A GORTEC survey on low-risk CTV-P2 delineation in head and neck cancers

Purpose: An international consensus was established in 2018 to standardise practice using geometric (5 + 5 mm) expansion around GTV-P for definitive radiotherapy of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNC). The GORTEC (French HNC Oncology and Radiotherapy Group) conducted a survey to asse...

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Main Authors: Michel Lapeyre, Yoann Pointreau, Marc Alfonsi, Pierre Boisselier, Julian Biau, Pierre Blanchard, Joël Castelli, Pierre Graff, Florence Huguet, Laurent Martin, Séverine Racadot, Xu Shan Sun, Yungan Tao, Jean Bourhis, Juliette Thariat
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Clinical and Translational Radiation Oncology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405630825000722
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Summary:Purpose: An international consensus was established in 2018 to standardise practice using geometric (5 + 5 mm) expansion around GTV-P for definitive radiotherapy of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (HNC). The GORTEC (French HNC Oncology and Radiotherapy Group) conducted a survey to assess the level of agreement about CTV-P2 delineation using a “formalised consensus method”. Methods: The 32 proposals of the 2018 consensus on CTV-P2 and 6 additional GORTEC proposals were submitted to 13 GORTEC radiation oncologists (RO). Proposals were rated as “suitable” for median scores ≥7, “unsuitable” for scores ≤3.5 or “uncertain.” The degree of agreement was high (≥85 %), moderate (75–84 %) or low (<75 %). Suitable proposals were reviewed by 40 other RO for final recommendations. Results: The 2018 proposals were “uncertain” with low degrees of agreement (41.5–69 %), except for T1 tumors, which had 89 % agreement. Five out of 6 GORTEC proposals were “suitable” and one “uncertain.” The final recommendation was “suitable and to be retained” by 97.5 % of RO, as follows: To obtain CTV-P2, GORTEC recommends applying a “geo-anatomical” approach. Using the geometric concept, 10 mm-isotropic margins are applied to the GTV, for all locations but the hypopharynx (10 mm antero-posterior, laterally and 15 mm craniocaudally). CTV-P2 is further modified using the anatomical concept (anatomical barriers, dissemination routes) and accounting the benefit/risk balance and proximity of organs at risk. Conclusion: The GORTEC survey derived from the 2018 international CTV-Ps delineation consensus suggests a “geo-anatomical” approach for the delineation of CTV-P2 in HNC.
ISSN:2405-6308