Consensus / guideline
APCCC 2026: High-risk Localised, Locally Advanced, and Biochemically Recurrent PC
TL;DRConsensus (≥75%) reached on 44 of 134 questions (32.8%); fractionation for high-risk localised PC reached no consensus despite 88% favoring some hypofractionation.
HEATENZARADSTAMPEDEHYPO-RT-PCSHARPATLASPEACE-7THUNDER
Fractionation drew 88% for some form of hypofractionation but no consensus on which form, and 44 panellists abstained or declared themselves unqualified. Moderate hypofractionation (2.5–3.4 Gy/fx) is framed as the established option. SBRT for high-risk disease rests on non-randomised SHARP pooling, with 5-yr G2 GU toxicity of 23%, so it stays a trial question.
In very high-risk cN0 PC planned for RT + long-term ADT, panel opinion (65–71%) favors adding 2 yr abiraterone over enzalutamide. This does not settle the choice between ultrahypofractionation and moderate hypofractionation for high-risk disease. The longer read
Fractionation reached no consensus: 88% favored some hypofractionation, and 44 panellists abstained. Moderate hypofractionation (2.5–3.4 Gy/fx) is the established option, while SBRT for high-risk disease rests on non-randomised SHARP pooling. DIL focal boost up to 95 Gy over 77 Gy/35 fx is presented as validated dose escalation.
In very high-risk cN0 disease, 65–71% backed 2 yr abiraterone with RT + long-term ADT, and very few backed enzalutamide, tracking ENZARAD's null MFS (HR 0.88). A combined 83% would stop ADT after 2 yr with abiraterone. ATLAS, PEACE-7, THUNDER and DASL-HiCaP will test other ARPIs.
32–38% favored surgery as part of a multimodal approach for high-risk cN0 disease. The panel reached consensus against perioperative ADT + ARPI before RP, but voted before PROTEUS (pCR/MRD 8.9% vs 1.0%) was presented, so that position may shift.
9 details 3 trials watching
Modified Delphi process: 144 international experts drafted 313 multiple-choice questions, 134 on high-risk localised / locally advanced PC, PSA persistence and recurrence. 133 panellists voted by web survey before the conference.
Consensus defined a priori as 75% agreement, strong consensus 90%. Consensus reached on 44 of 134 questions (32.8%), seven of them strong.
No consensus on fractionation (Q19) despite a combined 88% favoring some hypofractionation. Moderate hypofractionation (2.5–3.4 Gy per fraction) is named as an option. MRI-defined DIL focal boost up to 95 Gy over 77 Gy in 35 fractions is described as validated in a randomised trial.
Very high-risk disease: RT + long-term ADT (2–3 yr) with the option of abiraterone for 2 yr. A combined 83% voted ADT can be stopped after 2 yr with abiraterone in most or selected pts (Q7).
The intensification votes follow STAMPEDE over ENZARAD, whose null MFS (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.67–1.15) came in a lower-risk population. ATLAS, PEACE-7, THUNDER and DASL-HiCaP are testing other ARPIs in this setting.
44 panellists abstained or declared themselves unqualified on fractionation, which shrinks the informed denominator. The Q6 vote against perioperative ADT + ARPI before RP predates PROTEUS, which was presented and published after the conference.
The panel accepts RT and multimodal surgery as defensible for high-risk cN0 disease without settling the comparison. Its abiraterone-not-enzalutamide vote is drug-specific, not a class effect, and the ongoing ARPI trials will decide whether that distinction holds.
| Question | Setting | Panel vote |
|---|---|---|
| Q1–Q2 | High-risk cN0 M0 (conventional or next-gen imaging) | RT + long-term ADT ± ARPI 62–68%; surgery as multimodal 32–38% |
| Q3–Q4 | Very high-risk cN0 M0 | RT + long-term ADT + abiraterone 2 yr 65–71%; very few for enzalutamide |
| Q5 | Neoadjuvant systemic therapy before RT | Selected or most pts, combined 83%+ (87% combined) |
| Q6 | Perioperative ADT + ARPI before RP | Consensus against |
| Q7 | Stop ADT after 2 yr with abiraterone | Most or selected pts, combined 83% |
| Q19 | Fractionation, high-risk localised / locally advanced | No consensus; combined 88% some hypofractionation; 44 abstained / unqualified |
- Can other ARPIs replace abiraterone in very high-risk localised PC? recruiting Relugolix and Enzalutamide in Combination With Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Very High Risk Prostate Cancer, OPTIMAL Trial Phase 2n=50 · primary completion 2030-11 · ph2 enzalutamide + relugolix + RT, NCCN very-high-risk
- Role of SBRT in high-risk localised PC n=146 · primary completion 2024-02 · randomised ph2 SBRT ± ADT, NCCN IR/HR, PET N0M0n=90 · primary completion 2028-08 · ph2 SBRT ± brachy boost + 6mo ADT in NCCN high-risk
- Does PROTEUS change the stance on perioperative ARPI before RP?
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
GUAM International Consensus Guideline
ForProstate cancer RT, intact or post-prostatectomy, acute or late GU AEs
TL;DR48-expert modified Delphi (15 countries) sets first RT-specific GU adverse event management consensus; 76% favor moderate hypofractionation over SBRT at baseline IPSS 15–19.
Reported via UroToday →
The RT-technique domain is the read: 76% favored moderate hypofractionation over SBRT at baseline IPSS 15–19 and 85% a full bladder at simulation and treatment, yet no dose-volume constraint reached consensus. The presenter pointed to margin reduction instead, citing MIRAGE (2-mm MRI-guided vs 4-mm CT-guided, late G≥2 GU 51% → 27%).
In a man with severe LUTS headed for prostate cancer RT, this panel position supports considering a prophylactic bladder outlet procedure (85%) with ≥8 weeks recovery before RT (94%); it does not extend to irritative-predominant symptoms (95% against). The longer read
Fractionation choice now has an IPSS anchor: 76% favored moderate hypofractionation over SBRT at baseline IPSS 15–19, and 85% a full bladder at simulation and treatment. No dose-volume constraint reached consensus, and only 52% considered SBRT safe after a bladder outlet procedure, with 94% waiting ≥8 weeks before RT.
12 details
Systematic review (183 articles) plus 3-round modified Delphi, May 2025 to February 2026. 48 experts from 15 countries: 34 radiation oncologists, 7 medical oncologists, 7 urologic oncologists. Consensus = ≥75% agreement; independently peer reviewed, endorsed by ASTRO and ESTRO.
Men with GU adverse events associated with prostate cancer RT, split by intact prostate vs postoperative and, when intact, obstructive vs irritative predominance. Five domains: acute medical management, RT technique, bladder outlet obstruction, urology referral indications, hyperbaric oxygen. Recommendations assume UTI has been excluded.
76% favored moderate hypofractionation over SBRT at baseline IPSS 15–19; 85% recommended a full bladder at simulation and treatment. After a bladder outlet procedure, 94% would wait ≥8 weeks and 66% ≥12 weeks before RT; only 52% considered SBRT safe afterward. No dose-volume constraint reached consensus.
Agreement figures and IPSS threshold distributions are tabulated in the bullets. The manuscript reports consensus on 31 key questions; the source covers a subset.
| Setting | Preferred first-line | Subsequent options, in order |
|---|---|---|
| Intact prostate, obstructive | Alpha blockers | PDE5-Is, NSAIDs, steroids, anti-spasmodics |
| Intact prostate, irritative | Anti-spasmodics | Alpha blockers, NSAIDs, phenazopyridine, cranberry products |
| Post-prostatectomy | Anti-spasmodics | Not reported in source |
| Statement | Panel agreement |
|---|---|
| Against prophylactic medication before symptom onset | 80% |
| Add a second agent rather than switch when first-line inadequate | 80% |
| Alpha blockers do not or probably do not help postoperatively | 74% |
| Moderate hypofractionation over SBRT at baseline IPSS 15–19 | 76% |
| Full bladder at simulation and treatment | 85% |
| Refer IPSS ≥20 for bladder outlet procedure consideration | 74% |
| Wait ≥8 weeks after outlet procedure before RT | 94% |
| Wait ≥12 weeks after outlet procedure before RT | 66% |
| SBRT safe after outlet procedure once obstruction resolved | 52% |
| Consider prophylactic outlet procedure pre-RT for severe LUTS | 85% |
| No outlet procedure when irritative symptoms predominate | 95% |
| IPSS threshold | Panelists selecting |
|---|---|
| 10–14 | 16% |
| 15–19 | 61% |
| 20–24 | 21% |
| ≥25 | 2% |
| IPSS threshold | Panelists selecting |
|---|---|
| 15–19 | 34% |
| 20–24 | 47% |
| 25–29 | 15% |
| ≥30 | 4% |
The presenter cited MIRAGE for margin reduction (2-mm MRI-guided vs 4-mm CT-guided, late G≥2 GU 51% → 27%) and CHHiP, PROFIT, RTOG 0415 and the HYDRA meta-analysis as showing no consistent late GU increase with moderate hypofractionation. RICH-ART was cited as randomized support for hyperbaric oxygen in late radiation cystitis; no effect size reported in source.
Several quoted positions fall below the group's own ≥75% bar (74%, 74%, 66%, 52%). The source gives 60% for IPSS ≥15 and 61% for the 15–19 band without reconciling them. Outlet-procedure questions were voted by a panel with 34 radiation oncologists and 7 urologic oncologists.
A default sequence for symptom management and an IPSS-anchored fractionation preference now exist where practice was improvised. Still unsettled, per the working group: dose-volume constraints, reliability of urethral contouring, and RT-specific evidence for commonly used medications. Four ongoing trials are named (BEFORE, RadTARGET, RELIEF, DESTINATION-2) and the document is intended to be living.
Modified Delphi guideline; every percentage is panel opinion, not an outcome. Changes practice by standardizing GU symptom management and IPSS-based fractionation choice where no RT-specific guideline existed.
- Optimal dose-volume constraints for GU adverse events
- Reliability of urethral contouring
- RT-specific evidence for commonly used GU symptom medications
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
Abstract
ASTRO Clinical Practice Guideline: RT for Bladder Cancer
ForBladder cancer, high-grade cT1 NMIBC through metastatic disease
TL;DRTMT recommended (strong, high QoE) as alternative to RC for select cT2-4aN0M0 MIBC; bladder-alone 5500 cGy/20 fx or 6400-6480 cGy/32-36 fx.
Elective pelvic nodes stay conditional: no validated RCT vs bladder-only RT, and bladder-only series show ~7% pelvic nodal recurrence. Prostate and proximal urethra are conditionally added for base/neck, T4 or prostatic urethral involvement. Investigational concurrent IO warrants caution with moderately hypofractionated whole-pelvis chemoRT or >400 cGy/fx.
In select cT2-4aN0M0 MIBC (solitary, <7 cm, no extensive CIS or hydronephrosis), this supports TMT with concurrent chemo as an alternative to RC; it gives only conditional, expert-opinion support to consolidative local therapy in cN2-3M0 disease after systemic response. The longer read
Elective pelvic nodes stay conditional: no validated RCT vs bladder-only RT, and bladder-only series show ~7% pelvic nodal recurrence. Prostate and proximal urethra are conditionally added for base/neck, T4 or prostatic urethral involvement. Investigational concurrent IO warrants caution with moderately hypofractionated whole-pelvis chemoRT or >400 cGy/fx.
Concurrent chemo is the preferred radiosensitizer (cisplatin ± 5-FU, 5-FU + mitomycin-C, low-dose gemcitabine), with neoadjuvant/induction systemic therapy for cT3-4 or N1-3 disease graded strong on low QoE. Perioperative chemo-IO and ADC-IO have no comparative TMT data, and concurrent checkpoint inhibitors stay investigational pending SWOG/NRG 1806.
TMT is graded a strong, high-QoE alternative to RC for select cT2-4aN0M0 MIBC, and for cN1M0 after neoadjuvant therapy TMT and RC sit side by side. A maximal, not necessarily visibly complete, TURBT precedes chemoRT, and MIBC relapse after TMT goes to salvage RC.
8 details 3 trials watching
Clinical practice guideline, not a trial. Systematic review of Ovid MEDLINE and Embase, January 2009 to November 18, 2024, yielding 153 studies; retrospective series limited to ≥65 pts (KQ1) and ≥100 pts (KQ2). Consensus by modified Delphi, threshold ≥75% agreement (≥90% for expert-opinion recs).
Adults (≥18 years) with bladder cancer treated with RT, across 4 KQs: bladder preservation, intact-bladder technique and dose, postoperative RT, noncurative RT. Out of scope: surgical management of MIBC, systemic-therapy specifics, intravesical therapy.
Preferred concurrent radiosensitizers: cisplatin ± 5-FU, 5-FU + mitomycin-C, or low-dose gemcitabine; carbogen and nicotinamide an alternative. Capecitabine ± mitomycin-C or single-agent 5-FU for pts ineligible for those agents.
Simulation and daily treatment supine with empty bladder and rectum; fiducials help delineate a tumor boost. 2 to 4 weeks from maximal TURBT to RT is typical, and post-TMT cystoscopy with biopsy follows at 8 to 12 weeks.
Caution, not absolute contraindication, for active inflammatory bowel disease, prior pelvic RT, or severely reduced bladder capacity. Elective nodal coverage is weighed against bowel toxicity.
Prior RTOG and NRG studies put the prostate in the field under 3-D CRT; the guideline narrows that to base/neck, T4 or prostatic urethral involvement. SWOG/NRG 1806 allowed bladder-only or bladder plus pelvic nodes, which the task force reads as equipoise on elective nodal coverage. Bladder-only series report ~7% pelvic nodal recurrence.
Search closed November 18, 2024 and excluded abstract-only reports. Histology guidance rests mostly on pure urothelial data, and ctDNA after TMT is not yet prospectively validated.
TMT is framed as curative treatment alongside RC within multidisciplinary shared decision-making, not a fallback for unfit pts. The guideline names access as the binding constraint: Black pts with MIBC are less likely to receive curative-intent cystectomy or chemoRT.
| Scenario | Recommendation | Strength | QoE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select cT2-4aN0M0 MIBC | TMT as alternative to RC | Strong | High |
| High-grade cT1N0M0 NMIBC, T1 recurrence, cystectomy declined/ineligible | TMT or clinical trial | Conditional | Low |
| cN1M0 | TMT or RC after neoadjuvant/induction systemic therapy | Strong | Low |
| cN2-3M0, stable/responding after systemic therapy | Consolidative local therapy | Conditional | Expert opinion |
| Any TMT | Concurrent radiosensitizing systemic therapy | Strong | High (chemo); Moderate (carbogen/nicotinamide) |
| TMT, cT3-4 or N1-3 | Neoadjuvant/induction systemic therapy | Strong | Low |
| Bladder preservation | Maximal TURBT before chemoRT | Strong | Low |
| Setting | Dose-fractionation | Strength | QoE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bladder alone, intact cT1-4N0M0 | 5500 cGy/20 fx or 6400-6480 cGy/32-36 fx | Strong | High |
| cT1N0M0 option | 6120 cGy/34 fx | Ungraded remark | n/a |
| Bladder + elective nodes, cT2-4N0M0 | Nodes + bladder 4000-4600 cGy, bladder boost to 6400-6480 cGy/32-36 fx | Strong | Low |
| Nodal alternative | Nodes 4000-4400 cGy/20 fx, bladder 5500 cGy/20 fx | Ungraded remark | n/a |
| Gross nodes, cT2-4N1-3M0 | Focal boost, tolerance-dependent; up to 6400-6480 cGy/32-36 fx | Conditional | Low |
| Escalation above 6400-6480 cGy | Not outside trial or multi-institutional registry | Strong | Moderate |
| Schedule | Daily RT, no mid-treatment break for cystoscopic assessment | Strong | Moderate |
| Recommendation | Strength | QoE |
|---|---|---|
| Whole bladder full dose, or reduced dose to uninvolved bladder + partial tumor boost (cT2-4N0-3M0) | Strong | Moderate |
| Elective pelvic nodes optional in cT2-4N0M0; higher-risk features (cT3-4, hydronephrosis, LVI, incomplete TURBT) | Conditional | Moderate |
| Prostate/proximal urethra for base/neck tumors, T4, or prostatic urethral involvement | Conditional | Moderate |
| IMRT/VMAT with daily CBCT to verify bladder volume | Strong | Low |
| Adaptive RT when coverage/OAR constraints or setup reproducibility fail | Conditional | Moderate |
ASTRO guideline from systematic review (153 studies) plus modified Delphi; output is graded recommendations, not outcomes. Elective nodal RT and adjuvant RT stay conditional.
- Elective pelvic nodal RT vs bladder-only RT in cN0 MIBC
- Concurrent checkpoint inhibitor added to TMT chemoRT n=520 · primary completion 2027-01 · phase 3 pembro + CRT vs CRT alone, N0M0 MIBCactive Chemoradiotherapy With or Without Atezolizumab in Treating Patients With Localized Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Phase 3n=475 · primary completion 2027-06 · phase 3 CRT ± atezolizumab in localized MIBC
- 5-fraction adaptive RT vs moderate hypofractionation recruiting Testing Shorter Duration Radiation Therapy Versus the Usual Radiation Therapy in Patients Receiving the Usual Chemotherapy Treatment for Bladder Cancer, ARCHER Study Phase 3n=486 · primary completion 2030-05 · phase 3 ultra-hypofx vs hypofx chemoRT, cT2-T3N0M0
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
Organs at Risk Radiation Dose Constraints: 2025 Update
TL;DRSFRO 2025 OAR dose-constraint update: normofractionated, moderate hypofractionated and ablative tables across skull base, H&N, lung, breast, oesophagus, liver.
START BFAST-FORWARDRTCMIENDOMETRE
The practical shift is coverage of ablative regimens per fraction number (1, 3, 4, 5, 8) alongside normofractionation, plus cardiac substructures (LAD, left ventricle) and a proposed dorsal vagal complex OAR. Numbers are tiered optimal vs mandatory, so a plan that exceeds an optimal value is a documented conversation, not a violation. The longer read
Practical shift is the per-fraction-number ablative columns (1, 3, 4, 5, 8) sitting alongside normofractionation in one grid, plus cardiac substructures (LAD, left ventricle) as constrained organs. The optimal versus mandatory tiering is what changes planning behaviour: it names which values are negotiable against target coverage.
12 details
SFRO consensus update, part of the RecoRad 4th edition, covering adult external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy practice. Constraints were compiled from international consensus guidelines and clinical trial data, then validated by national reference experts rather than derived from a new dataset.
Tables are indexed by tumour site and by fractionation: normofractionation, moderate hypofractionation, accelerated hyperfractionation (lung), and ablative regimens split by fraction number (1, 3, 4, 5, 8). Dmax is approximated by D2 % in normofractionation and D0.035 cm3 in stereotactic plans; several hypofractionated entries are given as EQD2.
No clinical endpoint. The deliverable is a set of dose-volume objectives intended for direct implementation into treatment planning systems as standardized clinical objectives.
Constraints are tiered as optimal versus mandatory, with ALARA used where no numeric threshold is offered (parotid in the brain table, lacrymal gland under moderate hypofractionation). The authors require that pts be informed of the risk when a constraint is exceeded.
Breast constraints are anchored to the schedules of START B (40 Gy in 15) and FAST-FORWARD (26 Gy in 5); liver constraints are built on the ASTRO clinical practice guideline across 3, 5 and ≥ 20 fractions. This is a national harmonization layer over those sources, not a competing evidence synthesis.
The authors state most constraints still rest on 3D conformal-era data, which sits awkwardly with IMRT's larger low-dose bath and with ablative dose gradients. Biological modifiers of risk (individual radiosensitivity, genomic profile, concurrent immunotherapy) are not accounted for, and dose to immune organs at risk is named as unresolved.
The value here is harmonization, not novelty: the stated problem is the multiplicity of circulating constraint sets and the absence of a single reference. The optimal/mandatory tiering is the part that changes daily behaviour, because it tells a planner which values are negotiable against target coverage and which are not.
- Validity of 3D conformal-derived constraints under IMRT and SBRT
- Dose thresholds for immune organs at risk with concurrent immunotherapy
- Dorsal vagal complex as an OAR for radiation-induced nausea
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
BEACON-HCC
ForHCC across all stages, North American practice context
TL;DRNew North American HCC allocation framework; expert decisions 96.6% concordant with BEACON vs 72.4% with BCLC 2025 across 29 cases.
First major allocation framework to place EBRT/SBRT alongside TARE as a first-line locoregional option rather than a BCLC afterthought, extending to Class 1D (Vp1-2) and Class 3B (Vp3/4). The panel's own citation base for Class 3B is RTOG1112, which showed only a trend (p=0.06) for SBRT vs sorafenib, so the elevation runs ahead of randomised evidence.
For a cirrhotic patient with unifocal HCC not eligible for resection or transplant, this framework treats SBRT as a legitimate first-line ablative option rather than a fallback; it does not apply to Class 4A, where the panel explicitly withholds EBRT outside symptom palliation. The longer read
SBRT enters the allocation boxes as a first-line locoregional option across Classes 1A through 3A, not a salvage line, which changes referral expectations at tumor board. No dose or fractionation is specified anywhere in the framework, and the Class 3B citation is RTOG1112 at p=0.06, so the elevation runs ahead of randomised evidence.
The framework pushes back on reflexive systemic therapy for macrovascular invasion: Class 1D (Vp1-2) is routed to local or surgical options, and adjuvant therapy after complete response is explicitly not recommended. Systemic therapy stays the cornerstone only for Class 3B, 4A, and 4B.
Resection is preferred without CSPH, transplant with it, and both extend beyond early stage after downstaging response. Class 3B carries a cited RCT showing resection after neoadjuvant radiation beat up-front resection, and Vp1-2 patients with deep durable responses become transplant candidates rather than automatic exclusions.
9 details 4 trials watching
Modified Delphi consensus, 20 North American multidisciplinary experts, iterative discussion and voting over two rounds. Followed by a 29-case pilot concordance exercise against external experts.
Framework spans the full HCC spectrum, from unifocal ≤3 cm (Class 1A) to distant metastases (Class 4B). Class assignment keys on tumor burden, Vp level of portal invasion, and poor prognostic features (>8 cm, AFP >1000 ng/mL, poor differentiation).
EBRT including SBRT is named a first-line locoregional option in Classes 1A through 3A, on par with TARE, RFA/MWA, and TACE. No dose or fractionation is specified anywhere in the framework: the stated rationale is ablative dose delivered selectively to limit radiation-induced liver injury. In Class 4A, EBRT is not routinely indicated outside palliation of symptomatic disease.
Expert decisions matched BEACON in 28 of 29 cases (96.6%) vs 72.4% for BCLC 2025. The single discordant case was combination systemic plus locoregional therapy for vascular invasion reaching the right atrium.
| BEACON class | BCLC 2025 | AJCC v8 | Adaptation from BCLC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1A | Very early (0) or early (A) | Stage 1A or 1B | Aligned; framework elevates SBRT and TARE |
| Class 1B | Early (A) | Stage 1B | Aligned |
| Class 1C | Early (A) | Stage 2 | Aligned |
| Class 1D | Advanced (C) | Stage 2 | Macrovascular invasion may suit local or surgical therapy: TARE, SBRT, resection |
| Class 2 | Early (A) | Stage 1A or 1B | Aligned; framework elevates SBRT and TARE |
| Class 3A | Intermediate (B) or advanced (C) | Stage 3A | Aligned; framework elevates SBRT and TARE |
| Class 3B | Advanced (C) | Stage 3B or 4A | Macrovascular invasion may be amenable to local therapy in selected cases |
| Class 4A | Intermediate (B) | Stage 3A | Extensive intrahepatic spread treated as systemic process |
| Class 4B | Advanced (C) | Stage 4B | Stage and treatment framework aligned |
BCLC keeps radiation outside its core allocation algorithm; BEACON moves it in. The supporting evidence the panel cites is uneven: DOSISPHERE (ORR 71 vs 36%, OS 26.6 vs 10.7 mo) for personalized-dosimetry TARE is randomised, while the SBRT case in Class 3B rests on RTOG1112, which reached only p=0.06 for OS vs sorafenib.
The 72.4% BCLC comparator was scored by BEACON's own authors against cases the same group selected, and 29 cases cannot exercise nine classes evenly. Round-1 per-class agreement is unreadable from the source table because vote counts and class labels arrived unpaired.
The framework's real claim is that intrahepatic burden and Vp level, not BCLC's stage buckets, should drive allocation, and that radiation-based modalities are burden-appropriate rather than stage-restricted. Whether that improves outcomes is untested: validation against empiric clinical data is deferred to the HCC-Live Consortium.
Delphi consensus framework, not an efficacy study. Concordance figures measure opinion against opinion. Elevates EBRT/TARE to first-line locoregional status in a formal allocation system.
- Head-to-head SBRT vs TARE for liver-confined HCC n=146 · primary completion 2028-12 · randomised phase 2 TARE vs SBRT, =3 HCC lesionsrecruiting Comparison of SBRT and SIRT With Combination IO for Locally-advanced, Unresectable HCCs (BIIRTH) Phase 2/3n=106 · primary completion 2034-03 · TACE-SBRT vs Y90 SIRT, PFS primary
- Does BEACON allocation improve survival vs BCLC allocation
- Optimal sequencing of ICI with locoregional therapy active Durvalumab/Tremelimumab in Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Setting in Patients With HCC Treated by by Percutaneous Ablation Procedure Phase 2n=30 · primary completion 2027-09 · durva/treme before and after percutaneous ablationrecruiting Using Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy to Treat Advanced Liver Cancer Before Transplant Phase 1/2n=48 · primary completion 2031-06 · Y90/SBRT plus atezo-bev, transplant conversion
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
Abstract
IROCK RCC SABR contouring guidelines
ForLocalized RCC treated with SABR, incl. IVC thrombus, recurrence, post-RFA
TL;DRFirst international consensus on target delineation for localized RCC SABR: 16 experts, median DSC 0.85 vs consensus, >0.70 in every case.
The two contested target calls are settled: include the entire tumor thrombus and the entire RFA cavity, and these were also the cases with most variation (DSC 0.85 and 0.75; HD 64.60 mm in Case 1). The 5 mm PTV assumes 4DCT, vacuum cushion, IV contrast and daily CBCT, so a center without those shouldn't copy the margin.
In a medically inoperable localized RCC with IVC tumor thrombus or recurrence after RFA, this supports covering the full thrombus or full ablation cavity in the iGTV; it does not settle the dose or fraction number, which the panel left institution-specific. The longer read
The two contested target calls are settled: include the entire tumor thrombus and the entire RFA cavity, the cases with most variation (DSC 0.85 and 0.75). The 5 mm PTV assumes 4DCT, vacuum cushion, IV contrast and daily CBCT, so it does not transfer unchanged to other workflows.
10 details
Contouring consensus: 16 IROCK radiation oncologists contoured 4 CT-only cases; a STAPLE algorithm produced the 95% consensus contour, refined over 2 online meetings (May and June 2024) until 100% agreement on statements.
Panel eligibility: ≥10 RCC SABR cases treated; 14 of 16 had treated ≥10 pts in the prior 12 months. Cases: >10 cm tumor with IVC thrombus, central tumor at the hilum, post-nephrectomy recurrence, post-RFA residual.
iGTV equals ITV since no microscopic-spread margin is added. Most common PTV: uniform 5 mm on iGTV with supine vacuum cushion, 4DCT, IV contrast and daily CBCT. Participants used 1, 3, or 5 fractions; OAR constraints drawn from FASTRACK-II and AQuOS-II protocols.
Overall median DSC 0.85 (range 0.40-0.95), MDA 2.17 mm, HD 9.00 mm; median DSC >0.70 in every case. Greatest variation in Case 1 (superior thrombus extent) and Case 4 (cavity inclusion).
| Case | Scenario | iGTV recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tumor >10 cm with IVC tumor thrombus | Primary tumor + entire tumor thrombus; exclude bland thrombus |
| 2 | Central tumor abutting renal hilum | All visible tumor, account for internal motion; may extend into hilum |
| 3 | Local recurrence post-nephrectomy | All visible gross tumor; surgical clips need not be included |
| 4 | Residual tumor post-RFA | Visible gross recurrence + entire ablation cavity |
| Case | DSC | MDA (mm) | HD (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.85, 0.79-0.85 | 6.69, 5.88-8.79 | 64.60, 64.44-86.40 |
| 2 | 0.90, 0.84-0.93 | 1.55, 1.00-2.09 | 7.92, 5.35-9.98 |
| 3 | 0.91, 0.88-0.93 | 1.42, 1.18-1.89 | 6.18, 6.00-7.12 |
| 4 | 0.75, 0.60-0.79 | 2.50, 2.12-2.99 | 9.00, 9.00-12.39 |
FASTRACK-II established prospective phase II support for RCC SABR; this document standardizes the target and OAR definitions that trial-era protocols left variable. AQuOS-II is prospectively testing whether ipsilateral parenchyma and hilum contours matter for toxicity.
CT-only images; MRI might have reduced variation. Participants did not recontour after consensus, so the post-consensus agreement is assumed rather than measured.
The guideline chooses OAR priority over coverage and accepts heterogeneous target dose, which trades some target coverage for bowel safety. Whether hilum or cortex sparing reduces renal toxicity remains unanswered and is deliberately left optional.
Expert contouring consensus; agreement metrics measure contour overlap, not outcome. Standardizes target definition for an emerging indication; not validated prospectively.
- Does renal hilum or cortex sparing reduce renal toxicity?
- Patterns of failure with the 5 mm PTV margin
- Does MRI-based contouring reduce target variation?
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
ESTRO Prostate SBRT Consensus Recommendations
TL;DRDelphi: 36.25 Gy/5 fx standard, 100% vote against elective pelvic nodal RT with prostate SBRT outside trial.
PACE-BPACE-CHYPO-RT-PCNRG-GU005hypo-FLAMEMIRAGEPARTIQoL
Two operational lines move practice: elective pelvic nodal RT alongside prostate SBRT is rejected 100% (12 votes) outside a trial, and intra-fraction tracking is only carried by 71% (10 votes) once PTV margin drops below 5 mm, no consensus. Prior BPH surgery is permitted with a median 6-month wait (range 2-12).
In ISUP 2-3, cT1c-cT2c, PSA <20 ng/mL localised prostate cancer, this supports five-fraction SBRT as a standard option without elective pelvic nodal coverage or a rectal spacer; it does not extend to cT3b, ISUP 5, or pts needing nodal irradiation. The longer read
The actionable lines are operational: no elective pelvic nodal RT with prostate SBRT outside a trial (100%, 12 votes), no routine rectal spacer (85%, 11 votes), and intra-fraction tracking only at 71% (10 votes) once PTV margin falls under 5 mm. Standard is 36.25 Gy/5 fx to 95% PTV with 40 Gy to 95% CTV.
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ESTRO task force literature review, then two Delphi survey rounds with a purposively selected expert panel, refined at ESTRO 2025 in Vienna. Ten multiple-choice questions covered areas of controversy. Consensus was predefined at ≥75% agreement, strong consensus at ≥90%, thresholds borrowed from APCCC.
Panel: eleven radiation oncologists, three medical physicists, one RTT from nine European countries. Voting counts per question ran 12 to 14. Target patient population is localised prostate cancer, with ISUP 2-3, cT1c-cT2c, PSA <20 ng/mL carrying strong consensus for SBRT as standard treatment outside a trial.
Standard is 36.25 Gy in five fractions of 7.25 Gy to 95% of the PTV, with 40 Gy to 95% of the prostate CTV (PACE-B), or 42.7 Gy in seven fractions of 6.1 Gy (HYPO-RT-PC). Prostate is contoured on T2-weighted planning MRI registered to CT; seminal vesicles omitted in low risk, proximal 1 cm included for all in PACE, proximal 2 cm to 30 Gy/5 fx in Gleason 4+3 or NCCN high risk. Rectal, bladder, femoral head, bowel and optional urethra PRV / penile bulb / crura constraints are given for five-fraction schedules only.
ADT per existing international guidelines, independent of the radiation schedule (100%, 13 votes). Intermediate risk: short-term ADT with conventional fractionation improves overall and cancer-specific survival by 7%, with no added benefit beyond roughly four months. High risk: long-term ADT plus RT improves overall and disease-specific survival irrespective of dose escalation.
No efficacy endpoint. The output is a set of recommendations plus per-question panel agreement percentages, so every "result" here is opinion measured against opinion.
The dose recommendation tracks PACE-B rather than splitting the difference with HYPO-RT-PC, whose lower biologically effective dose was still non-inferior, which the authors read as evidence 40 Gy in five fractions may not be needed for everyone. The unresolved counterweight is NRG-GU005, presented in preliminary form at ASTRO 2025: 36.25 Gy in five fractions gave lower side effects but a slightly higher three-year biochemical relapse rate, cause not yet determined. On protons, PARTIQoL found no difference in outcomes or QoL versus IMRT, with pencil beam scanning in only 48% of cases.
High-risk practice is running ahead of its evidence: HYPO-RT-PC is the only phase III reporting oncologic outcomes in high-risk pts and they were 11% of participants, while PACE-C has published toxicity but not oncological outcomes. Urethral sparing is recommended on mechanistic and single-study grounds while a post hoc PACE-B analysis found no significant association between urinary substructure dose and late urinary toxicity, and the panel itself flags the PACE-B urethra V42 <50% constraint as possibly too permissive.
The document's real contribution is the negative recommendations: no elective pelvic nodal RT with prostate SBRT outside a trial (100%, 12 votes) and no routine rectal spacer (85%, 11 votes), both areas where practice has drifted ahead of randomised data. It does not settle prostate volume cut-off, prophylactic medication, or whether intra-fraction tracking is required below a 5 mm margin, all of which returned no consensus.
| Category | Recommend SBRT (% of votes) |
|---|---|
| ISUP 2 | 100% (13 votes) |
| ISUP 3 | 100% (13 votes) |
| ISUP 4 | 38% (5 votes) |
| ISUP 5 | 0% (0 votes) |
| cT1c-cT2a | 100% (13 votes) |
| cT2b-cT2c | 100% (13 votes) |
| cT3a | 38% (5 votes) |
| cT3b | 0% (0 votes) |
| cT4 | 0% (0 votes) |
| PSA <20 ng/mL | 100% (13 votes) |
| PSA 20-40 ng/mL | 8% (1 vote) |
| PSA >40 ng/mL | 0% (0 votes) |
| Question | Vote | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Elective pelvic nodal RT with prostate SBRT (Q6) | No 100% (12 votes) | Strong consensus against |
| Bladder/bowel prep protocol (Q8) | Yes 100% (14 votes) | Strong consensus |
| ADT per existing guidelines, fractionation-independent (Q7) | Yes 100% (13 votes) | Strong consensus |
| Rectal spacer (Q9) | No 85% (11 votes) | Consensus against |
| Max IPSS cut-off (Q3) | Yes 85% (11 votes) | Consensus; median 17, range 10-20 |
| Max prostate volume cut-off (Q2) | Yes 62% (8 votes) | No consensus; median 90 cc, range 70-150 |
| Prophylactic meds (α1-blockers etc, Q4) | No 46% (6 votes) | No consensus |
| SBRT after BPH surgery (Q5) | Selected pts with waiting period 100% (13 votes) | Strong consensus; median wait 6 mo, range 2-12 |
- Cause of higher 3y biochemical relapse with 36.25 Gy in NRG-GU005
- Whether focal GTV dose escalation improves outcome in high-risk SBRT recruiting Image-guided Focal Dose Escalation- Primary pc Treated With Primary External Beam Hypofract.Stereotactic rt Phase NAn=374 · primary completion 2025-08 · randomised focal dose escalation vs no boost, cN0n=54 · primary completion 2027-06 · SBRT + mpMRI focal boost, unfavourable/high-risk
- Whether online adaptive RT improves toxicity over non-adaptive SBRT recruiting Adaptive Radiation Therapy (ART) Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR) for Primary Localized Prostate Cancer Phase NAn=164 · primary completion 2026-08 · margin-less adaptive 2 fx vs standard 5 fx SABR QoLrecruiting Is Adaptive SBRT for Prostate vs Image-guided Radiotherapy a True Evolution (ASPIRE) Phase 3n=320 · primary completion 2030-02 · phase 3 adaptive vs image-guided SBRT, urinary EPrecruiting Image-Guidance and Online Adaptation With Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Localized Prostate Cancer, MANTICORE Trial Phase NAn=186 · primary completion 2031-12 · online adaptation vs IGRT SBRT, toxicity endpoint
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
EANO Consensus Statement on Radiation Necrosis
ForPost-cranial-RT pts with a new enhancing lesion, glioma or brain metastases
TL;DRDelphi consensus: 53/57 statements reached ≥80% agreement across 20 experts; perfusion MRI + amino acid PET preferred, bevacizumab for steroid-refractory RN.
The dose-volume numbers are the transferable part: V12Gy ~10 cm³ carrying 5-10% symptomatic necrosis in single-fraction SRS, and hypofractionated brain+target V20Gy (3fx) or V24Gy (5fx) <20 cm³ holding RN needing resection under 4%. That is a planning constraint, and it gates the single-session vs hypofractionated choice for larger or eloquent-region metastases.
For a patient 6-24 months out from SRS or cranial RT with a new enhancing lesion, this supports going to perfusion MRI plus amino acid PET before calling progression; it does not settle mixed lesions, where the panel still points to tissue. The longer read
The planning-relevant numbers: V12Gy ~10 cm³ carries 5-10% symptomatic necrosis after single-fraction SRS, while hypofractionated brain+target V20Gy (3fx) or V24Gy (5fx) <20 cm³ keeps RN requiring resection under 4%. Re-irradiation risk climbs to 25% above cumulative EQD2 130 Gy, which constrains repeat SRS for lesions over 2.0-3.0 cm.
Bevacizumab moves from rescue to a triggered step at steroid dependence >4 weeks or dexamethasone 8 mg/day, with four accepted dosing schemes and no evidence favouring one. The panel also flags added RN risk when SRS is combined with dual checkpoint blockade or antibody-drug conjugates, which bears on sequencing brain RT against systemic therapy.
Resection carries the lowest accepted agreement in the management table (80.0%) yet is positioned as giving diagnosis and definitive treatment in one step for accessible lesions. LITT reached 100% agreement as the option for treatment-resistant RN unsuitable for resection, which gives a documented pathway for the steroid-dependent or bevacizumab-cycling patient.
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Three-round Delphi. 57 statements drafted after literature review across epidemiology-pathophysiology (n=8), causes (n=10), imaging (n=10), histopathology (n=9), management (n=20), plus an exploratory research set of 8. Consensus prespecified at ≥80% agreement on a 5-point Likert scale.
The voting panel, not patients: 15 volunteers (2 radiation/clinical oncologists, 4 neuro-oncologists, 4 medical oncologists, 2 neurosurgeons, 1 neuropathologist, 1 neuroradiologist, 1 nuclear medicine physician), expanded by 5 more in round 1 (4 neuro-oncologists, 1 radiation/clinical oncologist) to 20 total. Clinically the scope is RN after RT for primary glial or metastatic brain tumors.
RN is called uncommon below EQD2 ~40 Gy (α/β 2 Gy), rising with dose per fraction, total dose and irradiated volume. V12Gy ~10 cm³ carries a 5-10% symptomatic necrosis risk after single-session SRS; for hypofractionated SRT, brain-plus-target V20Gy (3fx) or V24Gy (5fx) <20 cm³ associates with <10% any necrosis and <4% RN requiring resection. Re-irradiation risk stays under 10% at cumulative EQD2 100-110 Gy and reaches up to 25% above 130 Gy.
Consensus reached on 53 of 57 statements after three rounds. Diagnostic and management statements are tabulated separately in the details; the four that failed to reach 80% are not identified in the available text.
| Modality | Setting | Sensitivity | Specificity |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 contrast-enhanced MRI alone | WHO grade 3-4 glioma | 68% | 77% |
| T1 contrast-enhanced MRI alone | Brain metastases | 79% | 76% |
| DSC rCBV | Grade 3-4 glioma | 87-90% | 86-88% |
| DSC rCBV | Brain metastases (418 lesions) | 83% | 78% |
| MR spectroscopy Cho/NAA | Glioma (455 pts) | 88% | 86% |
| Amino acid PET | Brain metastases (~400 pts) | 82% | 84% |
The document's practical contribution is a decision sequence rather than a new treatment: advanced MRI first, amino acid PET to add confidence, tissue when doubt persists, and treatment triggered only by symptoms of >7 days with increasing severity. Its most consequential position is moving bevacizumab from rescue to an expected next step at a defined steroid threshold (dependence >4 weeks or dexamethasone 8 mg/day), which is a lower bar than many centres apply.
Agreement percentages measure how a self-selected 20-person European panel voted, and the panel skews neuro-oncology (8 of 20) over radiation oncology (3 of 20) for a complication defined by dose and volume. FET and F-DOPA availability is largely European, so the imaging algorithm's top tier is not reproducible in most centres worldwide. The 4 non-consensus statements are not enumerated in the accessible text, so the reader cannot see where the panel actually split.
Delphi expert-opinion document, no efficacy endpoint. Agreement measured against opinion, not outcomes; authors state absence of Level 1 evidence and call for randomised trials.
- Optimal bevacizumab dose, interval and duration for symptomatic RN n=408 · primary completion 2028-07 · phase 3 bevacizumab vs dexamethasone, 1L sCRNrecruiting Corticodependent or Corticoresistant Brain Radionecrosis After Radiotherapy for Brain Metastases Phase 3n=84 · primary completion 2028-08 · randomised bev vs placebo in steroid-refractory RN
- Single-session SRS vs hypofractionated SRT for RN risk active Comparing Single vs Multiple Dose Radiation for Cancer Patients With Brain Metastasis and Receiving Immunotherapy Phase NAn=58 · primary completion 2028-03 · single vs fractionated SRS toxicity on ICIn=54 · primary completion 2029-02 · staged SRS vs FSRT, 2-5 cm mets, safety endpointn=504 · primary completion 2030-01 · phase 3 3x10 Gy SRT vs 1x20-25 Gy SRS
- Predictors of bevacizumab response and recurrence rate after treatment
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
Abstract
ESTRO OCSCC Post-op CTV Delineation Guidelines
ForResected oral cavity SCC proceeding to post-operative radiotherapy
TL;DRFirst ESTRO guideline for post-op CTV delineation in oral cavity SCC: GTV-P pre-op + 10 mm composited with surgical defect/flap + 5 mm.
The margin recipe is asymmetric and that is the operative detail: 10 mm around the re-created pre-op GTV-P but only 5 mm around the surgical defect or flap, composited rather than either alone. Fig 3.1/3.2 shows why, the re-created GTV-P extended superiorly beyond the defect into infratemporal fossa, a geographical miss if you contour the defect alone.
In resected OCSCC going to PORT, this supports re-creating the pre-op GTV-P from diagnostic MRI alongside the defect or flap rather than contouring the operative bed alone; it does not extend to R2 resections or other head and neck subsites. The longer read
The margin recipe is asymmetric: 10 mm around the re-created pre-op GTV-P but 5 mm around the surgical defect or flap, composited rather than either alone. Nodal margin is pENE-gated at 5 mm versus 10 mm on GTV-N pre-op. Fig 3.1/3.2 shows the pre-op GTV extending past the defect into infratemporal fossa, a geographical miss if you contour the bed alone.
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ESTRO-convened multi-disciplinary expert group developing delineation guidelines through discussion and review of current evidence and international practice. Drafts were reviewed by HNSCC experts from countries outside the authorship (Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Denmark, France, Spain, Poland, Ireland, UK) and modified on their feedback. No efficacy endpoint, no patient cohort.
Patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma requiring post-operative radiotherapy, regardless of margin status and other histological risk factors. R2 resection (macroscopic residual disease) is explicitly out of scope. Companion background manuscript from the same group covers indications for PORT.
Planning CT 2.0 mm slices (range 1-3 mm), skull base to below sterno-clavicular joint, IV contrast mandatory, rigid co-registration with pre-op contrast-enhanced CT and/or MRI matched to C1-C3 vertebral bodies or nearby bone, not to soft tissue. CTV-P is the composite of GTV-P pre-op + 10 mm and surgical defect/flap + 5 mm, edited for bone, fascia, air, teeth and any intra-oral prosthesis. Nodal margin is 5 mm on GTV-N pre-op without pENE, 10 mm with pENE.
None. The stated aim is consistency of delineation to enable multi-institutional audit, clinical trials and RTQA. Authors position prospective audits of practice and outcomes as the route to establishing these volumes as standard of care.
Extends the 2018 international CTV-P consensus for definitive HNSCC RT, whose 5+5 mm geometric expansion supplies the 10 mm used here around GTV-P pre-op. Cites the DAHANCA finding that geometric expansion is more conformal than anatomical margins, a post-hoc De-ESCALaTE analysis correlating the anatomical-to-geometric protocol change with lower late dysphagia, and non-randomised Dutch series where reducing the high-risk margin 10 mm to 6 mm cut salivary and constrictor dose. GORTEC's 2020 flap delineation guidance is named as an adjunct.
The 5 mm and 10 mm margins are imported from definitive-setting geometry and one surgical pathology series (>95 % of microscopic infiltration within 5 mm of GTV-P edge), not from post-operative recurrence mapping. The dose to dissected but uninvolved levels rests on a 1993 MD Anderson observation never tested prospectively, and is left to clinician discretion (EQD2 50-60 Gy). The whole method assumes accurate pre-op to planning CT co-registration, and the fallback where it fails is to treat the entire involved level, a larger volume.
The novel move is refusing to pick between the two available surrogates for a resected tumour: re-created pre-op GTV and operative bed are contoured independently and unioned, because each fails in a different direction. Fig 3.1 shows a GTV-P pre-op extending superiorly past the defect toward the infratemporal fossa, and Fig 8.1 a pectoralis major pedicled flap whose composite volume extends outside the oral cavity and is trimmed back. What is left unsettled is dose de-escalation to central flap tissue, where the guideline offers a flap avoidance structure for standardisation while stating there is a lack of data and consequently a lack of consensus.
| Volume | Indication | EQD2 dose |
|---|---|---|
| CTV-P post-op | PTV associated with post-op primary CTV | 60 Gy |
| CTV-P high-risk | Positive (<1 mm) margin, whole CTV-P or localised strip | over 60 Gy, e.g. 64-66 Gy |
| CTV-N1 | Involved nodal levels | 60 Gy |
| CTV-N2 | Undissected at-risk levels | 50 Gy |
| CTV-N2, dissected at-risk levels | Optimal dose unknown | 50 Gy to 60 Gy, clinician discretion |
| CTV-N high-risk | Pathological extranodal extension | over 60 Gy, e.g. 64-66 Gy |
ESTRO expert guideline, no efficacy endpoint. Fills a documented gap (no prior post-op HNSCC CTV consensus); authors themselves position prospective audit as the validation step.
- Optimal dose to dissected but uninvolved nodal levels recruiting Preservation of Swallowing in Respected Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Examining Radiation Volume Effects (PRESERVE): A Randomized Trial Phase 2n=90 · primary completion 2026-09 · OCSCC RCT: omit RT to dissected pN0 hemi-neckn=50 · primary completion 2029-01 · compartment-based post-op volume reduction in HNSCCrecruiting De-Intensification of Postoperative Radiotherapy in Patients With Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck Phase 2/3n=508 · primary completion 2031-12 · omits elective neck RT after neck dissection
- Whether flap dose de-escalation is safe not yet Lipiodal Injection Technique for Free Flap Sparing Adjuvant RT Planning in HNC Phase Early 1n=10 · primary completion 2026-03 · lipiodol marks flap borders for sparing plansn=348 · primary completion 2031-03 · phase 3 RCT: flap-sparing vs standard post-op RT
- Whether 10 mm post-op primary margin can be reduced as in definitive setting
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
American Radium Society AUC: Local Intraprostatic Recurrence
ForIsolated intraprostatic recurrence after definitive prostate RT
TL;DRSevere GU toxicity 20% after salvage RP vs 5.6% SBRT, 9.6% HDR: panel prefers biopsy-confirmed reirradiation.
The modality recommendation is a toxicity argument, not an efficacy one: MASTER found adjusted 5-yr recurrence-free survival of 50% to 60% across modalities with no survival difference vs RP, so reirradiation wins on severe GU toxicity (5.6% SBRT, 9.6% HDR vs 20% RP). Target volume then follows concordance, focal when mpMRI and systematic biopsy agree, whole-gland when they do not.
In a man with rising PSA after conventionally fractionated definitive prostate EBRT whose PSMA PET and mpMRI show isolated intraprostatic recurrence, this supports biopsy confirmation before reirradiation rather than ADT alone; it does not extend to recurrence after primary brachytherapy or to nodal or distant failure. The longer read
Every accepted schema fits in six or fewer fractions (34 Gy or 40 Gy in 5 fractions, 36 Gy in 6 fractions per GETUG-AFU 31, HDR 27 Gy in 2 fractions), and focal CTV is mpMRI plus choline PET GTV with a 5-7 mm margin bound by the capsule. None of it was validated after hypofractionated primary RT.
ADT alone is recommended against for confirmed local recurrence. Only a short 4-6 mo LHRH agonist is endorsed, as a radiosensitizer with salvage SBRT, and the panel reached no agreement on relugolix (HERO's cardiac benefit was an unplanned secondary, PRONOUNCE did not replicate). Classic ADT is preferred over novel hormonal agents.
Salvage RP holds equivalent adjusted 5-yr recurrence-free survival in MASTER (50% to 60% across modalities, no survival difference vs RP), so the case against it is toxicity: severe GU 20% vs 5.6% after SBRT. Biopsy and ablation should not be combined in one procedure, since histologic confirmation must precede salvage.
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PRISMA systematic review of PubMed and Embase (searched 28 June 2022) across four topics, excluding conference abstracts, non-English publications and series of fewer than five patients. A 12-member multidisciplinary panel of radiation oncologists, urologists and medical oncologists voted in two rounds by modified Delphi, with RAND methodology defining disagreement.
Scope is tier A disease, local-only intraprostatic radiorecurrence after definitive RT, with BCR defined as PSA 2.0 ng/ml above nadir. Evidence was restricted to men whose primary treatment was conventionally fractionated EBRT, and prior brachytherapy patients were excluded from the synthesis. Every variant presumes the patient wants curative-intent local salvage.
All accepted salvage schemas fit in six or fewer fractions. For focal salvage, GETUG-AFU 31 defines GTV by mpMRI plus choline PET with a 5-7 mm margin bound by the prostatic capsule; whole-gland salvage SBRT has prospective support from the Fuller series. Dose constraints and IGRT method are out of scope.
Long hormone courses are recommended against across all salvage scenarios. A short 4-6 mo LHRH agonist carries moderate consensus as a radiosensitizer with salvage SBRT in patients without cardiac history, weaker consensus with cardiac comorbidity, and classic ADT is preferred over novel hormonal agents.
The toxicity read that drives the reirradiation preference comes from pooled retrospective data that could not evaluate sexual toxicity and included no PSMA PET selection. Approaches that combine biopsy and ablation in one procedure are discouraged, since histologic confirmation must precede salvage.
No prior consensus guideline addressed intraprostatic radiorecurrence exclusively. The hormone-only comparators being displaced (Crook intermittent vs continuous ADT, TOAD immediate vs delayed, EMBARK enzalutamide MFS benefit) all enrolled before PET-based selection and none isolated a biopsy-confirmed, local-only cohort. RTOG 0526 reported after MASTER closed, adding prospective LDR support.
The search closed 28 June 2022 with an acknowledged lag to publication. MASTER carries between-study heterogeneity and follow-up asymmetry favoring older modalities, so its flat efficacy comparison is not a randomised one. The hormone recommendation rests on no qualifying study and is extrapolated from de novo intermediate-risk data.
Settled: image, biopsy with both systematic and targeted cores, then prefer reirradiation over hormones alone. Not settled: the modality for a second salvage, for castrate-resistant local recurrence, for short PSA doubling time, or after prior grade 3 toxicity, all of which drew panel disagreement.
| Variant | Panel position |
|---|---|
| Variant 1: isolated intraprostatic recurrence | Reirradiation usually appropriate; cryotherapy or HIFU may be appropriate; ADT alone not recommended |
| Variant 2: short PSA doubling time, short interval to failure | HIFU may be appropriate, but disagreement across all interventions; ADT alone not recommended |
| Variant 3: castrate-resistant local recurrence | Disagreement on intervention; androgen suppression uniformly not recommended |
| Variant 4: second local salvage | Disagreement on which modality to select |
| Variant 5: prior grade ≥3 toxicity | Disagreement; active surveillance may be appropriate; ADT can be considered |
| Modality | Severe GU | Severe GI |
|---|---|---|
| Salvage RP (reference) | 20% | 1.8% |
| SBRT | 5.6% | not reported in source |
| HDR brachytherapy | 9.6% | 0.0%, p < 0.01 vs RP |
| LDR brachytherapy | 9.1% | not reported in source |
| Scenario | Target volume |
|---|---|
| mpMRI and systematic biopsy agree on lesion location | Focal favored |
| History of grade ≥3 toxicity from initial RT course | Focal favored |
| Lesion occult on mpMRI, localised by PET plus systematic biopsy | Focal or whole-gland both appropriate |
| mpMRI and systematic biopsy disagree on lesion location | Whole-gland preferred |
| Recurrent lesion in a different location to the index lesion | Whole-gland preferred, focal appropriate in selected cases |
Appropriate use criteria from a 12-member Delphi panel; the output is a recommendation grid, not an efficacy result. No trial endpoint, so efficacy verdicts do not apply.
- Salvage outcomes after primary hypofractionated RT or prior brachytherapy n=60 · primary completion 2024-11 · RO-PIP: salvage ultra-hypofx EBRT vs HDR, pt-reported toxrecruiting Stereotactic Re-irradiation of Local Recurrences of Prostate Cancer After Radiotherapy Phase 2n=55 · primary completion 2029-12 · focal SBRT reRT, G2/G3 GU-GI tox 1° EPn=30 · primary completion 2032-01 · salvage HDR after prior EBRT or LDR brachytherapy
- Whether short ADT adds oncologic benefit to salvage reirradiation
- Optimal modality for castrate-resistant or second local salvage n=50 · primary completion 2025-03 · focal salvage HDR, biopsy/MRI-guided local recurrence
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
ReCOG HNSCC Reirradiation Consensus
TL;DR24 of 31 (77%) statements reached ≥85% agreement: no ENI, definitive IMRT ~66 Gy, postop ~60 Gy, SBRT ~40 Gy in five fractions.
RTOG 9610RTOG 9911GORTEC 2008–01GORTEC 98–03GORTEC-GETTEC
Subsite, not only volume, gates SBRT: in Vargo's 291-pt series severe toxicity reached up to 50% for laryngeal or hypopharyngeal recurrences vs 6-20% at other subsites, which is the basis for the 94% caution statement. Postop SBRT data are thin (n=28), which is why IMRT is preferred after salvage surgery.
For a recurrence 6-12 months after prior RT, this supports reirradiation only when disease is small, localised, and outside high-dose regions after MDT review; it does not extend to recurrence within 6 months outside urgent palliation, or to nasopharyngeal primaries. The longer read
Subsite, not only volume, gates SBRT: in Vargo's 291-pt series severe toxicity reached up to 50% for laryngeal or hypopharyngeal recurrences vs 6-20% at other subsites. Postop SBRT data are thin (n=28), so IMRT is preferred after salvage surgery.
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International expert consensus: a ReCOG core group drafted statements, then a 17-member radiation oncology panel voted once on 31 statements. Thresholds were high ≥85%, moderate 70-84%, low <70%, with no-opinion votes counted in the denominator. 24 (77%) reached high consensus.
Recurrent or second primary HNSCC in a previously irradiated field, covering definitive and postoperative reirradiation. Nasopharyngeal cancer and rare histologies excluded. Evidence levels adapted from Oxford CEBM, level 1 (randomised) to level 4 (expert consensus).
Definitive: CTV = GTV + 5 mm, no ENI, IMRT ~66 Gy for >25 cc, IMRT or SBRT for ≤25 cc, SBRT ~40 Gy in five fractions. Postoperative: primary-RT CTV rules, IMRT preferred, ~60 Gy. Cumulative doses in EQD2 with α/β 2-3 Gy, voxel-wise summation with DIR when available, with conservative manual point-dose addition acceptable otherwise.
Carotid: avoid cumulative EQD2 >120-125 Gy (α/β=2); encasement >180° and prior ulceration add risk. Mandible: ORN risk rises above 114-119 Gy EQD2. Cord/brainstem: D0.1 cc ≤50 and ≤55 Gy as targets, ~60 Gy at the surface case by case, recovery factors (10-25%) only with caution.
Split-course chemo-reRT in RTOG 9610 and RTOG 9911 gave 2-year OS of 15.2% and 25.9%, with grade 3-4 toxicity up to 34% and treatment-related mortality around 8%. The IMRT-era Ward cohort (n=412) reported median OS 16.5 mo with fatal toxicity in 1%. GORTEC-GETTEC (n=130), the randomised postop trial, improved locoregional control and RFS with no OS benefit.
Guidance for RPA class II and III rests largely on one retrospective RPA model, since most reirradiation outcome data come from RPA class I pts. The IMRT vs SBRT split and the dose statements come from non-randomised multi-institutional cohorts. The 10-25% recovery factor has very low evidence.
The seven moderate-consensus statements cluster on poor-prognosis subgroups, dose and fractionation, and SBRT, and the lowest agreement (70%) falls on cord and brainstem cumulative limits. The authors present dose thresholds and OAR constraints as pragmatic targets rather than validated limits. Sequencing reirradiation against first-line ICI has no randomised data.
| Statement | Consensus | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|
| Review prior RT plan: in-field vs marginal failure | High (100%) | 3 |
| Recurrence <6 mo: generally not advised, except urgent palliation | High (100%) | 2 |
| Recurrence 6-12 mo: only small, localised, outside high-dose regions, after MDT | High (88%) | 2 |
| RPA I with positive margins or ECE: consider postop reRT | High (100%) | 2 |
| R0 unlikely even without clearly positive margins: reRT can be considered | Moderate (82%) | 4 |
| RPA III: generally no curative-intent reRT | Moderate (76%) | 3 |
| Statement | Consensus | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|
| Postop: normofractionated IMRT preferred over SBRT | High (94%) | 3 |
| RPA II unresected ≤25 cc (cT1-T2): IMRT or SBRT similar | High (88%) | 3 |
| RPA II unresected >25 cc: IMRT over SBRT | High (88%) | 3 |
| SBRT with caution for unresected larynx or hypopharynx | High (94%) | 3 |
| Concomitant chemo case by case, large tumours in fit pts | High (88%) | 3 |
| Protons in selected cases to spare OARs | High (88%) | 3 |
| Brachy for <25 cc oral cavity or oropharynx, expert centres | High (88%) | 3 |
| Statement | Consensus | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|
| Definitive: CTV = GTV + 5 mm | High (94%) | 4 |
| Postop high-risk CTV: same rules as primary RT | Moderate (82%) | 4 |
| No elective nodal irradiation | High (100%) | 3 |
| Definitive IMRT: 66 Gy commonly used | Moderate (82%) | 4 |
| Hyperfractionated IMRT: an option, no clear benefit | Moderate (76%) | 3 |
| Postop: 60 Gy commonly used | High (94%) | 3 |
| SBRT: ~40 Gy in five fractions | Moderate (76%) | 3 |
| Statement | Consensus | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|
| Carotid: avoid cumulative EQD2 >120-125 Gy (α/β=2) | High (94%) | 3 |
| Carotid encasement >180° or prior ulceration raises blowout risk | High (100%) | 3 |
| Mandible: ORN risk rises above cumulative EQD2 114-119 Gy | High (100%) | 3 |
| Cord/brainstem recovery factors (10-25%): caution, document | High (88%) | 4 |
| Target cumulative EQD2 D0.1 cc ≤50 Gy cord, ≤55 Gy brainstem | Moderate (70%) | 4 |
| ~60 Gy at cord or brainstem surface, case by case | High (94%) | 4 |
| RPA class | Definition | n | 2-yr OS |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Recurrence >2 yr after RT, salvage surgery | 91 | 61.9% |
| II | Unresected >2 yr, or <2 yr without organ dysfunction | 230 | 40.0% |
| III | <2 yr plus feeding tube or tracheostomy dependence | 81 | 16.8% |
| Dose | 2-yr OS |
|---|---|
| ≥66.0 Gy | 49.3% |
| 60.0-65.9 Gy | 34.2% |
| <60.0 Gy | 30.4% |
- Sequencing of reirradiation vs first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors recruiting Re-Radiochemotherapy and Pembrolizumab vs. Immuno(Chemo)Therapy for Locoregionally Recurrent PD-L1 Positive (CPS≥1) HNSCC Phase 3n=214 · primary completion 2032-12 · phase 3 re-RCT then pembro vs pembro ± chemo, OS
- Proton therapy vs IMRT outcomes in reirradiation
- Validated cumulative cord and brainstem constraints and recovery factors
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
ARS Appropriate Use Criteria: Locoregionally Recurrent Rectal Cancer
TL;DRUpdated ARS appropriate use criteria for LRRC, built on 116 references (10 randomized phase 2/3), reaffirming combined-modality therapy toward R0 resection.
The RT-relevant content sits in PICO question 4 (role of RT/reirradiation), but the excerpt stops before the appropriateness ratings, so dose, fractionation and reirradiation technique recommendations are not reported in source text. What is stated: preoperative RT, systemic therapy, or both are positioned as tools to raise the odds of an R0 resection, which frames RT as resectability-directed rather than definitive.
In a previously irradiated patient with pelvic sidewall or presacral recurrence being staged for salvage, this frames preoperative RT or chemoRT as a means to margin-negative resection; it does not settle reirradiation dose or the nonoperative alternative. The longer read
RT is framed as resectability-directed: preoperative RT, systemic therapy, or both to raise the odds of R0. The reirradiation question (PICO 4) is posed but its appropriateness ratings, dose and technique are not in the source excerpt, so the decision a previously irradiated pelvis actually turns on is not reportable here.
Preoperative systemic therapy sits alongside RT as a downsizing tool rather than a competing pathway, and immunotherapy is named within the PICO question on systemic therapy. Specific regimen and sequencing ratings are not in the source excerpt.
The document is explicitly resection-centered: margin-negative resection is called the ultimate determinant of survival and local control. Resectability assessment by compartment, sidewall, sacral and visceral involvement on MRI drives the operative approach, with everything preoperative judged by whether it makes R0 more likely.
10 details 5 trials watching
Literature-based systematic review plus RAND/UCLA modified Delphi appropriateness rating, run under the standing ARS AUC methodology with PICOTS framing and PRISMA 2020 assessment. Two rounds of voting; ratings collapse to usually not appropriate, may be appropriate, usually appropriate.
Locoregionally recurrent rectal cancer. Eligible evidence was prospective observational, phase 2/3, and retrospective series of at least 25 patients, published January 1, 2013 to July 16, 2025, English language, animal studies excluded.
There is no efficacy endpoint. The output is an appropriateness rating per treatment option across five PICO questions: surgery, preoperative/perioperative therapy, nonoperative management, RT/reirradiation, and systemic therapy.
116 references carried the evidence: 10 well-designed randomized phase 2/3, 29 moderately well designed, 76 retrospective, 1 meta-analysis. The committee's stated conclusion is that margin-negative resection is the ultimate determinant of survival and local control, with preoperative systemic therapy, RT, or both used to facilitate it.
| Study design | n |
|---|---|
| Well-designed (randomized phase 2 and phase 3) | 10 |
| Moderately well designed (matched cohort, phase 2) | 29 |
| Design limitations (retrospective) | 76 |
| Meta-analysis | 1 |
Two thirds of the evidence base (76 of 116) is retrospective, so a modified Delphi vote is doing work the trials cannot. The document is an executive summary: the per-scenario appropriateness grid, which is the part a reader would carry to tumor board, is not in the source excerpt available here.
The committee explicitly declines to move practice, framing the update as reassurance about combined-modality therapy rather than a new position. For a radiation oncologist the operative question is where RT sits relative to surgical resectability, and the summary answers it in one direction only: RT is a means to R0, not an alternative to it.
- Role of nonoperative management in LRRC recruiting Radiotherapy Dose Escalation for Non-operative Management of Unresectable Locally Recurrent Rectal Cancer (STEP-UP) Phase NAn=30 · primary completion 2029-12 · RT dose escalation for unresectable LRRC, no surgery
- Optimal reirradiation dose and technique in previously irradiated pelvis recruiting Pencil Beam Proton Therapy for Pelvic Recurrences in Rectal Cancer Patients Previously Treated With Radiotherapy Phase 2n=65 · primary completion 2025-10 · dose-escalated proton reRT, prior pelvic RT >30Gy EQD2n=31 · primary completion 2025-12 · carbon ion reRT 74Gy/20Fx, unresectable LRRCrecruiting Hypofractionated Radiotherapy Plus Immunotherapy Versus Conventional Radiotherapy in Locally Recurrent Rectal Cancer Phase 2n=221 · primary completion 2030-03 · randomised 15-30Gy/5Fx reRT vs conventional RT
- Preoperative chemoRT vs systemic therapy alone before salvage resection n=44 · primary completion 2028-12 · preop chemoRT + PD-1 then radical salvage surgery
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
Abstract
GEC-ESTRO Breast Cancer Working Group APBI patient selection recommendations
TL;DRUpdated APBI selection criteria collapse to two groups (low-risk eligible, high-risk contraindicated), widening eligibility to pT1-2 ≤30mm, pN1mi, any histology.
The eligibility boundary moved, not the technique: pN1mi and multifocal disease within 2 cm are now inside the low-risk group, and the ceiling is 30 mm across all histologies. The 2010 intermediate tier is gone, so the contralateral question at consent is binary. BRCA 1-2 carriers are contraindicated regardless of age.
In a woman over 40 post-lumpectomy with a 25 mm pT2 pN1mi tumor and clear margins, this supports offering APBI where the 2010 criteria would not have; it does not extend to triple negative, BRCA carriers, or an unstaged axilla. The longer read
The eligibility boundary moved, not the technique: pN1mi and multifocal disease within 2 cm are now inside the low-risk group, with a 30 mm ceiling across all histologies. The intermediate tier is gone, so the APBI-vs-whole-breast conversation is binary. No dose, fractionation or target volume is specified in source.
Margin status is the surgical lever: a negative invasive margin qualifies, but DCIS requires ≥ 2 mm, so a close DCIS margin decides re-excision vs losing APBI eligibility. Unknown axillary status (pNx) is a contraindication, so skipping staging forecloses the option; pN1mi does not.
9 details
Evidence-based recommendation update from the GEC-ESTRO Breast Cancer Working Group. Systematic search 2010 to 2024 across PubMed, Medline, Scopus and Cochrane returned 618 articles, supplemented by reference lists, conference abstracts and book chapters. Ten prospective randomized trials and seven retrospective comparative studies with ≥ 5 yr median follow-up formed the evidence base.
Applies to pts after breast-conserving surgery being considered for partial breast irradiation. The low-risk group is age > 40 yr, unifocal or multifocal within 2 cm, pTis or T1-2 (≤ 30 mm), pN0 or pN1mi, all histology types, no EIC, no extensive LVI, negative invasive margins (≥ 2 mm for DCIS).
The document addresses who gets APBI, not how. No dose, fractionation, technique (brachytherapy vs external beam) or target-volume recommendation is given in the source text.
Two categories replace the prior scheme: low-risk good candidates and high-risk contraindicated. Contraindications are BRCA 1-2 mutation, age < 40 yr, positive invasive margins (< 2 mm for DCIS), multicentric or > 30 mm disease, triple negative, EIC positive, extensive LVI, and ≥ pN1a or pNx.
| Criterion | Low risk (APBI suitable) | High risk (APBI contraindicated) |
|---|---|---|
| Age | > 40 years | < 40 years |
| Germline | not specified | BRCA 1-2 mutation |
| T stage / size | pTis, T1-2 (≤ 30 mm) | > 30 mm |
| Focality | unifocal or multifocal within 2 cm | multicentric |
| Nodal status | pN0 or pN1mi | ≥ pN1a, or unknown axilla (pNx) |
| Histology | all histology types | triple negative |
| EIC | absent | EIC positive |
| LVI | no extensive LVI | extensive LVI |
| Margins | negative for invasive (≥ 2 mm for DCIS) | positive for invasive (< 2 mm for DCIS) |
Recommendation strength per criterion is not reported in the source text, so a reader cannot tell which thresholds rest on randomized data and which on panel opinion. The evidence base mixes ten randomized trials with seven retrospective comparative series without stated weighting.
The direction of travel is eligibility expansion: the authors state the 2010 criteria can be significantly expanded so more pts may receive APBI in routine practice. What the document does not settle is whether the widened boundary holds at the margins it moved most, node-micrometastatic and multifocal disease, where the randomized APBI trials enrolled few pts.
- IBTR outcomes for APBI in pN1mi disease
- Whether multifocal disease within 2 cm carries equivalent in-field control
- Whether triple negative warrants blanket APBI exclusion
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
Abstract
RT + Systemic Therapy: What to Continue vs Hold (Speers)
TL;DRASCO 2026 education session slides triaging concurrent systemic agents with breast/CW + RNI into continue, caution, and hold/sequence.
HERANCCTG N9831APHINITYKATHERINEATEMPTDESTINY-Breast05COMBARTKEYNOTE-522
The operational content is the PK column: talazoparib 5t½ 19 days and pembrolizumab 5t½ ~110 days mean a brief hold buys nothing, so the mitigation is field size, lung dose and monitoring rather than a washout. Field size, not agent class, gates the CDK4/6i and olaparib calls.
In a pt starting breast/CW + RNI while on T-DXd, this supports concurrent treatment with lung-dose scrutiny rather than a hold; it does not extend to baseline ILD or active pulmonary disease, where sequencing is advised. The longer read
Plan geometry, not the drug name, does the deciding: large lung volumes, IMN coverage, bolus and reconstruction move T-DM1 into caution, high lung-dose plans move T-DXd, and field size gates CDK4/6i and olaparib. Where 5t½ is long (pembrolizumab ~110 days, T-DXd 30 days) a hold is unavailable, so the lever is dose constraints and surveillance.
The washout column tells you what a hold actually costs: capecitabine 4 hrs and veliparib 1 day are free to interrupt, talazoparib 19 days and T-DXd 30 days are not. Olaparib is asked to start 2-12 wks after RT completes on the OlympiA paradigm, which is a sequencing constraint on adjuvant planning, not a toxicity call.
+3 more figures
14 details 4 trials watching
ASCO 2026 education session slide set from Corey W. Speers, adapted from Wong, Speers, Schaverien, ASCO Educational Book 2026, Table 5. It is an allocation framework, not a trial: agents are sorted into continue, caution, and hold/sequence for concurrent use with breast/chest wall + RNI.
The RT context throughout is breast/CW + regional nodal irradiation. The modifiers that move an agent between buckets are plan-level, not drug-level: large lung volumes, IMN coverage, bolus, reconstruction, CNS SRS for T-DM1, high lung-dose plans and thoracic/lung RT for T-DXd, and field size for CDK4/6 inhibitors and olaparib.
Each agent is anchored to its half-life and five-half-life washout: olaparib 15 hr / 3 days, veliparib 5.5 hr / 1 day, talazoparib 90 hr / 19 days, capecitabine ~45 min / 4 hrs, palbociclib 28.8 hr / 6 days, abemaciclib-ribociclib 24-55 hr / 5-11 days, T-DM1 4 days / 20 days, T-DXd 6 days / 30 days, pembrolizumab 22 days / ~110 days. The stated default outside protocol is PK-based washout → RT → resume.
T-DXd's dominant toxicity is ILD: ~12% at 5.4 mg/kg with ~0.9% fatal, and 9.6% vs 1.6% for T-DM1 in DESTINY-Breast05; RT timing within the T-DXd arm showed 10.7% sequential vs 9.6% concurrent. Veliparib carries dose-limiting moist desquamation and fibrosis with concurrent RT (TBCRC 024). T-DM1 signals are dermatitis (possibly underreported), a small pneumonitis signal, and CNS radionecrosis with SRS.
The HER2 mAb call rests on trial precedent rather than new data: HERA started trastuzumab after chemotherapy and XRT, NCCTG N9831 gave XRT concurrently with trastuzumab, and APHINITY gave trastuzumab plus pertuzumab concurrently with RT. The immunotherapy call rests on KEYNOTE-522, whose V1 protocol required restarting pembrolizumab ≥2 wks post-RT and whose V2 amendment permitted concurrency; the post-hoc of 1,174 pts (715 irradiated) found numerically fewer G3-5 and immune AEs in the concurrent group.
The evidence tiers behind the buckets are uneven and the slide says so: the KEYNOTE-522 concurrency read is post-hoc with no adjustment for why pts were irradiated concurrently versus sequentially, and the CDK4/6i call rests on limited prospective data, most evidence retrospective, with a single trial cited (NCT05996107). P-RAD's endpoint is a biomarker (T-cell infiltration, tertiary lymphoid structures), not a clinical outcome.
The organizing logic is that PK sets whether a hold is even available, and plan geometry sets whether it is needed. Where 5t½ is short (capecitabine 4 hrs, veliparib 1 day, olaparib 3 days) the framework holds because it costs almost nothing; where 5t½ is long (talazoparib 19 days, T-DXd 30 days, pembrolizumab ~110 days) it concedes that a hold is theatre and shifts to lung dose, field size and surveillance. The unresolved item it flags rather than settles is T-DM1 vs T-DXd, where the mAbs are described as settled and the ADCs are not.
| Agent | Call | Basis given |
|---|---|---|
| Endocrine therapy | Continue | Minimal radiosensitization |
| Trastuzumab ± pertuzumab | Continue | Generally safe; modern heart-sparing |
| T-DM1 | Continue | Dermatitis + pneumonitis vigilance; caution with CNS SRS |
| Pembrolizumab | Continue | Pneumonitis vigilance + immune-toxicity workflows |
| T-DXd | Caution | Sequence/hold for high lung-dose or active pulmonary disease |
| CDK4/6 inhibitors | Caution | Usually hold for large fields; concurrent only in protocol |
| Olaparib | Caution | Reasonable with limited fields; protocol settings only |
| Cytotoxic chemo (anthracycline/taxane/platinum) | Hold / sequence | Sequence, do not give concurrently |
| Capecitabine | Hold / sequence | Adjuvant paradigm non-concurrent |
| Veliparib / talazoparib | Hold / sequence | Veliparib + RT severe acute/late tox |
| mTOR / PI3K agents | Hold / sequence | Mucosal, skin, metabolic, inflammatory risk; ESMO-ESTRO advises caution |
- T-DM1 vs T-DXd concurrency with locoregional RT
- Prospective CDK4/6i concurrent RT safety data recruiting Safety Assessment of Concurrent Radiotherapy and Novel Systemic Therapy for Breast Cancer Phase NAn=148 · primary completion 2026-01 · CDK4/6i during breast/CW ± nodal RT, n=148 safetyn=15 · primary completion 2026-09 · phase 1b abemaciclib + letrozole concurrent preop RT
- Whether short-course preop RT priming translates to outcomes n=120 · primary completion 2025-12 · randomised no/low/high dose preop RT boost + pembrorecruiting Preoperative Immunotherapy Combined With Stereotactic Radiation Therapy Boost in the Treatment of HER2-negative Breast Cancer Phase 2n=78 · primary completion 2028-02 · preop RT boost + randomised pembro vs placebo, HER2-neg
📚 Sources · 🐦 1 tweet
#ASCO26
— Yakup Ergün (@dr_yakupergun) June 1, 2026
Which treatments should continue with RT, and which should be held?
From the Great presentation by Dr. Corey W. Speers pic.twitter.com/9B7e0HePDZ
EORTC cutaneous lymphoma RT recommendations
TL;DRReduced-dose RT recommended across indolent cutaneous lymphomas; local MF lesions 8-12 Gy in 2-3 fx, 1-yr local control ≥92%, no randomized evidence.
The de-escalation is not uniform: 4 Gy is endorsed for CD4+ small/medium T-cell LPD and many pcFCL/pcMZL, but gave inferior MF local control and worse outcomes in B-cell lesions >5 cm. The algorithm handles this with response-adapted escalation to cumulative 24 Gy rather than upfront conventional dosing. The longer read
The de-escalation is not uniform: 4 Gy is endorsed for CD4+ small/medium T-cell LPD and many pcFCL/pcMZL, but gave inferior MF local control and worse outcomes in B-cell lesions >5 cm. The algorithm handles this with response-adapted escalation to cumulative 24 Gy rather than upfront conventional dosing.
9 details 4 trials watching
Expert opinion from the EORTC cutaneous lymphoma tumour group, summarizing retrospective series and small prospective cohorts into a dose algorithm (Figs 2A/2B). No new patient data.
MF local lesions 8-12 Gy in 2-3 fx; low-dose TSEBT 8-12 Gy for palliation, up to 24 Gy before autologous SCT. CD4+ small/medium T-cell LPD 4 Gy in 2 fx; pcFCL/pcMZL start at 4 Gy with escalation to cumulative 24 Gy for residual disease or local failure.
Moves away from conventional 30-40 Gy, the standard until about 20 years ago, and builds on prior EORTC consensus treatment-selection recommendations. The 4 Gy question in cutaneous B-cell disease remains contested between small series and a long-f/u registry analysis.
Supporting series use varied endpoints (ORR, CR, local relapse, DOR, TTNT) and heterogeneous fractionation, so cross-series comparison is loose. QoL data after modern doses are sparse.
Low-dose local RT gives rapid symptom relief with low toxicity and few local relapses, but low-dose TSEBT relapses are common. Authors call for a prospective randomized dose trial with translational endpoints, and combined-modality work in advanced MF, SS and DLBCL leg type.
- Is 4 Gy with salvage escalation equivalent to upfront higher dose in pcFCL/pcMZL? n=52 · primary completion 2025-12 · 4 Gy/2 fx cohort, stage I-II indolent PCBCL
- Can systemic agents prolong remission after low-dose TSEBT? recruiting Anti-CCR4 Monoclonal Antibody (Mogamulizumab) and Total Skin Electron Beam Therapy (TSEB) in Patients With Stage IB-IIB Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma Phase 2n=43 · primary completion 2026-10 · mogamulizumab cycles continued post TSEB, MF IB-IIBrecruiting Mogamulizumab + Low-Dose Total Skin Electron Beam Tx in Mycosis Fungoides & Sézary Syndrome Phase 2n=30 · primary completion 2026-12 · phase 2 mogamulizumab + LD-TSEBT, MF/SS efficacyrecruiting Effectiveness of Concurrent Ultra-Low-Dose Total-Skin Electron Beam Therapy and Brentuximab Vedotin Given Quarterly Over 12 Months for Patients With Mycosis Fungoides Phase 2n=30 · primary completion 2027-01 · BV quarterly over 12 mo with ULD-TSEBT in MF
- Optimal consolidative RT dose in cutaneous DLBCL leg type
📚 Sources · 📄 1 paper
ePLND vs PSMA-PET staging (AUA2026 round-up)
TL;DRAUA2026 round-up: PSMA-PET NPV ~96% may allow PLND omission in intermediate risk; 47.7% of nodal mets sit outside ePLND template.
The RT-relevant number is toxicity sequencing: 19-29% lower limb lymphedema after PLND plus salvage pelvic nodal RT versus 0-9% after pelvic nodal RT alone, with 2-22% genital lymphedema in the combined group. If PSMA-PET is negative and PLND is omitted, later elective or salvage pelvic nodal coverage carries far less lymphedema cost.
In intermediate-risk pts with a PSMA-PET negative for nodal involvement, this supports omitting PLND before planned or possible pelvic nodal RT; it does not settle the high-risk case, where the round-up calls the decision individual. The longer read
Sequencing drives the toxicity: 19-29% lower limb lymphedema after PLND plus salvage pelvic nodal RT versus 0-9% after pelvic nodal RT alone, plus 2-22% genital lymphedema in the combined group. A pt who skips PLND arrives at elective or salvage nodal coverage with a much lower lymphedema burden.
The template itself is the weak point: 47.7% of nodal metastases in a 1253-man PSMA-PET series lay outside ePLND boundaries, and LND carried a 6-10x DVT/PE risk increase in Tyritzis. With a PSMA-PET negative for LNI in intermediate-risk disease, the yield no longer justifies routine dissection.
+3 more figures
| Treatment | Lower limb lymphedema | Genital lymphedema |
|---|---|---|
| RP with PLND | 0-14% | n/a |
| Pelvic node RT | 0-9% | n/a |
| PLND + salvage pelvic node RT | 19-29% | 2-22% |
10 details 5 trials watching
AUA 2026 podium round-up of the ePLND question in the PSMA-PET era. Draws on a 1253-man primary staging series (Yaxley, BJUI 2019), a systematic review of lymphedema (Clinckaert, Cancers 2022), a cohort of 3544 pts (Tyritzis, J Urol 2015) and a SWOT perspective (Roberts, PCAN 2024). No new dataset.
Staging yield argues against template adequacy: 47.7% of nodal metastases fell outside ePLND boundaries. PSMA-PET NPV is given as ~96% in the source text without its parent series named.
Lymphedema tracks the combination, not either modality alone: 0-14% after RP with PLND, 0-9% after pelvic nodal RT, 19-29% after PLND plus salvage pelvic nodal RT with 2-22% genital lymphedema. LND also carried a 6-10x DVT/PE risk increase in Tyritzis.
The argument is that a template operation cannot stage what sits outside the template, so its role narrows to pts in whom imaging is likely wrong. The slide's own conclusion keeps high-risk disease individualized rather than resolved, and explicitly asks that the possibility of adjuvant or salvage pelvic RT enter that conversation.
Slide-level source: NPV ~96% has no denominator, cohort or PSMA tracer attached here, and no BCR effect size is reported for the RCTs the round-up invokes. The lymphedema review's authors note the absent uniform definition, so 19-29% is a range across heterogeneous ascertainment, not a pooled estimate.
- Does ePLND improve BCR-free survival in any risk group? recruiting Dutch National Randomized Study: PSMA-PET/CT As a Triage Tool for Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection in Prostatectomy Patients Phase NAn=706 · primary completion 2025-07 · PSMA-PET triage to ePLND, n=706, prognosis endpointrecruiting Extended vs. No Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection During Radical Prostatectomy. DISSECTION 2.0. Phase NAn=400 · primary completion 2027-02 · randomises ePLND vs none in PSMA-negative high riskn=270 · primary completion 2028-02 · RP+ePLND vs RP±SRT, Briganti >=7%
- PSMA-PET NPV by risk group and tracer recruiting Preoperative PSMA PET/CT As Triage for EPLND in Patients Scheduled for RALP (PrePSMA) Phase NAn=600 · primary completion 2029-12 · tests whether PSMA-PET can replace ePLND staging
- Nodal RT after PSMA-PET staging without prior PLND n=250 · primary completion 2031-05 · PSMA-N0M0 randomised to prostate-only vs WPRT
📚 Sources · 🐦 1 tweet
At #AUA2026, the message was clear:⁰📌 ePLND provides staging information, but its therapeutic benefit remains uncertain.⁰📌 RCTs have not shown consistent improvements in BCR outcomes.⁰📌 PSMA PET/CT has a high NPV (~96%) and may safely avoid unnecessary PLND in… pic.twitter.com/7vJFe2hG77
— DR CARVAJAL (@RomanCarvajal) May 17, 2026