TY - JOUR
T1 - Sacral Insufficiency Fractures After Preoperative Chemoradiation for Rectal Cancer
T2 - Incidence, Risk Factors, and Clinical Course
AU - Herman, Michael P.
AU - Kopetz, Scott
AU - Bhosale, Priya R.
AU - Eng, Cathy
AU - Skibber, John M.
AU - Rodriguez-Bigas, Miguel A.
AU - Feig, Barry W.
AU - Chang, George J.
AU - Delclos, Marc E.
AU - Krishnan, Sunil
AU - Crane, Christopher H.
AU - Das, Prajnan
PY - 2009/7/1
Y1 - 2009/7/1
N2 - Purpose: Sacral insufficiency (SI) fractures can occur as a late side effect of pelvic radiation therapy. Our goal was to determine the incidence, risk factors, and clinical course of SI fractures in patients treated with preoperative chemoradiation for rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: Between 1989 and 2004, 562 patients with non-metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma were treated with preoperative chemoradiation followed by mesorectal excision. The median radiotherapy dose was 45 Gy. The hospital records and radiology reports of these patients were reviewed to identify those with pelvic fractures. Radiology images of patients with pelvic fractures were then reviewed to identify those with SI fractures. Results: Among the 562 patients, 15 had SI fractures. The 3-year actuarial rate of SI fractures was 3.1%. The median time to SI fractures was 17 months (range, 2-34 months). The risk of SI fractures was significantly higher in women compared to men (5.8% vs. 1.6%, p = 0.014), and in whites compared with non-whites (4% vs. 0%, p = 0.037). On multivariate analysis, gender independently predicted for the risk of SI fractures (hazard ratio, 3.25; p = 0.031). Documentation about the presence or absence of pain was available for 13 patients; of these 7 (54%) had symptoms requiring pain medications. The median duration of pain was 22 months. No patient required hospitalization or invasive intervention for pain control. Conclusions: SI fractures were uncommon in patients treated with preoperative chemoradiation for rectal cancer. The risk of SI fractures was significantly higher in women. Most cases of SI fractures can be managed conservatively with pain medications.
AB - Purpose: Sacral insufficiency (SI) fractures can occur as a late side effect of pelvic radiation therapy. Our goal was to determine the incidence, risk factors, and clinical course of SI fractures in patients treated with preoperative chemoradiation for rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: Between 1989 and 2004, 562 patients with non-metastatic rectal adenocarcinoma were treated with preoperative chemoradiation followed by mesorectal excision. The median radiotherapy dose was 45 Gy. The hospital records and radiology reports of these patients were reviewed to identify those with pelvic fractures. Radiology images of patients with pelvic fractures were then reviewed to identify those with SI fractures. Results: Among the 562 patients, 15 had SI fractures. The 3-year actuarial rate of SI fractures was 3.1%. The median time to SI fractures was 17 months (range, 2-34 months). The risk of SI fractures was significantly higher in women compared to men (5.8% vs. 1.6%, p = 0.014), and in whites compared with non-whites (4% vs. 0%, p = 0.037). On multivariate analysis, gender independently predicted for the risk of SI fractures (hazard ratio, 3.25; p = 0.031). Documentation about the presence or absence of pain was available for 13 patients; of these 7 (54%) had symptoms requiring pain medications. The median duration of pain was 22 months. No patient required hospitalization or invasive intervention for pain control. Conclusions: SI fractures were uncommon in patients treated with preoperative chemoradiation for rectal cancer. The risk of SI fractures was significantly higher in women. Most cases of SI fractures can be managed conservatively with pain medications.
KW - Insufficiency fracture
KW - Pelvic fracture
KW - Radiation therapy
KW - Rectal cancer
KW - Toxicity
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.08.054
DO - 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.08.054
M3 - Article
C2 - 19147305
AN - SCOPUS:67349237912
SN - 0360-3016
VL - 74
SP - 818
EP - 823
JO - International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics
JF - International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics
IS - 3
ER -