SBRT Noninferior to Conventional RT for Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer
SAN DIEGO — Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) was as effective as conventional radiation therapy (CRT) in treating intermediate-risk prostate cancer, according to results from the randomized PACE-B trial. Among 874 patients, those randomized to CRT had a biochemical/clinical failure-free rate of 94.6% versus 95.8% for those randomized to SBRT (HR 0.73, 90% CI 0.47-1.12, […]
Hypofractionated RT for Breast Cancer Post-Mastectomy as Effective as Standard RT
SAN DIEGO — Hypofractionated radiation appeared to be as safe and effective as conventionally fractionated radiation therapy for patients with breast cancer who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction following mastectomy, according to results from the FABREC randomized trial. For the study’s primary outcome of change in physical well-being score, patients in both groups reported similar scores […]
SBRT Added to Standard Tx Boosts Outcomes in Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer
Combining stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with standard systemic therapy yielded significant increases in the rates of biochemical response and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with oligometastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), the phase II randomized ARTO trial showed. In a cohort of 157 patients at 6 months after the start of treatment, biochemical response was […]
IMRT Best for Locally Advanced NSCLC, Study Suggests
SINGAPORE — Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) should be the radiation technique of choice for unresectable locally advanced non-small lung cancer (NSCLC), a secondary analysis of a randomized trial suggested. In the study, IMRT resulted in similar survival outcomes compared with 3D conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), but with less severe lung toxicity and radiation exposure to the […]
Oral Cancer Patients Face Worse Outcomes With Delayed Radiation Therapy
MONTREAL – Most patients in a Canadian cohort had prolonged times to postoperative radiation therapy, and those delays were associated with worse survival outcomes, a multicenter study showed. Among 1,368 postsurgical patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma, 80% waited more than 42 days to start postoperative radiation therapy (S-PORT). Delays in starting RT were […]
Primary Surgery Vs Radiation in Oropharyngeal Cancer: Does One Come Out a Winner?
MONTREAL — A study that looked at surgery versus radiation therapy (RT) for oropharyngeal cancer treatment found pros and cons with both approaches, but ultimately, surgery seemed to be the better bet. Patients with T1-T2 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) in a database underwent primary transoral robotic surgery (TORS) versus primary RT and/or chemoRT (RT/CRT), […]
IMRT Dosing Strategy Eases Dysphagia in Head and Neck Cancer
In patients with head and neck cancer, a strategy to reduce the radiation dose to dysphagia-and aspiration-related structures improved swallowing and other functional outcomes compared with standard intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), according to results from the phase III DARS trial. Patients treated with dysphagia-optimized (DO) IMRT had significantly higher patient-reported composite scores on the MD Anderson […]
Escalated ADT Falls Short in Men With High-Risk Features After Prostatectomy
SAN FRANCISCO — Add-on hormone therapy plus an antiandrogen to salvage radiation and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) did not boost survival outcomes in high-risk prostate cancer. In the FORMULA-509 trial, the addition of 6 months of abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) and apalutamide (Erleada) to salvage radiation (RT) and 6 months of ADT with a GnRH agonist […]
Adding Docetaxel to RT Improves Survival in Cisplatin-Ineligible Head & Neck Cancer
Adding docetaxel to radiation therapy (RT) improved survival outcomes in cisplatin-ineligible patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a phase III randomized trial showed. At a median follow-up of 32.4 months, the 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 42% with docetaxel plus RT and 30.3% with RT alone (HR 0.673, 95% CI […]
Shorter Course of Radiation Therapy Proves Mettle in High-Risk Prostate Cancer
SAN ANTONIO — A shortened radiation therapy (RT) protocol for high-risk prostate cancer led to similar outcomes with no increase in toxicity compared with the standard treatment schedule, a randomized trial showed. Overall survival (OS) at 7 years was 82%, with no difference between standard RT and hypofractionation that reduced treatment duration from 8 to […]