Short course, higher dose vaginal brachytherapy found effective for endometrial cancer

Short course, higher dose vaginal brachytherapy found effective for endometrial cancer

In a randomized clinical trial, researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (U) found that short-term vaginal brachytherapy for endometrial cancer had similar effectiveness to more frequent, lower-dose sessions.

Gita Suneja, MD, MS, a Huntsman Cancer Institute physician-scientist and professor of radiation oncology at the U, is the first author of the SAVE trial report promoting short-course adjuvant vaginal cuff brachytherapy for early endometrial cancer versus short-course cancer. Care.

There is no high-quality data for an optimal dose and schedule for brachytherapy treatments. This is why practice patterns really vary. The Save trial sought to reduce the number of treatments patients received but maintain short-term quality of life and disease control. “

Gita Suneja, MD, MS, physician-scientist at Huntsman Cancer Institute

Endometrial cancer is a disease that begins in the lining of the uterus. The primary treatment for endometrial cancer is surgery, including removal of the uterus, cervix, and upper vagina. Brachytherapy, a form of internal radiation, is used as a secondary treatment to prevent the cancer from returning. Patients receiving vaginal cuff brachytherapy are treated with internal radiation through an applicator in the vaginal cavity.

The Save study compared two groups that received different doses of treatment over a different number of sessions. The control group received standard treatment between three to five appointments with lower doses. The experimental group received higher doses of radiation in just two sessions.

The researchers found similarly effective short-term results and few acute toxicities for patients in the experimental group.

Suneja said the study results will help improve cancer care for Huntsman Cancer Institute patients across the five Mountain West states.

“It is difficult for patients to get to us, especially those in a rural and confined setting like many of our patients at Huntsman Cancer Institute,” Suneja says. "We recognize that this is a tremendous burden for people to treat here, on top of a difficult diagnosis. We are motivated to better serve our rural population, and the results of this study will provide us with a path to do so."

David Gaffney, MD, PhD, FACR, Fabs, Fastro, physician-scientist at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of radiation oncology at the U, developed the idea for the Save study after seeing the patient's needs. According to the American Cancer Society, endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system. The incidence is increasing, as is the mortality rate.

“We are very grateful for the support and enthusiasm of our clinical colleagues at MD Anderson, Loyola, Intermountain Healthcare and Stanford, the institutions that also participated in the Save study,” says Gaffney. "We are particularly grateful for the patients who agreed to participate in the study. It is a great win if we can maintain good results and make cancer prevention easier."

The results of the Save study were published inJCO Oncology Advances.

The national clinical trial number for this study is 03422198.

Sources: