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Multicenter Study
. 2017 May;108(5):972-977.
doi: 10.1111/cas.13192. Epub 2017 Apr 24.

Proton beam therapy for bone sarcomas of the skull base and spine: A retrospective nationwide multicenter study in Japan

Yusuke Demizu  1 , Masashi Mizumoto  2 , Tsuyoshi Onoe  3 , Naoki Nakamura  4 , Yasuhiro Kikuchi  5 , Tetsushi Shibata  6 , Tomoaki Okimoto  1 , Hideyuki Sakurai  2 , Tetsuo Akimoto  4 , Kota Ono  7 , Takashi Daimon  8 , Shigeyuki Murayama  3
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Proton beam therapy for bone sarcomas of the skull base and spine: A retrospective nationwide multicenter study in Japan

Yusuke Demizu et al. Cancer Sci. 2017 May.

Abstract

We conducted a retrospective, nationwide multicenter study to evaluate the clinical outcomes of proton beam therapy for bone sarcomas of the skull base and spine in Japan. Eligibility criteria included: (i) histologically proven bone sarcomas of the skull base or spine; (ii) no metastases; (iii) ≥20 years of age; and (iv) no prior treatment with radiotherapy. Of the 103 patients treated between January 2004 and January 2012, we retrospectively analyzed data from 96 patients who were followed-up for >6 months or had died within 6 months. Seventy-two patients (75.0%) had chordoma, 20 patients (20.8%) had chondrosarcoma, and four patients (7.2%) had osteosarcoma. The most frequent tumor locations included the skull base in 68 patients (70.8%) and the sacral spine in 13 patients (13.5%). Patients received a median total dose of 70.0 Gy (relative biological effectiveness). The median follow-up was 52.6 (range, 6.3-131.9) months. The 5-year overall survival, progression-free survival, and local control rates were 75.3%, 49.6%, and 71.1%, respectively. Performance status was a significant factor for overall survival and progression-free survival, whilst sex was a significant factor for local control. Acute Grade 3 and late toxicities of ≥Grade 3 were observed in nine patients (9.4%) each (late Grade 4 toxicities [n = 3 patients; 3.1%]). No treatment-related deaths occurred. Proton beam therapy is safe and effective for the treatment of bone sarcomas of the skull base and spine in Japan. However, larger prospective studies with a longer follow-up are warranted.

Keywords: Multicenter study; proton beam therapy; sarcoma; skull base; spine.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representative treatment plans for proton beam therapy in (a) a 45‐year‐old female with skull base chordoma (65.0 Gy [relative biological effectiveness] delivered in 26 fractions) and (b) a 53‐year‐old female with sacral chordoma (70.4 Gy [relative biological effectiveness] delivered in 32 fractions).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Kaplan–Meier curve of overall survival (OS) for all 96 patients with bone sarcoma of the skull base and spine.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Kaplan–Meier curves of local control (LC) and progression‐free survival (PFS) for all 96 patients with bone sarcoma of the skull base and spine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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