Thoracic 2017: Updated Data Confirm Benefits of Single-Fraction SBRT for NSCLC
New research led by a radiation oncologist at Roswell Park Cancer Institute indicates that less may be more when it comes to some forms of radiation therapy for cancer. In a presentation highlighted in a plenary session (Abstract 4) at the 2017 Multidisciplinary Thoracic Cancers Symposium in San Francisco, California, Anurag Singh, MD, shared updated evidence that patients receiving stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) as treatment for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) benefit as much from a single fraction of radiation as they would from the standard three-dose treatment schedule—and with significant advantages in terms of convenience for patients and caregivers.
Used as an alternative to surgery for some patients with solid-tumor cancers, SBRT allows oncologists to deliver radiotherapy in briefer, higher-intensity doses and with more precise targeting of the tumor compared to standard radiotherapy.
Study Findings
Dr. Singh is first author on the presentation of updated results from a randomized phase II clinical study conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Cleveland Clinic and SUNY Upstate Medical University. The study involved 98 patients treated for locally controlled peripheral NSCLC between 2008 and 2015. While findings from this work were first presented at the 2016 American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting, this latest analysis reports data based on a longer follow-up interval (2 years).
The research team found that overall survival at 2 years was 72% for patients treated with a single dose of 30 grays (Gy) of radiation, compared to 59% for those who received 60 Gy total delivered through three 20-Gy doses. Incidence and severity of adverse events was similar for the two groups of patients, with 14 (29%) of patients treated on the one-dose 30-Gy schedule experiencing side effects of grade 3 or higher, compared to 17 (35%) of those receiving three 20-Gy doses.
“Our study is the first to show that one fraction of SBRT, a ‘one and done’ treatment approach, is as good as three fractions for early-stage lung cancer in terms of survival and toxicity,” noted Dr. Singh. “We’ve shown that we can cut patients’ total radiation exposure in half without any reduction in efficacy or impact, but with notable benefits in terms of convenience for patients because their treatment was consolidated into a single visit.”
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