ESTRO 2021 Abstract Book

S29

ESTRO 2021

we examined a cohort of previously irradiated patients with HNSCC Materials and Methods

This retrospective patterns-of-care analysis was conducted by the young DEGRO (jDEGRO) Trialists working group of the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO). A total of 16 university centers for radiation oncology in Germany gathered data of 298 re-irradiation cases for recurrent or second primary HNSCC retreated with or without chemotherapy. Only histologic proven SCC originating from the oral cavity, oro-, hypopharynx or larynx were included. Furthermore, patients had to be treated with modern treatment techniques, like IMRT, VMAT or SBRT. Accrual period ranged from May 2009 to July 2020. This study was approved by Ethics Comittees in each participating center. OS, PFS and LC were estimated on the basis of Kaplan-Meier curves. Furthermore, Log-rank-tests were used to depict survival differences between subgroups. All analyses were performed using SPSS v. 24 (IBM Corp. Released 2016. Armonk, NY) with alpha=0.05 using two-tailed tests. Results Out of 298 patients 253 were not metastasized by the time of re-treatment and therefore included in the current analysis. Patient baseline and treatment characteristics are presented in table 1. Patients had a median Follow-up of 27,4 months. Median OS and two-year OS were 13 months and 29.2% respectively. Median PFS and two-year PFS were 8 months and 19%, whereas median local control and two-year Local-control were 13,5 months and 38.2%, respectively. Regarding treatment characteristics actual administered dose of more than 50 Gy EQD2 was coherent with improved OS (p=0,003) and PFS (p=0,007). Within the smaller group of patients receiving doses of more than 60 Gy EQD2 only a trend for better OS and PFS was seen. Furthermore, OS is dependent on ECOG-Status and tracheostomy by the time of re-irradiation. Conclusion Re-irradiation of patients suffering from recurrent HNSCC is feasible and may stop local tumor growth and may lead to prolonged survival in a substantial proportion of patients. OC-0055 COVID-19 impact on working conditions for researchers in radiation oncology: a qualitative analysis J. Dhont 1 , C.A. Pittens 2 , V. Petit-Steeghs 3 , P. Franco 4 , L. Dubois 5 , L. Mullaney 6 , S. Petit 7 , J. Bertholet 8 1 MAASTRO, Department of Radiation Oncology,GROW – School for Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maastricht, The Netherlands; 2 Athena Institute, faculty of beta science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 3 Erasmus School of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; 4 Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont and Department of Radiation Oncology, AOU Maggiore della Carita’, Novara, Italy; 5 The M- Lab, Department of Precision Medicine, GROW – School for Oncology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; 6 Applied Radiation Therapy Trinity Research Group, Discipline of Radiation Therapy, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; 7 Department of Radiotherapy, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; 8 Division of Medical Radiation Physics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland Purpose or Objective A questionnaire among 543 radiation oncology (RO) professionals involved in research demonstrated that approximately half of them were forced to work full-time from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Dhont et al, ctRO, 2020). At the same time, those still working on location had to adjust to a new working environment. Both groups and especially early-career researchers experienced a substantial impact on mental health and work productivity. The aim of the current qualitative study was to assess in-depth the specific challenges faced by young researchers in RO and what constitutes helpful support in case of continuing or future adverse situations. Materials and Methods This study was conducted jointly by researchers in the field of RO and experts in qualitative research. Data was collected using online Focus Groups (oFGs) facilitated by qualitative research experts. Three oFGs were held with 7-11 young RO professionals (total N=25), in which data saturation was reached. Invitations to participate in the oFGs were sent out 30 days prior through the ESTRO newsletter, social media and personal networks. Inclusion criteria to participate were (1) working in RO, (2) in a European institution, and (3) with less than 10 years of research experience. Efforts were made to ensure a diverse panel. The design of the oFGs (Figure 1) comprised two main steps: (1) Deepening the understanding of experienced impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) formulating solutions that could positively address the identified impacts. The oFGs were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed via the qualitative analysis software Atlas (2019) through inductive coding. The coded segments were then translated into themes. Proffered papers: Proffered papers 1: Health services and health economics