Vol 27, No 1 (2022)
Review paper
Published online: 2021-12-10

open access

Page views 5530
Article views/downloads 895
Get Citation

Connect on Social Media

Connect on Social Media

Stereotactic radiotherapy for liver oligometastases

Claudia Menichelli1, Franco Casamassima2, Cynthia Aristei3, Gianluca Ingrosso3, Simona Borghesi4, Fabio Arcidiacono5, Valentina Lancellotta6, Ciro Franzese7, Stefano Arcangeli8
Rep Pract Oncol Radiother 2022;27(1):32-39.

Abstract

The liver is the first metastatic site in 15–25% of colorectal cancer patients and one of the first metastatic sites for lung and breast cancer patients.

A computed tomography (CT) scan with contrast medium is a standard procedure for assessing liver lesions but magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characterizes small lesions better thanks to its high soft-tissue contrast. Positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET-CT) plays a complementary role in the diagnosis of liver metastases. Triphasic (arterial, venous and time-delayed) acquisition of contrast-medium CT images is the first step in treatment planning. Since the liver exhibits a relatively wide mobility due to respiratory movements and bowel filling, appropriate techniques are needed for target identification and motion management. Contouring requires precise recognition of target lesion edges. Information from contrast MRI and/or PET-CT is crucial as they best visualize metastatic disease in the parenchyma. Even though different fractionation schedules were reported, doses and fractionation schedules for liver stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) have not yet been established. The best local control rates were obtained with BED10 values over 100 Gy. Local control rates from most retrospective studies, which were limited by short follow-ups and included different primary tumors with intrinsic heterogeneity, ranged from 60% to 90% at 1 and 2 years. The most common SRT-related toxicities are increases in liver enzymes, hyperbilirubinemia and hypoalbuminemia. Overall, late toxicity is mild even in long-term follow-ups. 

Article available in PDF format

View PDF Download PDF file

References

  1. Sheth KR, Clary BM. Management of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2005; 18(3): 215–223.
  2. Jegatheeswaran S, Mason JM, Hancock HC, et al. The liver-first approach to the management of colorectal cancer with synchronous hepatic metastases: a systematic review. JAMA Surg. 2013; 148(4): 385–391.
  3. Turdean S, Gurzu S, Turcu M, et al. Liver metastases: incidence and clinicopathological data. Acta Medica Marisiensis. 2012; 58: 254–258.
  4. Görög D, Tóth A, Weltner J. Prognosis of untreated liver metastasis from rectal cancer. Acta Chir Hung. 1997; 36(1-4): 106–107.
  5. Manfredi S, Lepage C, Hatem C, et al. Epidemiology and management of liver metastases from colorectal cancer. Ann Surg. 2006; 244(2): 254–259.
  6. Hoe AL, Royle GT, Taylor I. Breast liver metastases--incidence, diagnosis and outcome. J R Soc Med. 1991; 84(12): 714–716.
  7. Pawlik TM, Scoggins CR, Zorzi D, et al. Effect of surgical margin status on survival and site of recurrence after hepatic resection for colorectal metastases. Ann Surg. 2005; 241(5): 715–22, discussion 722.
  8. Wei AC, Greig PD, Grant D, et al. Survival after hepatic resection for colorectal metastases: a 10-year experience. Ann Surg Oncol. 2006; 13(5): 668–676.
  9. Ellis OV, Hornock SL, Bohan PM, et al. Impact of Hepatic Metastasectomy in the Multimodal Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer. J Surg Res. 2021 [Epub ahead of print]; 268: 650–659.
  10. Kim M, Son S, Won Y, et al. Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Oligometastatic Disease in Liver. BioMed Res Int. 2014; 2014: 1–9.
  11. Loi M, Desideri I, Dominici L, et al. Thermal Ablation versus SBRT in liver tumours: pros and cons. Med Oncol. 2020; 37(6): 52.
  12. Correa RJM, Salama JK, Milano MT, et al. Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Oligometastasis: Opportunities for Biology to Guide Clinical Management. Cancer J. 2016; 22(4): 247–256.
  13. Nieuwenhuizen S, Puijk RS, van den Bemd B, et al. Resectability and Ablatability Criteria for the Treatment of Liver Only Colorectal Metastases: Multidisciplinary Consensus Document from the COLLISION Trial Group. Cancers (Basel). 2020; 12(7).
  14. Wernecke K, Rummeny E, Bongartz G, et al. Detection of hepatic masses in patients with carcinoma: comparative sensitivities of sonography, CT, and MR imaging. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1991; 157(4): 731–739.
  15. Larsen LP, Rosenkilde M, Christensen H, et al. The value of contrast enhanced ultrasonography in detection of liver metastases from colorectal cancer: a prospective double-blinded study. Eur J Radiol. 2007; 62(2): 302–307.
  16. Quaia E, D'Onofrio M, Palumbo A, et al. Comparison of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography versus baseline ultrasound and contrast-enhanced computed tomography in metastatic disease of the liver: diagnostic performance and confidence. Eur Radiol. 2006; 16(7): 1599–1609.
  17. Robinson PJ. The early detection of liver metastases. Cancer Imag. 2002; 2: 1–3.
  18. Kulemann V, Schima W, Tamandl D, et al. Preoperative detection of colorectal liver metastases in fatty liver: MDCT or MRI? Eur J Radiol. 2011; 79(2): e1–e6.
  19. Bluemke DA, Sahani D, Amendola M, et al. Efficacy and safety of MR imaging with liver-specific contrast agent: U.S. multicenter phase III study. Radiology. 2005; 237(1): 89–98.
  20. Ruers TJM, Langenhoff BS, Neeleman N, et al. Value of positron emission tomography with [F-18]fluorodeoxyglucose in patients with colorectal liver metastases: a prospective study. J Clin Oncol. 2002; 20(2): 388–395.
  21. Fernandez FG, Drebin JA, Linehan DC, et al. Five-year survival after resection of hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer in patients screened by positron emission tomography with F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET). Ann Surg. 2004; 240(3): 438–47; discussion 447.
  22. Dagan R, Lo SS, Redmond KJ, et al. A multi-national report on stereotactic body radiotherapy for oligometastases: Patient selection and follow-up. Acta Oncol. 2016; 55(5): 633–637.
  23. John R, Ho F, Appalanaido G, et al. Can radiotherapy finally “go live” in the management of liver metastases? Hepatoma Res. 2020.
  24. Schefter TE, Kavanagh BD. Radiation therapy for liver metastases. Semin Radiat Oncol. 2011; 21(4): 264–270.
  25. Palacios-Eito A, García-Cabezas S. Oligometastatic disease, the curative challenge in radiation oncology. World J Clin Oncol. 2015; 6(4): 30–34.
  26. Høyer M, Swaminath A, Bydder S, et al. Radiotherapy for liver metastases: a review of evidence. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012; 82(3): 1047–1057.
  27. Franzese C, Comito T, Viganò L, et al. Liver Metastases-directed Therapy in the Management of Oligometastatic Breast Cancer. Clin Breast Cancer. 2020; 20(6): 480–486.
  28. Romesser PB, Neal BP, Crane CH. External Beam Radiation Therapy for Liver Metastases. Surg Oncol Clin N Am. 2021; 30(1): 159–173.
  29. Riou O, Llacer Moscardo C, Fenoglietto P, et al. SBRT planning for liver metastases: A focus on immobilization, motion management and planning imaging techniques. Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. 2017; 22(2): 103–110.
  30. Kowalchuk RO, Waters MR, Richardson KM, et al. A single-institutional experience with low dose stereotactic body radiation therapy for liver metastases. Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. 2020; 25(6): 987–993.
  31. Ohri N, Tomé WA, Méndez Romero A, et al. Local Control After Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Liver Tumors. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2021; 110(1): 188–195.
  32. Kok END, Jansen EPM, Heeres BC, et al. High versus low dose Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for hepatic metastases. Clin Transl Radiat Oncol. 2020; 20: 45–50.
  33. Joo JiH, Park JH, Kim JC, et al. Local Control Outcomes Using Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Liver Metastases From Colorectal Cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2017; 99(4): 876–883.
  34. Chang DT, Swaminath A, Kozak M, et al. Stereotactic body radiotherapy for colorectal liver metastases: a pooled analysis. Cancer. 2011; 117(17): 4060–4069.
  35. Rusthoven KE, Kavanagh BD, Cardenes H, et al. Multi-institutional phase I/II trial of stereotactic body radiation therapy for liver metastases. J Clin Oncol. 2009; 27(10): 1572–1578.
  36. Scorsetti M, Arcangeli S, Tozzi A, et al. Is stereotactic body radiation therapy an attractive option for unresectable liver metastases? A preliminary report from a phase 2 trial. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2013; 86(2): 336–342.
  37. Folkert MR, Meyer JJ, Aguilera TA, et al. Long-Term Results of a Phase 1 Dose-Escalation Trial and Subsequent Institutional Experience of Single-Fraction Stereotactic Ablative Radiation Therapy for Liver Metastases. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2021; 109(5): 1387–1395.
  38. Klement RJ, Abbasi-Senger N, Adebahr S, et al. The impact of local control on overall survival after stereotactic body radiotherapy for liver and lung metastases from colorectal cancer: a combined analysis of 388 patients with 500 metastases. BMC Cancer. 2019; 19(1): 173.
  39. Ahmed KA, Caudell JJ, El-Haddad G, et al. Radiosensitivity Differences Between Liver Metastases Based on Primary Histology Suggest Implications for Clinical Outcomes After Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2016; 95(5): 1399–1404.
  40. Klement RJ, Guckenberger M, Alheid H, et al. Stereotactic body radiotherapy for oligo-metastatic liver disease - Influence of pre-treatment chemotherapy and histology on local tumor control. Radiother Oncol. 2017; 123(2): 227–233.
  41. Andratschke N, Alheid H, Allgäuer M, et al. The SBRT database initiative of the German Society for Radiation Oncology (DEGRO): patterns of care and outcome analysis of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for liver oligometastases in 474 patients with 623 metastases. BMC Cancer. 2018; 18(1): 283.
  42. Méndez Romero A, Wunderink W, Hussain SM, et al. Stereotactic body radiation therapy for primary and metastatic liver tumors: A single institution phase i-ii study. Acta Oncol. 2006; 45(7): 831–837.
  43. Comito T, Clerici E, Tozzi A, et al. Liver metastases and SBRT: A new paradigm? Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. 2015; 20(6): 464–471.
  44. Benedict SH, Yenice KM, Followill D, et al. Stereotactic body radiation therapy: the report of AAPM Task Group 101. Med Phys. 2010; 37(8): 4078–4101.
  45. Kothary N, Heit JJ, Louie JD, et al. Safety and efficacy of percutaneous fiducial marker implantation for image-guided radiation therapy. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2009; 20(2): 235–239.
  46. Stick LB, Vogelius IR, Risum S, et al. Intrafractional fiducial marker position variations in stereotactic liver radiotherapy during voluntary deep inspiration breath-hold. Br J Radiol. 2020; 93(1116): 20200859.
  47. Witt JS, Rosenberg SA, Bassetti MF. MRI-guided adaptive radiotherapy for liver tumours: visualising the future. Lancet Oncol. 2020; 21(2): e74–e82.
  48. Gani C, Boeke S, McNair H, et al. Marker-less online MR-guided stereotactic body radiotherapy of liver metastases at a 1.5 T MR-Linac - Feasibility, workflow data and patient acceptance. Clin Transl Radiat Oncol. 2021; 26: 55–61.
  49. Hall WA, Straza MW, Chen X, et al. Initial clinical experience of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) for liver metastases, primary liver malignancy, and pancreatic cancer with 4D-MRI based online adaptation and real-time MRI monitoring using a 1.5 Tesla MR-Linac. PLoS One. 2020; 15(8): e0236570.
  50. Rubio C, Hernando-Requejo O, Zucca Aparicio D, et al. Image guided SBRT for multiple liver metastases with ExacTrac Adaptive Gating. Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. 2017; 22(2): 150–157.
  51. Jarraya H, Mirabel X, Taieb S, et al. Image-based response assessment of liver metastases following stereotactic body radiotherapy with respiratory tracking. Radiat Oncol. 2013; 8: 24.
  52. Høyer M, Swaminath A, Bydder S, et al. Radiotherapy for liver metastases: a review of evidence. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012; 82(3): 1047–1057.
  53. Lee J, Shin IS, Yoon WS, et al. Comparisons between radiofrequency ablation and stereotactic body radiotherapy for liver malignancies: Meta-analyses and a systematic review. Radiother Oncol. 2020; 145: 63–70.
  54. Scorsetti M, Comito T, Clerici E, et al. Phase II trial on SBRT for unresectable liver metastases: long-term outcome and prognostic factors of survival after 5 years of follow-up. Radiat Oncol. 2018; 13(1): 234.
  55. Menichelli C, Casamassima F, Panichi M, et al. SBRT for Liver Metastases: Results on 173 Treated Lesions. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2012; 84(3): S191.
  56. Wulf J, Guckenberger M, Haedinger U, et al. Stereotactic radiotherapy of primary liver cancer and hepatic metastases. Acta Oncol. 2006; 45(7): 838–847.
  57. Lanciano R, Lamond J, Yang J, et al. Stereotactic body radiation therapy for patients with heavily pretreated liver metastases and liver tumors. Front Oncol. 2012; 2: 23.
  58. Milano MT, Katz AW, Okunieff P. Patterns of recurrence after curative-intent radiation for oligometastases confined to one organ. Am J Clin Oncol. 2010; 33(2): 157–163.
  59. Cacciola A, Parisi S, Tamburella C, et al. Stereotactic body radiation therapy and radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of liver metastases: How and when? Rep Pract Oncol Radiother. 2020; 25(3): 299–306.
  60. Lasley FD, Mannina EM, Johnson CS, et al. Treatment variables related to liver toxicity in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, Child-Pugh class A and B enrolled in a phase 1-2 trial of stereotactic body radiation therapy. Pract Radiat Oncol. 2015; 5(5): e443–e449.
  61. Bae SH, Kim MS, Jang WIl, et al. Low Hepatic Toxicity in Primary and Metastatic Liver Cancers after Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy Using 3 Fractions. J Korean Med Sci. 2015; 30(8): 1055–1061.
  62. Hoyer M, Roed H, Traberg Hansen A, et al. Phase II study on stereotactic body radiotherapy of colorectal metastases. Acta Oncol. 2006; 45(7): 823–830.
  63. Kim M, Son SH, Won YK, et al. Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for oligometastatic disease in liver. Biomed Res Int. 2014; 2014: 340478.
  64. Lee MT, Kim JJ, Dinniwell R, et al. Phase I study of individualized stereotactic body radiotherapy of liver metastases. J Clin Oncol. 2009; 27(10): 1585–1591.
  65. Katz AW, Carey-Sampson M, Muhs AG, et al. Hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for limited hepatic metastases. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2007; 67(3): 793–798.
  66. Vautravers-Dewas C, Dewas S, Bonodeau F, et al. Image-guided robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy for liver metastases: is there a dose response relationship? Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2011; 81(3): e39–e47.
  67. Habermehl D, Herfarth KK, Bermejo JL, et al. Single-dose radiosurgical treatment for hepatic metastases--therapeutic outcome of 138 treated lesions from a single institution. Radiat Oncol. 2013; 8: 175.
  68. Rule W, Timmerman R, Tong L, et al. Phase I dose-escalation study of stereotactic body radiotherapy in patients with hepatic metastases. Ann Surg Oncol. 2011; 18(4): 1081–1087.



Reports of Practical Oncology and Radiotherapy