1.Advances in hypofractionated radiotherapy for prostate cancer
Yuchen HAN ; Ping TANG ; Yueping LIU
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(8):824-832
Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the common malignant tumors among men, and its incidence has been increased in China across these years. Radiotherapy is the mainstay therapy for PC. Due to the special biological characteristics of PC and the development of precision radiotherapy technology, hypofractionated regimens of radiotherapy are progressing rapidly, which has been increasingly applied in clinical practice and extensively studied by more and more researchers. In this review, the biological mechanisms of hypofractionated regimens, related clinical research, and practical applications of hypofractionated radiotherapy (such as definitive radiotherapy, postoperative adjuvant / salvage radiotherapy, oligometastasis radiotherapy, and pelvic lymph node radiotherapy) were summarized and its efficacy and toxicity profiles were analyzed, aiming to provide reference for scientific promotion of short‐course, hypofractionated precision radiotherapy for PC in China.
2.Progress in radiotherapy for bone metastases of malignant tumors
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(8):833-838
Malignant tumor is a major health problem plaguing the world. It metastasizes to the bone through complex ways, leading to a series of complications. In recent years, with the continuous progress of radiotherapy technology, the importance of radiotherapy has been ever strengthened. In this article, the application effect of radiotherapy in the treatment of bone metastases was evaluated by illustrating the types, metastasis principle and clinical manifestations of bone metastases, and different advantages of external irradiation, stereotactic radiotherapy and radionuclide therapy were elucidated, aiming to provide reference for comparing the differences in response to radiotherapy among different types of bone metastases and achieve the optimal treatment effect.
3.Metabolic reprogramming drives radiotherapy resistance in glioblastoma and strategies for targeted therapy
Zhaohui JIN ; Liang LIU ; Chunfa QIAN ; Kun YANG ; Mengjie ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(8):839-846
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive malignant tumor of the adult central nervous system, with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Radiotherapy (RT) remains a cornerstone of GBM treatment; however, tumor cell resistance to RT severely limits its efficacy. Recently, metabolic reprogramming (MR) has gained widespread attention as a critical mechanism enabling GBM cells to evade RT‐induced stress. In this review, the central roles of glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolic reprogramming in GBM's resistance to RT were outlined, highlighting how GBM remodels metabolic pathways to enhance DNA damage repair, antioxidant defenses, and immune evasion after RT. Although combining metabolic inhibitors with RT has shown potential in improving GBM treatment outcomes, challenges such as overcoming the blood‐brain barrier and addressing tumor heterogeneity remain. The integration of nanomedicine‐based delivery systems and immunotherapy offers new hope for GBM treatment. Future research should focus on developing multidimensional, personalized metabolic targeting strategies, combined with immunotherapy and emerging technologies, to further improve therapeutic outcomes and survival rates for GBM patients.
4.Radiomics and deep learning for predicting short-term outcomes of neoadjuvant therapy in esophageal cancer
Nana YU ; Linrui LI ; Mengyu HAN ; Xiaoyang LI ; Liting QIAN
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(12):1199-1207
Objective:To explore the predictive value of models based on clinical parameters, deep learning radiomics (DLR) from CT images, and traditional handcrafted radiomics (HCR) in assessing pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with medical therapy in patients with esophageal cancer.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 130 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with medical therapy followed by surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China from August 1, 2018, to August 31, 2024. Patients were randomly divided into a training set ( n=91) and a validation set ( n=39) at a ratio of 7:3. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify clinical independent risk factors associated with pCR. DLR and HCR features were extracted from the tumor and the 5 mm peritumoral region on planning CT images. Features for modeling were selected using t-test, Mann-Whitney U test or Fisher exact probability method, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to calculate the radiomics score (Rad-score). A nomogram was then constructed by integrating the clinical risk factors. The predictive performance of each model was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and decision curve analysis (DCA) to assess clinical benefits. Results:Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified body weight ( OR=1.101, 95% CI: 1.029-1.177, P=0.005) and lymph node positivity ( OR=0.100, 95% CI: 0.014-0.727, P=0.023) as independent predictors of pCR. The peritumoral DLR-HCR model showed superior predictive performance, with AUCs of 0.870 (95% CI: 0.799-0.942) in the training set and 0.866 (95% CI: 0.750-0.982) in the validation set. The combined model incorporating clinical parameters achieved the best performance, with AUCs of 0.903 (95% CI: 0.845-0.962) and 0.888 (95% CI: 0.782-0.994) in the training and validation sets, respectively. Conclusions:The combined model integrating peritumoral DLR-HCR features with clinical parameters provides excellent predictive value for pCR after neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with medical therapy in esophageal cancer and offers valuable guidance for personalized treatment strategies.
5.Research progress in online adaptive stereotactic radiotherapy for locally advanced pancreatic cancer
Chen WANG ; Ke HU ; Fuquan ZHANG ; Xin LIAN
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(9):944-948
Radiotherapy plays a critical role in the management of borderline resectable and unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Conventional radiotherapy improves local control in pancreatic cancer but has not significantly enhanced overall survival. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), which employs single high-dose fractions or a hypofractionated regimen, enhances the biologically effective dose and has demonstrated remarkable efficacy in cancer treatment combined with systemic therapy. Due to the extremely high precision requirements of SBRT for spatial tumor targeting, precise organ motion management and image-guided radiotherapy technologies are essential for its successful implementation. The integration of MR-guided online adaptive radiotherapy with SBRT enables real-time assessment of anatomical changes during each treatment session, allowing online adaptive replanning to optimize dose delivery. This approach significantly improves treatment accuracy. The comprehensive application of these cutting-edge radiotherapy technologies holds promise for establishing groundbreaking therapeutic paradigms in pancreatic cancer.
6.Quality assurance of artificial intelligence models applied to case-specific radiotherapy
Xiaonan LIU ; Guodong JIN ; Wenyu WANG ; Ji ZHU ; Bining YANG ; Siqi YUAN ; Hong QUAN ; Kuo MEN ; Jianrong DAI
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(9):949-953
Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are being widely applied in radiotherapy. However, the integration of AI into clinical workflows of radiotherapy faces a series of challenges, such as poor model interpretability, domain shifts between clinical application and training data, and the inherent model uncertainties. Therefore, case-specific quality assurance (QA) is essential before deploying AI models in clinical practice. This paper reviews and summarizes QA methodologies for the application of AI models in radiotherapy across four key areas: image registration, image generation, region of interest segmentation, and treatment planning.
7.Application of compton cameras in particle therapy
Mengxue LIU ; Caixun ZHANG ; Yuan ZHOU ; Fan JIANG ; Haiying LIU
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(9):954-958
Compared with conventional photon radiotherapy, particle therapy offers distinct dosimetric advantages. Its unique dose distribution can effectively reduce damage to surrounding normal tissues and achieve a more conformal dose delivery. However, in clinical practice, uncertainties during the treatment process may diminish these advantages. The Compton camera, a novel γ-ray imaging technology, detects γ-rays of specific energies generated during particle therapy and thus holds promise for in vivo range verification, ultimately enabling real-time dose monitoring in particle therapy. This review begins with the imaging principles of Compton cameras and then provides an overview of current research progress in proton therapy, heavy-ion therapy, and boron neutron capture therapy.
8.Advances in moderate-hypofractionated post-prostatectomy radiotherapy
Yiyin LIANG ; Xin CHEN ; Xianzhi ZHAO ; Weiwei ZHANG ; Bichun XU ; Huojun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(11):1159-1164
Prostate cancer is the second most common malignancy among men worldwide. Owing to its unique biological characteristics (a low α/β ratio), hypofractionated radiotherapy can improve tumor control in prostate cancer. Consequently, the American National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines have recommended hypofractionated radiotherapy as the preferred treatment option for localized prostate cancer. However, the use of hypofractionated radiotherapy in pelvic irradiation after radical prostatectomy remains limited, and its safety and efficacy are yet to be fully established. Investigating the feasibility of moderate-hypofractionated post-prostatectomy radiotherapy has therefore become a recent focus of clinical research. In this review, moderate-hypofractionated post-prostatectomy radiotherapy was categorized according to the per-fraction dose and current evidence was summarized from retrospective studies, prospective studies, and ongoing clinical trials.
9.Advances in radiotherapy and combination therapies for RET-positive refractory thyroid cancer
Jiaming LI ; Fenfang FU ; Benhua XU ; Xiaobo LI
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(11):1146-1152
Thyroid cancer is one of the most common malignancies of the endocrine system, and rearranged during transfection ( RET) gene alterations play a pivotal role in the incidence and progression of refractory thyroid cancer. In some patients, RET gene alterations lead to impaired iodine uptake or resistance to radioactive iodine, resulting in RET-positive radioactive iodine-refractory thyroid cancer. In recent years, radiotherapy has remained a cornerstone in the management of refractory thyroid cancer, while emerging therapeutic strategies, such as molecular targeted therapy—particularly with tyrosine kinase inhibitors—have overcome some of the limitations of conventional treatments and improved patient outcomes. However, given the limitations of monotherapy, developing combination approaches that integrate radiotherapy with other modalities has become increasingly important and represents a major clinical challenge. In this article, recent advances in the treatments of RET-positive refractory thyroid cancer were reviewed and the future prospects of combined therapeutic strategies for this disease were discussed.
10.Research progress in the role of radiotherapy in lung cancer complicated with interstitial lung disease
Shijie WANG ; Mengyuan LI ; Liwei GAO ; Feng TENG ; Guangying ZHU
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(11):1153-1158
Lung cancer (LC) complicated with interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a relatively common comorbidity in clinical practice, and its management remains complex and challenging. As one of the primary treatment modalities for LC, radiotherapy carries a risk of inducing acute exacerbation of ILD and severe radiation pneumonitis; therefore, it should be used with caution in LC-ILD patients. Advances in radiotherapy technology now allow for more precise tumor targeting and better sparing of healthy lung tissues, potentially offering greater therapeutic benefits for these patients. In this article, current status and recent research progress in the application of radiotherapy in LC-ILD were reviewed, aiming to provide theoretical basis and reference for clinical practice.

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