The effective local management of oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has the potential to prolong patients' survival. The role of radiotherapy as a local treatment modality in patients with oligometastatic NSCLC, whether as first-line therapy or consolidation therapy, remains uncertain. Several studies have demonstrated that stereotactic ablative radiotherapy can offer clinical benefits for patients with oligometastatic NSCLC without increasing adverse reactions. Furthermore, the exploration of the potential synergistic effects of combining radiotherapy and immunotherapy on extending progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with oligometastatic NSCLC is also a topic worthy of attention.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of hyperthermia on radiation pneumonitis (RP) in elderly patients with esophageal cancer undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).Methods:Clinical data of 177 elderly esophageal cancer patients (aged ≥60 years) receiving IMRT in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and Yixing Cancer Hospital from August 1, 2017 to February 6, 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into the hyperthermia and non-hyperthermia groups based on whether they received hyperthermia treatment. Patients in two groups received IMRT with 6 MV X-rays. Patients in the hyperthermia group underwent high-frequency hyperthermia within 1 h before radiation using the external thermotherapy device HG-2000Ⅲ (heating temperature: 41-43 ℃ for 40 min, twice a week). After adjusting for confounding factors between two groups using propensity score matching (PSM), the short-term effective rates between two groups were compared using Chi-square test. Univariate analysis and logistic multivariate analysis were employed to compare the incidence of RP between two groups. Results:After applying PSM, 42 pairs were successfully matched, and the baseline data and radiotherapy parameters showed no statistically significant differences between two groups (all P>0.05). The objective response rate (ORR) in the hyperthermia group was significantly higher than that in the non-hyperthermia group (83.3% vs. 64.3%, P=0.047). Univariate analysis revealed that the incidence of RP and symptomatic RP (≥ grade 2) in the hyperthermia group was significantly lower than that in the non-hyperthermia group (61.9% vs. 85.7%, P=0.013; 21.4% vs. 47.6%, P=0.012). Logistic multivariate analysis indicated that hyperthermia was an independent protective factor for symptomatic RP ( P=0.011). Conclusions:The incidence and severity of RP in elderly esophageal cancer patients receiving IMRT can be reduced by hyperthermia. Hyperthermia, as a clinically beneficial green treatment, improves efficacy and reduces toxicity for patients with esophageal cancer.

Small bowel capsule endoscopy and double-balloon enteroscopy have become new methods for clinical diagnosis of radiation enteritis (RE) , especially for abnormal intestinal tissue. Targeted biopsy or interventional therapy is expected to achieve precision treatment of RE. The screening of molecular markers in biological samples has also become a new direction for RE diagnosis. Fecal microbiota transplantation has become one of the promising treatments for RE. In addition, mechanism studies based on traditional Chinese medicine, targeted cell death, and omics analysis provide rich strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of RE.

Brain metastases are one of the most common distant metastases in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the prognosis will be extremely poor. The effect of chemotherapy and operation is limited. As a standard treatment, radiotherapy is widely used in clinical practice. Radiotherapy alone includes whole brain radiotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy and whole brain radiotherapy combined with stereotactic radiotherapy. With the continuous development of radiotherapy and the progress of gene sequencing, radiotherapy has been combined with targeted drugs, anti-angiogenic drugs and immunodrugs in the treatment of NSCLC brain metastasis, which can improve the survival of patients with NSCLC brain metastasis.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic factors of oligometastatic (OM) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and the safety and effectiveness of early radiotherapy intervention.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted, including 159 OM NSCLC cases (metastatic sites≤5, metastasis organs≤3) admitted to Department of Radiation Oncology in First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2015 to December 2018. Among 159 cases, there were 107 males and 52 females, with the median age of 63 years. 137 cases were administrated via early radiotherapy intervention, and 22 cases via delayed radiotherapy intervention. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to determine the progression-free survival time (PFS)/overall survival time (OS) to ascertain the best cut-off value for local control and prognosis. Survival analysis was calculated by Kaplan-Meier curves, and Log rank test was used for comparison of these curves. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used for multivariate survival analysis.Results:The median follow-up time of 159 cases was 28.2 months. During the follow-up period, there were 16 cases with complete remission (10.1%), 53 cases with partial remission (33.3%), 27 cases with stable disease (17.0%), and 63 cases with progressed disease(39.6%). The local control rates at 3, 6 and 12 months were 83.9%, 59.7% and 41.0%, respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) of 159 patients was 8.0 months, the median survival time (OS) was 35.0 months, and 1, 2, and 3-year survival rates were 77.3%, 63.0% and 45.1%, respectively. Adverse reactions related to radiotherapy were relatively mild, mostly grade 1 and 2. PFS/OS= 0.3 is the best cut-off value for determining the patient′s local control and prognosis. The result of univariate analysis showed that gender, number of OM organs, T staging, radiotherapy intervention mode, tumor target volume absorbed dose (DT-GTVnx), PFS/OS were significantly related to median PFS ( χ2=4.175, 16.508, 4.408, 10.300, 6.842, 38.175, P<0.05); gender, pathological type, number of OM organs, initial diagnosis stage, T stage, N stage, lobectomy, radiotherapy intervention mode, tumor target volume (V-GTVnx), tumor load, local control status were significantly related to median OS ( χ2=6.672, 8.330, 21.299, 5.398, 6.874, 6.893, 5.611, 115.206, 4.017, 5.110, 21.299, P< 0.05). The result of multivariate analysis showed that delayed radiotherapy intervention ( HR=3.728, 95% CI 2.099-6.622, P<0.001) was an independent risk factor for PFS in patients with OM NSCLC, and PFS/OS>0.3 ( HR=0.123, 95% CI 0.062-0.246, P<0.001) was an independent protective factor for PFS in patients with OM NSCLC; male ( HR=1.665, 95% CI 1.024-3.043, P=0.033), high tumor burden ( HR=2.113, 95% CI 1.088-4.107, P=0.027), delayed radiotherapy interventions ( HR=15.076, 95% CI 7.925-28.680, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for OS in patients with OM NSCLC. Conclusions:OS of patients with OM NSCLC is significantly prolonged in female, low tumor burden and early radiotherapy intervention. Early radiotherapy intervention significantly improved the prognosis, and radiotherapy-related adverse reactions could be tolerated. These might suggest that local radiotherapy is safe and effective in the treatment of OM NSCLC patients.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide as well as in China. For many years, conventional oncologic treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy (RT) have dominated the field of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The recent introduction of immunotherapy in clinical practice, led to a paradigm shift in lung cancer as in many other solid tumors. Recent pre-clinical and clinical data have shown RT may also modify antitumor immune responses through induction of immunogenic cell death and reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment. This has led many to reexamine RT as a partner therapy to immuno-oncology treatments and investigate their potential synergy in an exponentially growing number of clinical trials. Clinical trials combining radiotherapy and immunotherapy are attracting major attention, experts were invited to discuss frontier and controversial academic topics: (1) Recent developments of clinical synergy between radiation and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in the treatment of NSCLC; (2) Will immunotherapy and radiotherapy increase the toxicity risk for cancer patients; (3) How to cope the mixed responses/disassociated responses phenomenon in checkpoint inhibition therapy to NSCLC with local ablative therapy; (4) Combining radiotherapy and immunotherapy in the treatment of NSCLC brain metastases.

Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of TCBI in middle-aged and elderly patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who received radiotherapy.Methods:The clinical data of 191 patients with thoracic ESCC who underwent radiotherapy in the department of Radiation Oncology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2010 to December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the TCBI value on admission [TCBI=serum triglyceride (mg/dl) × total cholesterol (mg/dl) × body weight (kg)/1 000], patients were divided into TCBI low-value group ( n=79) and TCBI high-value group ( n=112). The relationships between TCBI and clinicopathological characteristics of patients were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival (OS). The log-rank test was adopted to compare the differences in survival between different groups. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the factors affecting the prognosis of middle-aged and elderly patients with thoracic ESCC. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was applied to verify the accuracy of TCBI for survival prediction. Results:The mean pre-radiotherapy TCBI was 1 082±945 in all patients. The cutoff value of the TCBI was 749. The patients with TCBI<749 served as the TCBI low-value group , and patients with TCBI≥749 served as the TCBI high-value group. TCBI was associated with treatment ( χ2=4.235, P=0.040) and geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI, χ2=8.795, P=0.003). Univariate analysis suggested that male ( HR=2.220, 95% CI: 1.223-4.030, P=0.009), stage N 1-3 ( HR=1.453, 95% CI: 1.023-2.065, P=0.037), GNRI<98 ( HR=1.949, 95% CI: 1.168-3.255, P=0.011) and TCBI<749 ( HR=1.846, 95% CI: 1.298-2.627, P=0.001) were risk factors affecting OS in middle-aged and elderly patients with thoracic ESCC. Besides, postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy ( HR=0.641, 95% CI: 0.449-0.915, P=0.014) was a protective factor. Furthermore, multivariate analysis showed that male ( HR=2.147, 95% CI: 1.173-3.929, P=0.013) and TCBI<749 ( HR=1.664, 95% CI: 1.166-2.376, P=0.005) were independent risk factors for OS. Besides, postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy ( HR=0.630, 95% CI: 0.439-0.903, P=0.012) was an independent protective factor. The area under the curve calculated by the ROC curve was 0.619, the sensitivity was 0.742, and the specificity was 0.496 ( P=0.007), confirming the role of TCBI in the prognostic evaluation. Survival analysis showed that the median OS of patients in the TCBI high-value group was 42 months, and the 1-year and 3-year survival rates were 86.6% and 52.7%, significantly higher than those in the TCBI low-value group (20 months, 68.4% and 29.1% respectively; χ2=12.286, P<0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that among patients with radical radiotherapy, 3-year survival rate in patients with lower TCBI ( n=37) was lower than that in patients with higher values ( n=36) (21.6% vs. 44.4%, χ2=8.505, P=0.004). Conclusion:TCBI is a predictor of OS for middle-aged and elderly patients with thoracic ESCC who received radiotherapy. The lower the TCBI, the poorer the survival prognosis.

Objective To explore the feasibility and safety of integrated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technology applied in craniospinal irradiation in a supine position. Methods The patients were fixed in a supine position using thermoplastic mask and vacuum mat. Three isocenters with a fixed interval of 20-25 cm were adopted according to the height of patients. A total of 13 beams with a length of 2-3 cm in the overlapping region were included in the treatment plan. Fixed jaw technique was employed and overall calculation was performed by the inverse optimization method. The γ-passing rate and absolute point dose verification were performed for three isocenters and two overlapping regions. Cone-beam CT (CBCT) images were scanned for three isocenters before treatment. The setup error of each isocenter in the x,y and z directions of the same coordinate system was recorded and overall analysis was conducted. Results Among 28 patients,the γ-passing rate (%) of three isocenters and two overlapping regions was 99. 36%, 99. 60%,99. 75%,94. 77% and 95. 09%,whereas the absolute point dose verification error was 1. 56%,-1. 56%,0. 52%,-0. 76% and -1. 68%,respectively. Twenty-eight patients received 162 groups of IGRT with 486 setup errors from the CBCT images. The average deviation in the x, y and z direction for three isocenters (neck,chest and abdomen) was 0. 17 mm,0. 10 mm,0. 02 mm,0. 06 mm,0. 04 mm,0. 46 mm, 0. 19 mm, 0. 26 mm and 0. 41 mm, respectively. Conclusions The integrated IMRT techniques for craniospinal irradiation in a supine position is feasible and safe,which is worthy of clinical application.

Objective To investigate the dynamic changes of the contents of brain water and Ca,Fe,Cu,Zn,Mg and microvascular damage in hippocampal tissue of radiation-injured rat brain.Methods The rats were randomly divided into control group,protective group (with intraperitoneal injection of 10％ MgSO4,400 mg/kg body weight + a single dose of 20 Gy electron beam irradiation in whole brain) and irradiation alone group (with intraperitoneal injection of normal saline,400 mg/kg body weight + a single dose of 20 Gy electron beam irradiation to the entire brain) with 18 rats assigned to each group and 3 rats sampled at each time point.Radiation-induced brain injury (RBI) was modeled by irradiating the rat' s whole brain with 5 MeV electrons.A dry-wet weight method was used to detect brain water content (BWC),and the level of microvascular damage was detected with HE staining of brain tissue slices,and the contents of Ca,Fe,Cu,Zn,Mg in hippocampus were detected with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy at different time points after radiation.Results BWC in the irradiated rats at 7,14 and 30 d post-irradiation was higher than that of control group (t =3.21,-2.11,2.82,P ＜0.05),andBWC in the protective group was less than that in the irradiated group (t =2.84,4.33,1.90,P ＜ 0.05).Microvascular thrombosis was induced in the radiated brain but this thrombosis was reduced by MgSO4.Thecontents of Ca and Fe in the brain tissue after 1,3,7 d of irradiation was higher than that of control group(t =11.41,6.81,14.03,17.17,6.89,9.12 and 5.43,5.66,3.60,P ＜ 0.05),and the content of Cain the protective group at various time post-irradiation was less than that in the irradiated group (t =5.35,5.28,11.02,14.26,5.68,9.10,P ＜0.05).The content of Cu (1,7,14,60 d post-irradiation) andZn (1,7,14,30,60 d post-irradiation) of the irradiated group was less than that of the control group(t =4.24,3.76,4.76,3.86 and 5.25,4.78,26.53,6.67,11.37,P ＜ 0.05),and the content of Cuin the protective group at different time points post-irradiation was less than that of the irradiated alonegroup (t =4.23,3.57,4.01,4.73,3.78,3.44,P ＜0.05),the content of Zn in the protective group(14 d post-irradiation) was higher than that of the irradiated group (t =6.21,P ＜ 0.05).The content ofMg in the irradiated group (7 d post-irradiation) was less than that of the control group (t =5.85,P ＜0.05).Conclusions The contents of Ca,Fe,Cu and Zn were imbalanced in the radiation-injured ratbrain,and the supplement of MgSO4could recover the balance of Ca,Fe,Cu and Zn content and alleviateradiation-induced brain injury.

Objective To evaluate the radiosensitization effect of low-temperature plasma on HepG2, A549, and HeLa cells.Methods Cells were divided into three groups, radiation group (R) , plasma treatment group(P), and plasma plus radiation group (P + R).After radiation, cell survival was detected by a cloning assay.Cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and ROS content were tested by flow cytometry.Western blot was used to measure the expressions of Caspase-3 and Bcl-2.Results Lowtemperature plasma showed radiosensitization effects on three different human malignant cell lines with a sensitivity enhancement ratio(SERD0) of 1.28,1.32 and 1.29.respectively.In these three different human malignant cell lines, compared with radiation alone group (R) , the G2/M arrest, apoptosis rate and ROS level in the group P + R were enhanced (the prolongation of G2/M arrest: t =9.52, 8.24, 9.53, P ＜ 0.05;the apoptosis rate: t =10.67, 38.56, 6.74, P ＜0.05;ROS content: t =9.41, 15.42, 13.53, P ＜0.05).In HepG2 cells and A549 cells, compared with group P, the prolongation of G2/M arrest, the apoptosis rate and ROS content of group P + R were enhanced (the prolongation of G2/M arrest: t =8.75, 20.37, P＜0.05;the apoptosis rate: t =8.43, 9.99, P ＜0.05;ROS content: t =4.82, 5.27, P ＜ 0.05).The expression level of Bcl-2 protein was downregulated in group P + R;by contrast, the expression level of Caspase-3 protein in group P + R was upregulated.Conclusions Low-temperature plasma can increase the radiosensitization of HepG2, A549 and HeLa cells with the enhancement of G2/M phase arrest, apoptosis induction and ROS generation.