Reposted from the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

In a randomized clinical trial, researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute have found that short-course, higher dose vaginal brachytherapy for endometrial cancer had similar effectiveness to more frequent, lower dose treatment sessions. The findings point to new ways to treat this cancer that could reduce patients’ potentially toxic exposure to radioactive materials used in brachytherapy.

Gita Suneja, a professor of radiation oncology at University of Utah Health, is the first author of the SAVE trial report—which stands for Short-Course Adjuvant Vaginal Cuff Brachytherapy in Early Endometrial Cancer Compared with Standard of Care.

“There isn’t high-quality data on optimal dose and schedule for brachytherapy treatments. Because of this, practice patterns really vary,” Suneja said. “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.”

The most common type of gynecologic cancer, endometrial cancer is a disease that begins in the lining of the uterus. Incidence is on the rise, as is the mortality rate.

The primary treatment is surgery, including the removal of the uterus, cervix and upper vagina. Brachytherapy is used as a secondary treatment to prevent the cancer’s return. Patients receiving vaginal cuff brachytherapy are treated with internal radiation by way of an applicator in the vaginal cavity.

The SAVE trial compared two groups who received different treatment doses over a varying number of brachytherapy sessions. The control group received the standard treatment—between three to five appointments with lower doses. The experimental group received higher doses of radiation in just two sessions.

The researchers found similarly effective short-term outcomes and few acute toxicities for the patients in the experimental group.

“We are particularly grateful for the patients that agreed to participate in the study,” said co-author David Gaffney, also a U physician and professor of radiation oncology. “It is a big win when we can preserve good outcomes and make cancer care easier.”

These results will help improve cancer care for Huntsman Cancer Institute patients across the five states of the Mountain West, according to the researchers.

“It’s hard for patients to get to us, especially those in a rural and frontier environments like many of our patients at Huntsman Cancer Institute,” Suneja said. “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.”

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The results of the SAVE trial were published Dec. 4, 2024 in JCO Oncology Advances. The National Clinical Trial number for this trial is 03422198. The research was funded by the Huntsman Cancer Institute and Elekta. The research team included scientists and physicians from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Loyola University Chicago, Intermountain Healthcare, and Stanford University, the institutions that also participated in the SAVE trial.

• Heather Simonsen Huntsman Cancer Institute public relations
  801-581-3194 public.affairs@hci.utah.edu