Reconsideration of the resection strategy of eloquent brain metastasis in the era of postoperative stereotactic radiotherapy: a comparative analysis with non-eloquent metastasis.

Purpose: To decrease the recurrence rate after complete resection of a brain metastasis, removal of a surgical safety margin is advocated. This is not always feasible when resecting a metastasis in an eloquent location. We aimed to assess the recurrence rate after resection of metastases in an eloquent location followed by postoperative stereotactic radiotherapy to the resection cavity.

Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Expression in Lung Cancer and Paired Brain Metastases-a Single-Center Study in 190 Patients.

Introduction: Expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is the only routinely used tissue biomarker for predicting response to programmed cell death protein 1/PD-L1 inhibitors. It is to date unclear whether PD-L1 expression is preserved in brain metastases (BMs).

Methods: In this single-center, retrospective study, we evaluated PD-L1 expression using the SP263 assay in consecutively resected BMs of lung carcinomas and paired primary tumors, diagnosed from 2000 to 2015, with correlation to clinicopathological and molecular tumor and patient characteristics.

Postoperative radiotherapy for meningiomas - a decision-making analysis.

Background: The management of meningiomas is challenging, and the role of postoperative radiotherapy is not standardized.

Methods: Radiation oncology experts in Swiss centres were asked to participate in this decision-making analysis on the use of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) for meningiomas. Experts from ten Swiss centres agreed to participate and provided their treatment algorithms.

Mutational profiles of primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma and paired brain metastases disclose the importance of KRAS mutations.

Background: Brain metastases present a significant complication in lung cancer with an unmet therapeutic need.

Methods: In this single-centre, retrospective study, we genotyped a clinico-pathologically well-annotated cohort of consecutively resected brain metastases of lung adenocarcinomas and paired primary tumours, diagnosed from 2000 to 2015, using the Ion Torrent Oncomine Comprehensive Cancer Panel v3.

Results: Among 444 consecutive brain metastases, 210 (49%) originated from lung cancer.

Assessment of Tumor Volume Dynamics and Outcome After Radiosurgery for the Treatment of Vestibular Schwannoma: A Single-Center Experience.

Objective: To assess the factors affecting early local and audiometric outcomes in vestibular schwannoma (VS) patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS).

Study Design: A retrospective review of medical records.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Vestibular dose correlates with dizziness after radiosurgery for the treatment of vestibular schwannoma.

Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has been recognized as a first-line treatment option for small to moderate sized vestibular schwannoma (VS). Our aim is to evaluate the impact of SRS doses and other patient and disease characteristics on vestibular function in patients with VS.

Methods: Data on VS patients treated with single-fraction SRS to 12 Gy were retrospectively reviewed.

Fully automated brain resection cavity delineation for radiation target volume definition in glioblastoma patients using deep learning.

Background: Automated brain tumor segmentation methods are computational algorithms that yield tumor delineation from, in this case, multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We present an automated segmentation method and its results for resection cavity (RC) in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients using deep learning (DL) technologies.

Methods: Post-operative, T1w with and without contrast, T2w and fluid attenuated inversion recovery MRI studies of 30 GBM patients were included.

Impact of treatment decision algorithms on treatment costs in recurrent glioblastoma: a health economic study.

Aims: Recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) is a disease with poor prognosis. Although several therapeutic approaches such as chemotherapy, irradiation or surgery have been investigated, there is no established standard therapy. A recent survey among Swiss neuro-oncology centres has shown considerable controversy in the treatment recommendations for any specific scenario of recurrent GBM.

Evaluation of a new software prototype for frameless radiosurgery of arteriovenous malformations.

Background: In order to locate an arteriovenous malformation, typically, a digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is carried out. To use the DSA for target definition an accurate image registration between CT and DSA is required. Carrying out a non-invasive, frameless procedure, registration of the 2D-DSA images with the CT is critical.

Skeletal muscle mass correlates with increased toxicity during neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in locally advanced esophageal cancer: A SAKK 75/08 substudy.

Background: Sarcopenia, the critical depletion of skeletal muscle mass, is an independent prognostic factor in several tumor entities for treatment-related toxicity and survival. In esophageal cancer, there have been conflicting results regarding the value of sarcopenia as prognostic factor, which may be attributed to the heterogeneous patient populations and the retrospective nature of previous studies. The aim of our study was therefore to determine the impact of sarcopenia on prospectively collected specific outcomes in a subgroup of patients treated within the phase III study SAKK 75/08 with trimodality therapy (induction chemotherapy, radiochemotherapy and surgery) for locally advanced esophageal cancer.

Skin surface markers for stereotactic body radiation therapy of sternal metastasis.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy is an effective and safe treatment modality for bone metastasis which allows clinicians to accurately target lesions to high doses while minimizing dose to organs at risk. The commercially available CyberKnife Xsight™ Spine Tracking System (Accuray, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) tracks static skeletal structures and eliminates the need for implanted fiducial markers (FMs).

Whole-ventricular irradiation for intracranial germ cell tumors: Dosimetric comparison of pencil beam scanned protons, intensity-modulated radiotherapy and volumetric-modulated arc therapy.

Background: Whole-ventricular radiotherapy (WV-RT) followed by a boost to the tumor bed (WV-RT/TB) is recommended for intracranial germ cell tumors (IGCT). As the critical brain areas are mainly in the target volume vicinity, it is unclear if protons indeed substantially spare neurofunctional organs at risk (NOAR). Therefore, a dosimetric comparison study of WV-RT/TB was conducted to assess whether proton or photon radiotherapy achieves better NOAR sparing.

Radiosurgery of vestibular schwannoma: prognostic factors for hearing outcome using 3D-constructive interference in steady state (3D-CISS).

Purpose: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an effective treatment for vestibular schwannoma (VS). Three-dimensional (3D) constructive interference in steady state (CISS) is the preferred magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence for evaluating signal changes in the inner ear endolymph. Previous studies demonstrated a correlation between pretreatment cochlear signal intensity in 3D-CISS and posttherapeutic hearing outcomes.

On the relation between MR spectroscopy features and the distance to MRI-visible solid tumor in GBM patients.

Purpose: To improve the detection of peritumoral changes in GBM patients by exploring the relation between MRSI information and the distance to the solid tumor volume (STV) defined using structural MRI (sMRI).

Methods: Twenty-three MRSI studies (PRESS, TE 135 ms) acquired from different patients with untreated GBM were used in this study. For each MRSI examination, the STV was identified by segmenting the corresponding sMRI images using BraTumIA, an automatic segmentation method.

Radiosurgery and radiotherapy for arteriovenous malformations: outcome predictors and review of the literature.

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are rare congenital vascular pathologies. The reported overall annual hemorrhage rate is 3.0%, for unruptured AVMs it is 2.

3D-constructive interference into steady state (3D-CISS) labyrinth signal alteration in patients with vestibular schwannoma.

Objective: To evaluate signal intensity of the inner ear using 3D-CISS imaging and correlated signal characteristics in patients with vestibular schwannoma to neuro-otological symptoms.

Methods: Sixty patients with unilateral vestibular schwannoma were retrospectively reviewed. All patients had had initial and follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Outcome of proximal esophageal cancer after definitive combined chemo-radiation: a Swiss multicenter retrospective study.

Objective: To report oncological outcomes and toxicity rates, of definitive platin-based chemoradiadiationtherapy (CRT) in the management of proximal esophageal cancer.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with cT1-4 cN0-3 cM0 cervical esophageal cancer (CEC) (defined as tumors located below the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage, down to 22 cm from the incisors) treated between 2004 and 2013 with platin-based definitive CRT in four Swiss institutions. Acute and chronic toxicities were retrospectively scored using the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.

Current status and perspectives of interventional clinical trials for glioblastoma - analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov.

The records of 208.777 (100%) clinical trials registered at ClinicalTrials.gov were downloaded on the 19th of February 2016.

Treatment allocation in hepatocellular carcinoma: Assessment of the BCLC algorithm.

Background And Aims: The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging system is the algorithm most widely used to manage patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to investigate the extent to which the BCLC recommendations effectively guide clinical practice and assess the reasons for any deviation from the recommendations.

Material And Methods: The first-line treatments assigned to patients included in the prospective Bern HCC cohort were analyzed.

Orthovoltage radiotherapy in the management of medial canthal basal cell carcinoma.

Aims: To report the local control and complication rates of orthovoltage radiotherapy in the management of medial canthal basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

Methods: The medical records of all patients treated with medial canthal BCC between 1998 and 2010, with orthovoltage radiotherapy as primary treatment, adjuvant treatment after incomplete surgical excision, or for tumour recurrence following surgical excision, were retrospectively studied. The actuarial rates of tumour control and complications were calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimates.