Study shows two high-dose radiation sessions as effective as standard multi-session treatments for endometrial cancer
CANCER DIGEST – Feb. 22, 2025 – A short course of two high-dose radiation treatments after hysterectomy for endometrial cancer is just as effective as more frequent conventional lower dose radiation in terms of cancer control and quality of life measures, a new study shows.
The study led by Gita Suneja ,MD, and David Gaffney, MD, PhD, of the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah conducted the SAVE trial to compare two different schedules of radiation treatments after surgery for endometrial cancer. The findings appeared in the Dec. 4, 2024 Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“There isn’t high quality-data on optimal dose and schedule for brachytherapy treatments. Because of this, practice patterns really vary,” Suneja said in a press release. “The SAVE trial sought to try to lower the number of treatments that patients were receiving but maintain short-term quality of life and disease control.”
Endometrial cancer starts in the lining of the uterus. The standard treatment involves surgery to remove the uterus, cervix and an upper portion of the vagina (hysterectomy), followed by a course of radiation to eliminate any remaining cancer cells, and prevent cancer recurrence.
The localized radiation, called brachytherapy, is delivered via radioactive pellets placed in the tumor bed. The pellets can be left there for a few minutes or several months depending on the recurrence risk factors of the patient. The SAVE trial compared two groups of 54 women, one group treated with standard therapy of three to five low-dose radiation treatments, and the experimental group treated with higher radiation doses in two sessions.
After following the women for 28 months, the researchers found that no cancer returned in 96 percent of the women in both groups, and 100 percent of the women in the high-dose group had no subsequent vaginal cancers. In addition, the women answered a standardized Quality of Life questionnaire at 1 month after treatment and at 12 months post treatment. The scores showed no significant difference in terms of quality of life for the two groups.
The researchers conclude that the shorter course, higher dose radiation schedule was just as effective as the conventional low-dose multi-session approach. Suneja said the results will help improve cancer care for patients in the five state area served by the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
“It’s hard for patients to get to us, especially those in a rural and frontier environment like many of our patients at Huntsman Cancer Institute,” says Suneja. “We recognize this is an enormous burden for people to come here for treatment, on top of dealing with a difficult diagnosis. We are motivated to better serve our rural population, and the results of this study will give us a way to do that.”
Sources: Huntsman Cancer Institute press release, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology: Oncology Advances
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