Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39126664›Full record

ArticleThe oncologist2024

Unique brain injury patterns after proton vs photon radiotherapy for WHO grade 2-3 gliomas.

Sebastian F Winter, Melissa M Gardner, Philipp Karschnia, Eugene J Vaios, Clemens Grassberger, Marc R Bussière, Katarina Nikolic, Thanakit Pongpitakmetha, Felix Ehret, David Kaul and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The oncologist, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Relative biological effectiveness and neural stem cell fate in carbon ion-irradiated human brain organoids.Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Sebastian F WinterDivision of Neuro-Oncology, Mass General Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-8836-0235
Melissa M GardnerDivision of Neuro-Oncology, Mass General Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States.
Philipp KarschniaDivision of Neuro-Oncology, Mass General Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-1254-5310
Eugene J VaiosDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
Clemens GrassbergerDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States.
Marc R BussièreDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States.
Katarina NikolicDepartment of Neurology, Universitätsklinikum St. Pölten, 3100 Sankt Pölten, Austria.
Thanakit PongpitakmethaDepartment of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, 10330 Bangkok, Thailand.
Felix EhretDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-6177-1755
David KaulCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Radiation Oncology, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
Wolfgang BoehmerleDepartment of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-7195-3894
Matthias EndresDepartment of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-6520-3720
Helen A ShihDivision of Neuro-Oncology, Mass General Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States.
Michael W ParsonsDivision of Neuro-Oncology, Mass General Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States.
Jorg DietrichDivision of Neuro-Oncology, Mass General Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States.

Funding

Project 3: Enhanced Sensitivity of Tumors to Proton Beam Therapy: Mechanisms and Biomarkers.P01CA261669 · NCI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI HONG, THEODORE S · 2021 to 2025
$14.0M
Duke Radiation Oncology and Radiology Stimulating Access to Research in ResidencyR38CA245204 · NCI · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI FLOYD, SCOTT R · 2020 to 2023
$1.4M
Cell-Free DNA Methylation Patterns as a Biomarker for Tumor Biology and Clinical Outcomes for Glioblastoma PatientsK38CA292995 · NCI · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI Eugene Vaios · 2024 to 2026
$276k
Berlin Institute of HealthNCI NIH HHS 5R38-CA245204NCI NIH HHS K38 CA292995NCI NIH HHS P01 CA261669NCI NIH HHS R38 CA245204
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCentral nervous system (CNS) injury following brain-directed radiotherapy remains a major challenge. Proton radiotherapy (PRT) minimizes radiation to healthy brain, potentially limiting sequelae. We characterized CNS radiotoxicity, including radiation-induced leukoencephalopathy (RIL), brain tissue necrosis (TN), and cerebral microbleeds (CMB), in glioma patients treated with PRT or photons (XRT). PATIENTS AND

methodsThirty-four patients (19 male; median age 39.6 years) with WHO grade 2-3 gliomas treated with partial cranial radiotherapy (XRT [n = 17] vs PRT[n = 17]) were identified and matched by demographic/clinical criteria. Radiotoxicity was assessed longitudinally for 3 years post-radiotherapy via serial analysis of T2/FLAIR- (for RIL), contrast-enhanced T1- (for TN), and susceptibility (for CMB)-weighted MRI sequences. RIL was rated at whole-brain and hemispheric levels using a novel Fazekas scale-informed scoring system.

resultsThe scoring system proved reliable (ICC > 0.85). Both groups developed moderate-to-severe RIL (62%[XRT]; 71%[PRT]) within 3 years; however, XRT was associated with persistent RIL increases in the contralesional hemisphere, whereas contralesional hemispheric RIL plateaued with PRT at 1-year post-radiotherapy (t = 2.180; P = .037). TN rates were greater with PRT (6%[XRT] vs 18%[PRT]; P = ns). CMB prevalence (76%[XRT]; 71%[PRT]) and burden (mean #CMB: 4.0[XRT]; 4.2[PRT]) were similar; however, XRT correlated with greater contralesional hemispheric CMB burden (27%[XRT]; 17%[PRT]; X2 = 4.986; P = .026), whereas PRT-specific CMB clustered at the radiation field margin (X2 = 14.7; P = .002).

conclusionsCNS radiotoxicity is common and progressive in glioma patients. Injury patterns suggest radiation modality-specificity as RIL, TN, and CMB exhibit unique spatiotemporal differences following XRT vs PRT, likely reflecting underlying dosimetric and radiobiological differences. Familiarity with such injury patterns is essential to improve patient management. Prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and assess their impacts on neurocognitive function.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsGliomaProton TherapyAdultAgedBrain InjuriesFemaleHumansLeukoencephalopathiesMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm GradingPhotonsRadiation Injuriescomplicationsgliomaneurotoxicityprotonsradiation injury

Identifiers

PMID39126664
PMCPMC11630789

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.