Postoperative re-irradiation using stereotactic body radiotherapy for metastatic epidural spinal cord compression

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to clarify the outcomes of postoperative re-irradiation using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) in the authors’ institution and to identify factors correlated with local control.METHODSCases in which patients with previously irradiated MESCC underwent decompression surgery followed by spine SBRT as re-irradiation between April 2013 and May 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The surgical procedures were mainly performed by the posterior approach and included decompression and fixation. The prescribed dose for spine SBRT was 24 Gy in 2 fractions. The primary outcome was local control, which was defined as elimination, shrinkage, or no change of the tumor on CT or MRI obtained approximately every 3 months after SBRT. In addition, various patient-, treatment-, and tumor-specific factors were evaluated to determine their predictive value for local control.RESULTSTwenty-eight cases were identified in the authors’ institutional databases as meeting the inclusion criteria. The histology of the primary disease was thyroid cancer in 7 cases, lung cancer in 6, renal cancer in 3, colorectal cancer in 3, and other cancers in 9. The most common previous radiation dose was 30 Gy in 10 fractions (15 cases). The mean interval since the most recent irradiation was 16 months (range 5–132 months). The median duration of follow-up after SBRT was 13 months (range 4–38 months). The 1-year local control rate was 70%. In the analysis of factors related to local control, Bilsky grade, number of vertebral levels in the treatment target, the interval between the latest radiotherapy and SBRT, recursive partitioning analysis (RPA), the prognostic index for spinal metastases (PRISM), and the revised Tokuhashi score were not significantly correlated with local control. The favorable group classified by the Rades prognostic score achieved a significantly higher 1-year local control rate than the unfavorable group (1-year local control rate: 100% vs 33%; p < 0.01). Radiation-induced myelopathy and vertebral compression fracture were observed in 1 and 3 patients, respectively. No other grade 3 or greater toxicities were encountered.CONCLUSIONSThe results indicate that spine SBRT as postoperative re-irradiation was effective, and it was especially useful for patients classified as having a good survival prognosis according to the Rades score.