There were no differences between the two treatment arms in quality of life measures, however. Scores on the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy: General (FACT-G) questionnaire at six months following treatment were similarly high for both patient groups (82.5 for SABR vs. 82.6 for standard therapy, p=0.992). Patients also reported similar quality of life outcomes on the physical, social, functional and emotional FACT-G subscales (all p>0.4).

In some cases, patients developed additional lesions during the trial. When this happened, noted Dr. Palma, the additional tumors could sometimes be successfully ablated. Because they were able to successfully treat a greater number of sites in these patients, the research team is now planning a follow-up study that will enroll patients with up to 10 metastatic lesions, called SABR-COMET-10.


"We don't know the upward limit of how many tumors can be treated with SABR," he said. "The concern is the amount of radiation exposure a patient can tolerate. We don't know yet what the safe boundaries are. We've been very conservative, as this is a new technology."

Nearly half (46 percent) of the patients treated with stereotactic radiation were still alive after five years, compared to 24 percent in the control group, said Dr. Palma -- a result that he believes will encourage physicians to consider SABR as a treatment option.

"Ultimately, the question of whether an oncologist will offer this treatment as the standard of care for oligometastatic patients will be up to that oncologist," he said. "At the very least, physicians should be considering this as a treatment option for their patients."

"Stereotactic radiation therapy can increase how long these patients live and how long they live without their cancer coming back, and it doesn't seem to have a detrimental impact on their quality of life."

The abstract, "Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for the comprehensive treatment of oligometastatic tumors (SABR-COMET): Results of a randomized trial," will be presented in detail during a news briefing (Tuesday, October 23, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. CT, Room 225-D) and the plenary session (Monday, October 22, 2:15 - 3:45 p.m. CT, Stars at Night Ballroom) at ASTRO's 60th Annual Meeting in San Antonio.


ABOUT ASTRO
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is the world's largest radiation oncology society, with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. The Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three peer-reviewed journals, the International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics, Practical Radiation Oncology and Advances in Radiation Oncology; developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers; and created the Radiation Oncology Institute, a nonprofit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment.

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