Group Trial Bolsters Case for Stereotactic Radiation Therapy for Tumors that Travel to the Lungs.

[2greys]

A new study, conducted across 13 medical centers in Australia and New Zealand, strengthens the case for radiation therapy as a treatment for cancer that has begun to spread throughout the body. In the randomized phase II trial, patients with up to three lung metastases who were treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR, also known as stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT) fared equally well whether their radiation was delivered in one or four treatment sessions. Findings of the SAFRON II trial (NCT01965223) will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.

“I think the future of radiation oncology could be these ultra-short treatments,” said lead investigator Shankar Siva, Ph.D., an associate professor of radiation oncology and head of the SBRT program at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia. “Our results indicate that SBRT can be a safe and effective treatment for patients whose cancer has spread to their lungs, even when it’s delivered in a single session.”

Up to half of all cancers that start elsewhere in the body spread to the lungs, the second most common site for metastases to occur. These types of tumors are typically treated with drug therapy, but typically the tumors become resistant and come back. In recent years, research has shown that SBRT can help these patients to live longer without their cancer returning.

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[MacColl]

That's encouraging news!I had 15x 8.5minute treatments to the chest ending last October. First 3 months scan showed some improvement to one, stability in another, and one with a slight growth. We're hoping the next one in April will show further improvement.

The after effects aren't as bad as chemotherapy, and although I still have pain and discomfort etc. I feel that in a few months things will feel even better.