Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22515371›Full record

ArticleHead & neck oncology2012

A retrospective, deformable registration analysis of the impact of PET-CT planning on patterns of failure in stereotactic body radiation therapy for recurrent head and neck cancer.

Kyle Wang, Dwight E Heron, John C Flickinger, Jean-Claude M Rwigema, Robert L Ferris, Gregory J Kubicek, James P Ohr, Annette E Quinn, Cihat Ozhasoglu, Barton F Branstetter

Expression of concernOpen access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Head & neck oncology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It carries an expression of concern. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Role of stereotactic radiotherapy for head neck cancer.Oral and maxillofacial surgery · 2025
    Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. The role of PET/CT in the management of patients affected by head and neck tumors: a review of the literature.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2016
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Kyle WangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Dwight E Heron
John C Flickinger
Jean-Claude M Rwigema
Robert L Ferris
Gregory J Kubicek
James P Ohr
Annette E Quinn
Cihat Ozhasoglu
Barton F Branstetter
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has seen increasing use as a salvage strategy for selected patients with recurrent, previously-irradiated squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (rSCCHN). PET-CT may be advantageous for tumor delineation and evaluation of treatment failures in SBRT. We analyzed the patterns of failure following SBRT for rSCCHN and assessed the impact of PET-CT treatment planning on these patterns of failure.

methodsWe retrospectively reviewed 96 patients with rSCCHN treated with SBRT. Seven patients (7%) were treated after surgical resection of rSCCHN and 89 patients (93%) were treated definitively. PET-CT treatment planning was used for 45 patients whereas non-PET-CT planning was used for 51 patients. Categories of failure were assigned by comparing recurrences on post-treatment scans to the planning target volume (PTV) from planning scans using the deformable registration function of VelocityAI™. Failures were defined: In-field (>75% inside PTV), Overlap (20-75% inside PTV), Marginal (<20% inside PTV but closest edge within 1cm of PTV), or Regional/Distant (more than 1cm from PTV).

resultsMedian follow-up was 7.4 months (range, 2.6-52 months). Of 96 patients, 47 (49%) developed post-SBRT failure. Failure distribution was: In-field-12.3%, Overlap-24.6%, Marginal-36.8%, Regional/Distant-26.3%. There was a significant improvement in overall failure-free survival (log rank p = 0.037) and combined Overlap/Marginal failure-free survival (log rank p = 0.037) for those receiving PET-CT planning vs. non-PET-CT planning in the overall cohort (n = 96). Analysis of the definitive SBRT subgroup (n = 89) increased the significance of these findings (overall failure: p = 0.008, Overlap/Marginal failure: p = 0.009). There were no significant differences in age, gender, time from prior radiation, dose, use of cetuximab with SBRT, tumor differentiation, and tumor volume between the PET-CT and non-PET-CT groups.

conclusionsMost failures after SBRT treatment for rSCCHN were near misses, i.e. Overlap/Marginal failures (61.4%), suggesting an opportunity to improve outcomes with more sensitive imaging. PET-CT treatment planning showed the lowest rate of overall and near miss failures and is beneficial for SBRT treatment planning.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overCohort StudiesFemaleHead and Neck NeoplasmsHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalPositron-Emission TomographyRadiosurgeryRetrospective StudiesSalvage TherapyTomography, X-Ray Computed

Identifiers

PMID22515371
PMCPMC3414786
OpenAlexW2099011294

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.