Advanced Radiation Therapy Has Fewer Side Effects In Cervical Cancer After Hysterectomy

A phase III trial from India shows that an advanced radiation therapy technique leads to fewer gastrointestinal side effects in women who receive radiation after undergoing hysterectomy for cervical cancer. In the randomized controlled trial, researchers also showed image guided intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was as effective at controlling tumors as 3-dimensional conformal radiation (3D-CRT), suggesting image guided IMRT for pelvic radiation can improve patients’ quality of life without compromising disease-free survival rates. Findings from the PARCER trial (NCT01279135) will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.

“This is the first study in gynecological cancer to show a clear impact of advanced technology in reducing long-term morbidity and potentially improving the survivorship experience of women with gynecological cancers,” said Supriya Chopra, MD, lead study author and professor of radiation oncology at the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai. “Given these results, women undergoing post-operative radiation for these cancers should receive image guided IMRT.”

Read more from Medical Dialogues, by Hina Zahid, about Advanced Radiation Therapy Has Fewer Side Effects In Cervical Cancer After Hysterectomy

kenary820/Shutterstock.com