Severe lymphopenia during neoadjuvant chemoradiation for esophageal cancer: A propensity matched analysis of the relative risk of proton versus photon-based radiation therapy

Publication date: Available online 14 December 2017
Source:Radiotherapy and Oncology
Author(s): Yutaka Shiraishi, Penny Fang, Cai Xu, Juhee Song, Sunil Krishnan, Eugene J. Koay, Reza J. Mehran, Wayne L. Hofstetter, Mariela Blum-Murphy, Jaffer A. Ajani, Ritsuko Komaki, Bruce Minsky, Radhe Mohan, Charles C. Hsu, Brian P. Hobbs, Steven H. Lin
Background and purposeCirculating lymphocytes are exquisitely sensitive to radiation exposure, even to low scattered doses which can vary drastically between radiation modalities. We compared the relative risk of radiation-induced lymphopenia between intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or proton beam therapy (PBT) in esophageal cancer (EC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (nCRT).Material and methodsEC patients treated with IMRT and PBT were propensity matched based on key clinical variables. Treatment-associated lymphopenia was graded using CTCAE v.4.0. Using matched cohorts, univariate and multivariable multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with increased risk of grade 4 lymphopenia as well as characterize their relative contributions.ResultsAmong the 480 patients treated with nCRT, 136 IMRT patients were propensity score matched with 136 PBT patients. In the matched groups, a greater proportion of the IMRT patients (55/136, 40.4%) developed grade 4 lymphopenia during nCRT compared with the PBT patients (24/136, 17.6%, P < 0.0001). On multivariable analysis, PBT was significantly associated with a reduction in grade 4 lymphopenia risk (odds ratio, 0.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.16–0.52; P < 0.0001).ConclusionPBT is associated with significant risk reduction in grade 4 lymphopenia during nCRT in esophageal cancer.



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