Oncology group releases its first clinical radiation therapy guidelines for cervical cancer
The American Society for Radiation Oncology on Wednesday published its first-ever recommendations for radiation therapy treatment in patients with nonmetastatic cervical cancer.
The guidelines, released June 10 in Practical Radiation Oncology, offer indications and best practices for using external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy following surgery and in “definitive” settings. A multidisciplinary panel of oncologists analyzed literature published between 1993 and 2018 to create the document.
ASTRO estimates that nearly 14,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer this year alone, with 4,300 of them expected to die. Such forms of the disease can be treated, but the five-year survival rate is much higher when the cancer is detected early, said Akila N. Viswanathan, MD, MPH, chair of the guideline task force.
"Cervical cancer treatment has advanced dramatically over the last 20 years. Increased use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy and image-guided brachytherapy, in particular, have resulted in better patient outcomes and fewer treatment complications,” Viswanathan, who is also interim director of radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, added in a statement. “Our intention in developing this guideline is to encourage physicians to make these approaches part of their daily practice.”
The guidelines have been endorsed by the American Brachytherapy Society, Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology, European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.
Read the entire clinical breakdown of the recommendations for free here.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.