Comprehensive cohort study: computer tomography-guided high-dose rate brachytherapy as metastasis-directed therapy for liver metastases from colorectal cancer in repeat oligoprogression.

PURPOSE: The standard treatment for oligometastatic colorectal cancer includes systemic therapy, with surgery and metastasis-directed therapy as options. The optimal strategy, especially for repeat oligoprogression (rOP), remains unclear. We report outcomes of liver computer tomography-guided high-dose rate brachytherapy (CT-BRT) in this setting.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included colorectal cancer patients with liver-only oligoprogression during systemic therapy, meeting criteria of up to 5 liver metastases, CT-BRT eligibility, and ECOG status ≤ 2. Patients were followed for local response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity. Response, according to RECIST 1.1, was initiated 6 months post-CT-BRT.

RESULTS

A total of 262 metastases were treated in 127 patients, with 67.7% receiving third-line or later systemic therapies. One to four liver metastases were found in 29.1%, 42.5%, 21.2%, and 7.1% of patients, respectively, with a median volume of 128 cm3. A median of 3 applicators was used, with CT-BRT doses of 15 Gy, 20 Gy, and 25 Gy given to 29.9%, 41.7%, and 28.3% of patients. At 6 months complete response occurred in 3.1%, progressive disease in 23.6%, partial response in 19.7%, and stable disease in 53.5%. Median PFS was 9 months, median OS was 16 months, with 1-year and 2-year OS rates of 65% and 16%, respectively. Liver-only metastases and objective response were associated with longer PFS. The G3 toxicity was 4.0%; no events > G3 were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

This largest study documents favorable outcomes of liver CT-BRT for rOP, establishing this method as a viable option in this indication.