A new study has revealed that prophylactic radiation may be able to improve treatment outcomes for patients with solid metastatic tumors. Prophylactic cranial radiation (PCR) or prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is a type of radiation therapy used to kill cancer cells from cancers such as small-cell lung cancer that have spread to the brain and prevent further invasion of brain tissue.
According to a paper published in the “Journal of Clinical Oncology,” applying prophylactic radiation to asymptomatic bone metastases in patients diagnosed with solid tumor malignancies can improve patient outcomes. During phase 2 trials, patients who received prophylactic radiation reported fewer hospitalizations, skeletal-related events and higher overall survival (OS) rates compared to patients who received standard treatments.
The study involved 71 adult participants with metastatic solid tumors; 27% had lung cancer, 24% were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 22% had prostate cancer. Systemic therapy was the planned standard of care (SOC) for 90% of the participant pool, but these patients also had the option of receiving palliative radiation once they developed progressive painful lesions. On the other hand, the patients who received prophylactic radiation had the option of radiation for up to five high-risk bone metastases.
The researchers followed up with the patients for a year after the study began. They discovered 15 skeletal-related events, 14 occurring in patients who received standard of care and a single individual in the prophylactic radiation patient group, representing an SRE rate of 29% and 1.6% respectively in the SOC and prophylactic radiation arm. The researchers discovered an SRE prevalence rate of 12% and 0% in the SOC and prophylactic groups once they removed palliative radiation from the analysis.
Furthermore, the prophylactic radiation group reported no hospitalizations compared to four hospitalizations in the standard-of-care group.
This isn’t the first study looking into the potential of prophylactic radiotherapy for conditions other than painful bones. A 2022 study also found that prophylactic radiotherapy could reduce hospitalizations and skeletal-related events while improving survival outcomes. Patients who received prophylactic radiation registered a 55% improvement in survival rates compared to patients in the control group, gaining an extra eight months of life thanks to the application of prophylactic radiation.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center radiation oncologist and lead study author Erin F. Gillespie, MD, stated at the time it was “thought provoking” that radiation for pain prevention had the potential to prolong patient life. She said the research indicated that treating cancer to cure it may not always be the best option for increasing patient survival outcomes.
A number of other groups, such as the research team at Renovaro BioSciences Inc. (NASDAQ: RENB), are also working to find effective ways to treat cancers with solid tumors so that patients can have a better quality of life.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Renovaro BioSciences Inc. (NASDAQ: RENB) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/RENB
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