Brian G. Czito, MD

BRIAN G. CZITO, MD, a radiation oncologist at Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina, commented on the study presented by Iyengar et al at the 2017 American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting. 

“This study of focal high-dose radiation in stage IV patients with limited metastatic burden corroborates recent reports about the value of adding a local therapy to systemic therapy in properly selected patients. This approach has the potential to change management in these patients by integrating a local therapy in those with oligometastatic disease. Although this potentially represents a new treatment paradigm, the results of ongoing trials will help better determine the value of this strategy,” Dr. Czito said. 

Additional Comments 

Benjamin Movsas, MD

ANOTHER EXPERT, Benjamin Movsas, MD, Chair of the Radiation Oncology Department at Henry Ford Cancer Institute in Michigan, was enthusiastic about the results of this randomized phase II trial. 

“This small study is very exciting and may represent a paradigm shift. The preliminary results suggest a key role for focused radiation even in the management of selected patients with limited metastatic lung cancer, for whom systemic therapy alone typically has been the only option. These findings suggest that the addition of focused radiation to chemotherapy can significantly improve progression-free survival for these patients. A larger phase III randomized study is planned to assess the impact on survival as well,” Dr. Movsas told The ASCO Post. 

Dr. Movsas also noted that if the phase III trial results are positive, this will change the standard of care. ■

DISCLOSURE: Drs. Czito and Movsas reported no conflicts of interest.