Survival Rates for Early Stage Lung Cancer Improved with Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy

The results of a first-of-a-kind randomized clinical trial that compared the use of Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) and surgery for patients with operable Stage I Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) suggests that the radiotherapy treatment increases the overall survival rate.

The findings were published in the May, 13, 2015, issue of journal the Lancet Oncology. The researchers analyzed 59 patients and found that three-year survival rates were 79% for patients who underwent surgery and 95% for those who underwent radiotherapy. Recurrence-free survival rates after three years were 80% for the surgery group and 86% for radiotherapy. None of the patients treated with SABR had high-grade toxicity.

The research was part of a phase III randomized international study by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, Texas, USA). The results support the use of radiotherapy as an alternative to surgery, especially for the elderly and patients with significant comorbidities.

Joe Y. Chang, MD, PhD, professor, Radiation Oncology, first author, and principal investigator of the study, said, “For the first time, we can say that the two therapies are at least equally effective, and that SABR appears to be better tolerated and might lead to better survival outcomes for these patients. Stereotactic radiation treatment is a relatively new approach for operable early stage lung cancer, while surgery has been the standard for a century. This study can give physicians confidence to consider a noninvasive option.”

Related Links:
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center