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Study shows long term improvements in pediatric radiotherapy outcomes

by Christina Hwang, Contributing Reporter | March 13, 2017
ASTRO Business Affairs Rad Oncology Pediatrics Radiation Therapy
Advances in radiation therapy, not its absence, have helped improve pediatric cancer survival rates, according to the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers analyzed data from the 1970s to the 1990s and found that the percentage of pediatric cancer patients treated with radiation decreased from 77 to 33 percent. The likelihood of having recurring cancer within 15 years also decreased.

ASTRO issued a statement in response, commenting that radiation oncologists are clearly making progress in reducing side effects associated with cancer treatment, such as second cancers, and this stems from better decision-making by oncologists about which patients are appropriate for radiation therapy.

“Advanced imaging, coupled with the ability to fuse this to our planning CT scans, allows for more accurate target delineation and reduction of daily setup margins,” Dr. Sameer R. Keole, government relations council chair for ASTRO, and proton beam therapy medical director at the Mayo Clinic, told HCB News.

“The net results are more dose to the cancer and less dose to the healthy tissues. While this is important in all patient populations, it is most critical in our youngest patients,” he said.

In the study, the cumulative incidence of second cancer decreased by almost 50 percent — from 2.9 percent in the 1970s to 1.5 percent in the 1990s.

Keole said. “This is the best proof that the pediatric oncology care team is learning how to best balance all treatment modalities to maximize the chances of cure while minimizing complications," said Keole.

According to Dr. David C. Beyer, chair of ASTRO, radiation will continue to be an important component to treating many childhood cancers, and continuing to deliver therapy while finding new and innovative ways to reduce side effects is vital.

“We encourage parents and caregivers to remember that radiation therapy remains part of the solution to many childhood cancers. This study shows that we're beating back childhood cancer because of sophisticated treatments like radiation therapy, not in spite of them,” Beyer said in a statement.

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