Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42490727›Full record

ArticleCancer2026

The impact of whole lung irradiation in lung metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma: A pooled analysis of two European trials and one European registry.

Amadeus T Heinz, Philip Heesen, Johannes H M Merks, Véronique Minard-Colin, Martin Ebinger, Alison L Cameron, Semi Harrabi, Henry Mandeville, Reineke A Schoot, Jörg Fuchs and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Amadeus T HeinzDepartment of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Children's Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3472-9679
Philip HeesenUniversity Hospital USZ, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Johannes H M MerksPrincess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Véronique Minard-ColinDepartment of Pediatric and Adolescent Oncology, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0296-5207
Martin EbingerDepartment of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Children's Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
Alison L CameronBristol Haematology and Oncology Centre, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, Bristol, UK.
Semi HarrabiDepartment of Radiooncology and Radiotherapy, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1195-7150
Henry MandevilleDepartment of Radiotherapy, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK.
Reineke A SchootPrincess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Jörg FuchsDepartment of Pediatric Surgery and Urology, University Children's Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany.
Gabriela GuillenPediatric Surgery Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Ewa KoscielniakMedical Faculty, University Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1519-7569
Julia C ChisholmChildren and Young People's Unit, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3479-7997
Monika Sparber-SauerDepartment of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Children's Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9551-2399
Gianni BisognoDepartment of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4462-5523

Funding

Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung A2007/13DKS2009.08Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung A2012/04DKS2012.05Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung A2015/16DKS2015.12Deutsche Kinderkrebsstiftung A2018/04DKS2018/09Fondazione Città della SperanzaFörderkreis Krebskranke Kinder StuttgartNIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust/Institute of Cancer ResearchRoyal Marsden Cancer CharityStiftung des Fördervereins für Krebskranke Kinder Tübingen
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLung metastases in patients with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) have not been treated uniformly across Europe. This provides comparison of the impact of whole lung irradiation (WLI).

methodsLung-metastatic patients included in the Cooperative Weichteilsarkom Studiengruppe-IV 2002, European Pediatric Soft Tissue Sarcoma Study Group MTS 2008 or the Soft Tissue Sarcoma Registry received four- or six-drug chemotherapy, surgery, and/or irradiation (radiotherapy) of the primary tumor. Treatment of lung lesions consisted of metastasectomy, WLI, or no local treatment according to protocols.

resultsA total of 238 patients with lung-metastatic RMS were included. Half of these patients (n = 119/238) had lung metastases only (median age, 6.6 years), mainly classified as embryonal RMS (n = 93/119, 78%). Lung-only patients underwent metastasectomy (n = 17) and/or WLI (n = 31) or no local treatment of lung metastases (n = 71). Early complete response of lung metastases was associated with favorable 3-year overall survival (p = .009). A trend toward improved event-free survival after WLI could be identified in patients ≥10 years old (hazard ratio [HR], 2.7; 95% CI, 0.8-9.6), but not in patients under 10 years old (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.44-1.66). Lung-relapse-free survival (lung-RFS) was not influenced by WLI or metastasectomy in the univariable and multivariable analyses. When analyzing all lung-metastatic patients (including those with metastases in other sites, n = 238), WLI in patients older than 10 years was a significant prognostic factor (HR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.0-4.9).

conclusionsThe analysis failed to show a significant benefit of WLI in patients with lung-metastatic RMS, apart from the subgroup of patients older than 10 years. Lung-RFS was not influenced by WLI.

Indexed as

Lung NeoplasmsRhabdomyosarcomaAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolCombined Modality TherapyEuropeFemaleHumansInfantMaleMetastasectomyRegistriesTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultCWSEpSSGlung irradiationlung metastasesresponserhabdomyosarcomasingle site metastasesWLI

Identifiers

PMID42490727
PMCPMC13395302

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.