A clinical trial from Canada looked at whether patients with 5 or fewer metastases treated with Stereotactic Radiotherapy did better than those receiving “usual” care. The trial was named SABR-COMET and was published in the Lancet, April 2019.
The average person on the study treated with Stereotactic Radiotherapy, took 12 months for their cancer to progress (which means worsen), twice as long as the average person receiving the usual care.
The trial did not prove that the longer lifespan was due to Stereotactic Radiotherapy. The investigators tried to recruit patient who were similar, then treated them according to random allocation. Unfortunately, the Stereotactic Radiotherapy also probably caused some deaths. SABR-COMET is the first randomised trial with overall survival as the primary endpoint to indicate both overall and progression-free survival benefits of a potent non-invasive local therapy – SABR, in metastatic cancer.
This study suggests radiotherapy might prolong life. It also makes it clear that Stereotactic Radiotherapy requires expert delivery.
Follow the link to read more: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32487-5/fulltext
