Arjun Sahgal, MD, of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, discusses results of the first phase III trial to suggest that dose escalation with stereotactic body radiotherapy may be superior to conventional palliative radiotherapy in improving pain outcomes for patients with spinal bone metastases (Abstract LBA2).
Jing Li, MD, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses phase III results showing the use of stereotactic radiosurgery in patients with 4 to 15 brain metastases, compared with whole-brain radiotherapy, may better preserve cognitive function and minimize the interruption of systemic therapy without compromising overall survival (Abstract 41).
Daniel E. Spratt, MD, of the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, discusses a pooled analysis of two phase III trials showing adjuvant androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) improves biochemical control and reduces distant metastasis when compared with a neoadjuvant approach, with no difference in late gastrointestinal or genitourinary toxicities. The analysis also showed that delaying radiotherapy to deliver neoadjuvant ADT did not benefit most patients (Abstract 32).
Alphonse G. Taghian, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, reviews the 10-year follow-up of a dose-escalation trial studying accelerated partial-breast irradiation and discusses the optimal dose, adverse effects, and cosmetic outcomes (Abstract 25).
Paul Sargos, MD, of the Institut Bergonié, discusses phase III findings from the GETUG-AFU 17 study, which compared adjuvant vs early salvage radiotherapy, both combined with short-term androgen-deprivation therapy after radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer. Although lacking statistical power, the study showed no benefit in event-free survival for adjuvant compared to salvage radiotherapy (Abstract 33).
Jeff M. Michalski, MD, MBA, of the Washington University School of Medicine, discusses a Children’s Oncology Group study that confirmed data previously reported: Involved-field radiotherapy is noninferior to posterior fossa radiotherapy in patients with average risk-medulloblastoma. However, low-dose craniospinal irradiation is not as effective as standard-dose irradiation in younger children (Abstract 1).
