Shorter, More Aggressive Treatments Better Control Cervical Cancer

Newswise — Women receiving care at small, local radiation therapy facilities are less likely to receive shorter, more aggressive treatments for their cervical cancer, according to a new Patterns of Care Study published in the November 15, 2004, issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

The study included 442 women treated between 1996 and 1999 for cervical cancer at 55 randomly selected treatment centers in the United States. The institutions were broken into two categories " centers that treated 500 or more new cancer patients each year and centers that treated fewer than 500 new patients a year.

Researchers found that cervical cancer patients treated at smaller radiation therapy centers were less likely to have aggressive, high-dose radiation therapy and were 25 percent more likely to have their treatment stretched over more than 10 weeks despite the fact that better control rates are associated with shorter treatment times. According to the study, patients at smaller facilities were more likely to only receive external beam radiation therapy rather than a combination of external and internal radiation therapy " also called implants or brachytherapy. This combination has been found to be more effective in treating cervical cancer because it can deliver a higher dose of radiation to the tumor over a shorter period of time.

"Our study suggests that some smaller facilities may lack the resources needed to deliver optimal care to women with invasive cervical cancer," said Patricia J. Eifel, M.D., lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "Physicians should consider referring these women to larger facilities that have the resources, experience and personnel to treat according to current guidelines for optimal treatment."

For more information on radiation therapy for cancer, please visit http://www.astro.org/patient/treatment_information/ for a free brochure.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 8,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to the advancement of the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare environment.