Radiation Oncology

Patients with up to 5 oligometastases tolerated stereotactic body radiation therapy well, with investigators identifying a relatively safe toxicity profile of grade 2 or higher adverse effects.

Patients with human papillomavirus–associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma experienced efficacious survival benefits from treatment with primary radiotherapy.

Patients receiving trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer on the phase 3 HERA trial did not have an increased risk of cardiotoxicity from radiation therapy.

Patients who were treated with extreme hypofractionation after breast conserving surgery saw no increase in ill-treatment effects compared with those receiving moderate hypofractionation.

A retrospective review found that external-beam radiation therapy has been underutilized as a bridging therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma seeking transplant, although its prevalence has increased over the past decade.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy added to standard of care treatment resulted in better progression-free survival for those with oligoprogressive non–small cell lung cancer.

The use of hypofractionated image-guide radiotherapy was not found to improve overall survival for patients with non–small cell lung cancer and poor performance status versus conventional fractionated radiation techniques.

Hippocampal avoidance–prophylactic cranial irradiation was associated with better cognitive function preservation versus standard prophylactic cranial irradiation for small cell lung cancer.

PET-negative patients who are treated with radiotherapy had a slightly increased absolute cardiovascular disease risk, although magnitude of these effects varied widely.

Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Trial of Post-Surgical Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT) versus Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) with GammaTile for Treatment of Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Brain Tumors (ROADS; NCT04365374)

Technetium Tc 99m tilmanocept may now be used to enhance identification of lymph nodes in pediatric patients with certain tumors.

The results from a retrospective trial that found stereotactic radiosurgery produced comparable results for both brainstem metastases and nonbrainstem brain metastases suggest both groups of patients should be eligible for stereotactic radiosurgery clinical trials.

A clinical trial examining the safety of stereotactic body radiotherapy for patients with oligometastases indicated that the modality was safe for patients with multiple metastatic sites.

The 2 pilot multidisciplinary care teams reported positive feedback with the collaboration, explaining that the meetings were valuable to the quality care of their patients.

Thomas J. Eichler, MD, FASTRO, presented data during a media briefing from surveys of radiation oncologists treating patients with cancer through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data published in The Lancet Oncology found that a hypofractionated radiation schedule of 55 Gy in 20 fractions is noninferior to a schedule of 64 Gy in 32 fractions for patients with this disease.

A recent trial investigating the potential for stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy to treat patients with extracranial oligometastatic cancer found improved survival and a manageable safety profile.

Data published in Cancer found adjuvant radiotherapy after distal cholangiocarcinoma resection was associated with a survival benefit for patients, regardless of margin or nodal status.

This study suggested that the racial composition of clinical trials involving radiation therapy does not match that of the overall US population.

“Sexual dysfunction is an unfortunately common side effect of cancer treatment, and there appears to be a large gender disparity in how physicians discuss sexual health with their patients,” said lead study author James Taylor, MD, MPH.

Researchers found there has been a 17% growth in radiation therapy facilities over the last 15 years, with expansion specifically improving for those who already live near such facilities.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy may be superior to conventional palliative radiotherapy in improving the complete response rate for pain related to spinal metastases at 3- and 6-months post-radiation.

When compared with whole brain radiation therapy, researchers discovered highly focused radiation therapy led to less cognitive decline while simultaneously delivering equivalent overall survival rates.

It may soon be possible to get rid of the “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to radiation therapy.