conducted at Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota. The primary end point is to compare the 1-year change in functional QOL between CIRT and surgical treatment. Additional comparisons among the three arms will be made between treatment sequelae, local control, and other QOL measures.

Purpose: Post-operative prostate cancer patients are treated with full bladder instruction and the use of an endorectal balloon (ERB). We reassessed the efficacy of this practice based on daily image guidance and dose delivery using high-quality iterative reconstructed cone-beam CT (iCBCT). Methods: Fractional dose delivery was calculated on daily iCBCT for 314 fractions from 14 post-operative prostate patients (8 with and 6 without ERB) treated with volumetric modulated radiotherapy (VMAT). All patients were positioned using novel iCBCT during image guidance. The bladder, rectal wall, femoral heads, and prostate bed clinical tumor volume (CTV) were contoured and verified on daily iCBCT. The dose-volume parameters of the contoured organs at risk (OAR) and CTV coverage were assessed for the clinical impact of daily bladder volume variations and the use of ERB. Minimum bladder volume was studied, and a straightforward bladder instruction was explored for easy clinical adoption. Results: A “minimum bladder” contour, the overlap between the original bladder contour and a 15 mm anterior and superior expansion from prostate bed PTV, was confirmed to be effective in identifying cases that might fail a bladder constraint of V65% <60%. The average difference between the maximum and minimum bladder volumes for each patient was 277.1 mL. The daily bladder volumes varied from 62.4 to 590.7 mL and ranged from 29 to 286% of the corresponding planning bladder volume. The bladder constraint of V65% <60% was met in almost all fractions (98%). CTVs (D90%, D95%, and D98%) remained well-covered regardless of the absolute bladder volume daily variation or the presence of the endorectal balloon. Patients with an endorectal balloon showed smaller variation but a higher average maximum rectal wall dose (D0.03mL: 104.3% of the prescription) compared to patients without (103.3%). Conclusions: A “minimum bladder” contour was determined that can be easily generated and followed to ensure sufficient bladder sparing. Further analysis and validation are needed to confirm the utility of the minimal bladder contour. Accurate dose delivery can be achieved for prostate bed target coverage and OAR sparing with or without the use of ERB.

Abstract Background: Partial breast irradiation (PBI) is an established option for selected patients with early stage breast cancer. The optimal technique, target volume and dose/fractionation for PBI has yet to be defined. The most studied regimen in North America (38.5 Gy in 10 fractions twice daily) has been associated with cosmetic deterioration. We hypothesized that condensing treatment and reducing the total administered dose could improve the therapeutic ratio in luminal breast cancer and DCIS based on emerging evidence that breast cancer is more sensitive than surrounding normal tissues to high dose fractions. Herein, we report cosmetic, tolerability, disease control, and patient reported outcomes of a novel ultra-accelerated PBI regimen. Methods: We conducted a single arm, three cohort trial of photon, proton, and brachytherapy PBI. Technique was selected at physician and patient discretion. Eligible women were age ≥ 50 years with estrogen receptor positive (ER+), sentinel lymph node negative invasive or in-situ breast cancer measuring ≤ 2.5 cm. The regimen was designed to have comparable biologically equivalent effect as 40 Gy in 15 fractions, assuming an α/β ratio of 3.5. Intracavitary brachytherapy target volume was lumpectomy cavity plus 1 cm and prescribed 21 Gy in 3 fractions. Photon and proton target volumes were post-operative tumor bed plus 1 cm and a 3 mm setup uncertainty margin, prescribed 21.9 Gy (RBE) in 3 fractions, and delivered with image guidance. The primary outcome was the percentage difference in patients with adverse cosmesis (defined as fair or poor cosmesis) at 3 years compared to baseline pre-PBI, as assessed by trained nurses using the 4-point Harvard breast cosmesis scale. Patients also completed quality of life surveys and self-reported cosmesis using the 4-point scale. Locoregional and distant recurrence-free survival was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Adverse events were assessed using CTCAE, v 4.0. Results: Between 2015 and 2017, 163 patients were treated: photons in 58, protons in 48, and brachytherapy in 57. Median patient age was 66 years. 129 (79%) patients had invasive breast cancer (all ER+) and 34 (21%) had DCIS (83% ER+). Median tumor size was 1.1 cm. Grade was 2-3 in 102 (63%). The median mean heart/ipsilateral lung doses were photons 0.1/1.6 Gy, protons &lt;0.001/0.1 Gy, and brachytherapy 0.5/0.9 Gy. Median follow-up was 4.1 years (IQR 3.9-5.0). The proportion of patients with adverse cosmesis (by RN assessment) was 14.3% at baseline and 3.8% at 3 years, with four patients (1 photon, 1 proton, 2 brachytherapy) experiencing cosmetic deterioration at 3 years from baseline. The proportion with adverse cosmesis by self-report at 3 years was 2.4%, with three patients (1 photon, 1 proton, 1 brachytherapy) reporting cosmetic deterioration. Four patients developed locoregional recurrence (1 photons, 2 protons, 1 brachytherapy); three were local only and one was local and distant. 4-year locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis-free survival were 97.9% and 97.4%, respectively. There were 2 treatment related ≥ grade 2 late events (grade 2 fibrosis and grade 2 seroma, both brachytherapy associated), and no evidence of deterioration in patient-reported pain, fatigue, breast related or overall quality of life, as assessed by the patient reported outcomes version of the CTCAE, 10-point linear analog scales, and the breast cancer treatment outcomes scale. Conclusions: Ultra-accelerated 3-fraction PBI exquisitely spared normal tissues and was associated with favorable cosmetic outcomes, disease control, and excellent long-term tolerability. This ‘precision-radiotherapy’ approach may optimize the therapeutic ratio over more aggressive radiotherapy options as well as radiotherapy omission, particularly in patients with long life expectancies. Citation Format: Robert Mutter, Tina Hieken, Todd DeWees, Arslan Afzal, Stephanie Kenison, Laura Vallow, Christopher Deufel, Nicholas Remmes, Kathryn Ruddy, Judy Boughey, Keith Furutani, Amy Degnim, James Jakub, Tamara Vern-Gross, Dean Shumway, William Wong, Samir Patel, Lisa McGee, Minetta Liu, Carlos Vargas, Daniel Visscher, Bradley Stish, Deanna Pafundi, Mark Waddle, Michael Golafshar, Michele Halyard, Kimberly Corbin, Sean Park. Ultra-accelerated photon, proton, and brachytherapy partial breast irradiation: Primary results of the Mayo 3-fraction trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD7-03.

248 Background: Hypofractionated prostate cancer radiation has showed similar results in several prior phase III studies (PCG GU 003, PACE-B, and Hypo PC RT). However, prospective phase II-III clinical trial data testing 5 tx after prostatectomy is scarce. Methods: Between 2018 and 2019, 41 patients were treated after postprostatectomy for high risk features. 5 patients were treated adjuvantly, 36 for salvage including 8 with oligometastatic disease. Indications for adjuvant RT included a PSA < 0.2 and +margins, SVI, or EPE. Salvage RT was offered for PSA ≥0.2. Oligometastatic RT for patients with ≤5 RT targets. Staging included C11 PET for all cases. Total dose to the prostate bed was 30-32 Gy in 5tx QOD with IMRT, conebeam IGRT, and MRI registration. All salvage patients received ADT for 6 months and oligometastatic patients for 18 months. Dose to the metastatic sites was 30 in 5tx QOD. Of the 41 patients 8 also received SBRT to the sites of oligometastatic disease. We looked at clinical outcomes defining biochemical failure as a PSA > 0.2 after treatment, baseline adjusted CTC AE V5.0, baseline adjusted patient reported toxicities (PRO CTC AE), QOL (EPIC, PROMIS), and AUA was used for all cases. Results: Median follow up was 23 months (range 10-37). Pre-RT T stage was T2-T3b, with 47% being T3a-b; Pre RT Median PSA of 0.4 (range < 0.1-1.9); Median GS 8 (6-9); and (+) margins in 48.8%. Sites of oligometastatic disease radiated included the LN and bone. Treatment related AE were grade 0-1 in all cases, except for one patient with G2 GU incontinence. Overall QOL remained high during follow including Promis 10 overall, mental, and physical scores; urinary bother, irritative/obstructive, and AUA scores; bowel overall, bowel bother, and bowel function scores; and overall sexual, sexual function, and sexual bother scores remained at baseline levels during follow up. Only hormonal overall, hormonal function, and hormonal bother had lower scores at 3 months that recovered by 12 months in patients treated with ADT for 6 months and by 24 months in patients treated with ADT for 18 months. A total of 3 clinical failure have been seen; 2 patients with regional failures alone; and one with axial skeleton bony failures for 93% clinical control at median follow up of 23 months. All 3 patients with clinical failure were salvaged successfully with SBRT and all patients remain disease free at last follow up. A total 5 patients with raising PSAs alone have been seen. All patients have been re-staged with C11 PET. No failures in the prostate bed or previously radiated sites have been seen. Conclusions: Toxicity for RT over 5tx is lower than expected with only one case of grade 2 urinary incontinence. QOL scores remained high during follow up, minor changes in hormonal scores were seen during ADT, but recovered after. 30-32 Gy over 5 tx provided 100% control in radiated targets and metastatic sites. Clinical trial information: NCT03570827.

Abstract Background Previous literature often indicates that binary longitudinal data, such as responder analysis with patient-reported outcomes to evaluate treatment risks and benefits in cancer randomized controlled trials, need complex statistical approaches for a thorough evaluation of the treatment effect and consequently elaborated clinical design and power calculation for prospective trials. This simulated analysis aims to evaluate six common statistical techniques used for binary longitudinal data to explore the feasibility and overall functionality of these methods in comparison to more complex modeling techniques. Methods We simulated data to represent a typical clinical trial design, with dichotomous outcome, and treatment vs control group at three waves T1, T2, and T3. We evaluated five sample size conditions ranging from small to large with 1,000 replicates each. We then evaluated results from six statistical techniques (Generalized linear model [GLM] with generalized estimating equations [GEE], Generalized linear mixed model [GLMM], Logistic regression, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel [CMH], Chi-square, and Fisher’s Exact test) and their ability in detecting difference between treatment groups under different conditions. Results While less elaborated models always achieved convergence, the convergence rate of GLMM with unstructured covariance matrix ranged from 7–43%. The proportion of detected significant differences between control and treatment expectedly increased with the increasing of the sample size but remained somewhat similar across modeled outcome and sample size scenarios. Conclusions Overall results indicated that, with careful consideration, straightforward modelling approaches which require less assumptions in design and power calculation are sufficient to ensure meaningful, adequately powered, evaluation of treatment effect.