Radiation reduction After Surgery Prolongs Survival for Some Patients With HPV-Related Throat Cancer, suggests study

Patients being treated for HPV-related oropharynx cancer might need less radiation therapy typically given post-surgery, according to a new study. Less than the standard doses of post-operative radiation therapy is safe and effective and reduces side effects, researchers say, resulting in very high survival rates-Radiationmarking a significant advancement in head and neck cancer care.

The results follow an E3311 trial of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, a membership-based scientific organization that tested the feasibility of transoral surgery that was followed by fewer weeks of radiation than are standard of care. For example, patients classified at surgery as having intermediate risk cancers, had five weeks of post-operative radiation instead of six. Each patient in the multi-institutional trial was classified at surgery as having low, intermediate or high-risk disease. For each group, post-operative treatment was scaled back.