Cancer researchers in B.C. say a highly precise form of radiation treatment may improve survival rates in cases where the disease has spread to different parts of a patient’s body.
The study, recently published in the journal The Lancet, was led at BC Cancer by Dr. Robert Olson.
The group sought to find out how Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) technology could be used to treat patients with metastatic cancer, which is when the disease has spread from the initial tumour to other parts of the body.
SABR technology features advanced machines with built-in CT scans that can provide intense doses of radiation to specific parts of a tumour while reducing harm to surrounding healthy organs.
For the study, researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial using SABR technology in patients with metastatic cancer in 10 hospitals in Canada, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Australia from February 2012 to August 2016. The patients involved in the test only had between one and five additional tumours.
“It has recently been hypothesized that patients with a small number of additional tumours could be cured of the disease once all growths are killed with radiation, but there was not a lot of evidence to support the claim until now,” the researchers said in a press release.
The study’s authors looked at the effect of SABR on the patients’ survival, outcomes, toxicity, and quality of life and found there was an overall improvement in survival. They did note, however, there was a possibility of serious side effects and that more research is needed in that area.
“What excites me most about this study is the potential survival benefit from Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy,” lead researcher Dr. Robert Olson, a radiation oncologist at BC Cancer in Prince George, said in the release.
Although the researchers said there was an improvement in the group’s overall survival, they said they need to conduct Phase III clinical trials to conclusively show the benefits of SABR technology in cases of metastatic cancer as well as to determine the maximum number of additional tumours the radiation would be effective in treating.
“A Phase III trial could be paradigm-changing. It could support using ablative therapies in the setting of metastatic disease, to increase survival rates in some patients,” Olson said.
The study was funded by the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and London Regional Cancer Program Catalyst Grant. The BC Cancer Foundation also launched a fundraising campaign to support Dr. Olson’s research.
“With these promising results community support is critical in launching a Phase III clinical trial – one that brings tremendous hope for patients facing metastatic cancers,” Sarah Roth, the president and CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation, said.
The study’s authors said the results from this trial will inform Olson’s upcoming Phase III randomized controlled trial for patients with one to three metastatic tumours in B.C.
