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. 2017 Jul 12;12(1):116.
doi: 10.1186/s13014-017-0851-7.

Excellent local control and tolerance profile after stereotactic body radiotherapy of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Eleni Gkika  1 , Michael Schultheiss  2 , Dominik Bettinger  2   3 , Lars Maruschke  4 , Hannes Philipp Neeff  5 , Michaela Schulenburg  6 , Sonja Adebahr  7   8 , Simon Kirste  7 , Ursula Nestle  7   8 , Robert Thimme  2 , Anca-Ligia Grosu  7   8   9   10 , Thomas Baptist Brunner  7   8   9   10
Affiliations

Excellent local control and tolerance profile after stereotactic body radiotherapy of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Eleni Gkika et al. Radiat Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Material and methods: Patients with large HCCs (median diameter 7 cm, IQR 5-10 cm) with a Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score A (60%) or B (40%) and Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification stage B or C were treated with 3 to 12 fractions to allow personalized treatment according to the size of the lesions and the proximity of the lesions to the organs at risk aiming to give high biologically equivalent doses assuming an α/β ratio of 10 Gy for HCC. Primary end points were in-field local control and toxicity assessment.

Results: Forty seven patients with 64 lesions were treated with SBRT (median 45 Gy in 3-12 fractions) with a median follow up for patients alive of 19 months. The median biological effective dose was 76 Gy (IQR 62-86 Gy). Tumor vascular thrombosis was present in 28% and an underlying liver disease in 87% (hepatitis B or C in 21%, alcohol related in 51%, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in 13% of the patients, primary biliary cirrhosis 2%). Eighty three percent received prior and in most cases multiple therapies. Local control at 1 year was 77%. The median overall survival from the start of SBRT was 9 months (95% CI 7.7-10.3). Gastrointestinal toxicities grade ≥ 2 were observed in 3 (6.4%) patients. An increase in CTP score without disease progression was observed in 5 patients, of whom one patient developed a radiation induced liver disease. One patient died due to liver failure 4 months after treatment.

Conclusion: SBRT is an effective local ablative therapy which leads to high local control rates with moderate toxicity for selected patients with large tumors.

Keywords: HCC; Hepatocellular carcinoma; SBRT; SIP; Stereotactic body radiotherapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study was evaluated by the ethics committee of the University Hospital of Freiburg. Consent to publish was obtained.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Local control from the time of radiotherapy
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Patterns of failure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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