(Press-News.org) In a randomized clinical trial, researchers from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) have found that short-course, higher dose vaginal brachytherapy for endometrial cancer had similar effectiveness to more frequent, lower dose sessions.
Gita Suneja, MD, MS, physician-scientist at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of radiation oncology at the U, 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,” says Suneja. “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 is a disease that begins in the lining of the uterus. The primary treatment for endometrial cancer is surgery, including the removal of the uterus, cervix, and upper vagina. Brachytherapy, a form of internal radiation, 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 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.
Suneja says the study outcomes will help improve cancer care for Huntsman Cancer Institute patients across the five states of the Mountain West.
“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.”
David Gaffney, MD, PhD, FACR, FABS, FASTRO, physician-scientist at Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor of radiation oncology at the U, developed the idea for the SAVE study after seeing patient need. According to the American Cancer Society, endometrial cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. Incidence is on the rise, as is the mortality rate.
“We are very grateful for the support and the enthusiasm from our clinical colleagues at MD Anderson, Loyola, Intermountain Healthcare, and Stanford, the institutions that also participated in the SAVE trial,” says Gaffney. “We are particularly grateful for the patients that agreed to participate in the study. It is a big win when we can preserve good outcomes and make cancer care easier.”
The results of the SAVE trial were published in JCO Oncology Advances.
The National Clinical Trial number for this trial is 03422198.
About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah is the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. With a legacy of innovative cancer research, groundbreaking discoveries, and world-class patient care, we are transforming the way cancer is understood, prevented, diagnosed, treated, and survived. Huntsman Cancer Institute focuses on delivering the most advanced cancer healing and prevention through scientific breakthroughs and cutting-edge technology to advance cancer treatments of the future beyond the standard of care today. We have more than 300 open clinical trials and 250 research teams studying cancer. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at Huntsman Cancer Institute than at any other cancer center. Our scientists are world-renowned for understanding how cancer begins and using that knowledge to develop innovative approaches to treat each patient’s unique disease. Huntsman Cancer Institute was founded by Jon M. and Karen Huntsman.
END
Short-course radiation therapy effective for endometrial cancer patients
2025-02-11
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Breast cancer treatment advances with light-activated ‘smart bomb’
2025-02-11
Scientists have developed new light-sensitive chemicals that can radically improve the treatment of aggressive cancers with minimal side effects. In mouse tests, the new therapy completely eradicated metastatic breast cancer tumors.
The novel chemicals, called cyanine-carborane salts, and their role in the next-generation of cancer treatments, are described in a new article published in Angewandte Chemie, a journal of the German Chemical Society.
Photodynamic therapy, or PDT, has been used for decades to treat forms of skin and bladder cancers. It works by flooding a patient’s body with light-sensitive chemicals that accumulate in cancer cells. ...
JSCAI article at THT 2025 sets the standard for training pathways in interventional heart failure
2025-02-11
WASHINGTON–Interventional heart failure (IHF) has rapidly evolved as a critical subspecialty within cardiology at the crossroads of advanced heart failure and interventional cardiology. The increasing complexity of patient care—spanning both pharmacological treatments and an expanding array of device-based therapies—has underscored the urgent need for a standardized approach to training and career development in this field.
That’s the message from experts in a comprehensive review, “Charting the Course for Careers in Interventional Heart ...
Engineering biological reaction crucibles to rapidly produce proteins
2025-02-11
Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a new synthetic approach that turbocharges bacteria into producing more of a specific protein, even proteins that would normally destroy them, such as antibiotics.
The technique directs bacteria to produce synthetic disordered proteins that bunch together to form compartments called biological condensates. When these compartments trap mRNA carrying instructions for specific proteins together with the machinery needed to implement them, they can greatly enhance the rate of protein production.
The technique could be a boon to industries that use bacteria to produce a wide range of products such as pharmaceuticals, ...
Minecraft: a gamechanger for children’s learning
2025-02-11
It’s the globally popular video game that’s captured the attention of more than 141 million active players, but Minecraft can also play a significant role in shaping children’s development, social interactions, and cognitive learning, say researchers at the University of South Australia.
Published in the new book Children’s online learning and interaction, the study found that when children engage in collaborative Minecraft play, they foster teamwork, communication, and social skills as players exchange ideas and problem-solve ...
Presidential awards spotlight naval research excellence
2025-02-11
WASHINGTON, D.C. – An alternative energy mechanical engineer, two aerospace engineers, and a corrosion research engineer received the highest honor bestowed to early career U.S. government scientists and engineers.
These four U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) researchers each received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for their research on next generation energy storage solutions, solid fuel combustion for use in high-speed propulsion devices, solving large-scale ...
SETI Institute names first Frank Drake Postdoctoral Fellow
2025-02-11
February 11, 2025, Mountain View, CA -- The SETI Institute awarded the first Frank Drake Postdoctoral Fellowship to Dr. Anastasia Yanchilina. Yanchilina will focus on distinguishing biosignatures from false positives across space and time. Her research combines experimental and analytical research to refine biosignature detection techniques. She will conduct lab experiments to generate key mineral analogs and study Earth’s extreme environments to understand what potential signs of life to look for on other planets.
“It has long been my scientific dream to explore whether life exists ...
From photons to protons: Argonne team makes breakthrough in high-energy particle detection
2025-02-11
Particle detectors play a crucial role in our understanding of the fundamental building blocks of the universe. They allow scientists to study the behavior and properties of the particles produced in high-energy collisions. Such particles are boosted to near the speed of light in large accelerators and then smashed into targets or other particles where they are then analyzed with detectors. Traditional detectors, however, lack the needed sensitivity and precision for certain types of research.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of ...
Cancer’s ripple effect may promote blood clot formation in the lungs
2025-02-11
Blood clots form in response to signals from the lungs of cancer patients—not from other organ sites, as previously thought—according to a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and University of California San Diego Health. Clots are the second-leading cause of death among cancer patients with advanced disease or aggressive tumors.
While blood clots usually form to stop a wound from bleeding, cancer patients can form clots without injury, plugging up vessels and cutting off circulation to organs. The study, published Feb. 11 in Cell, shows that tumors drive clot formation (thrombosis) by releasing ...
New UVA clinical trial explores AI-powered insulin delivery for better diabetes care
2025-02-11
For people living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), keeping blood sugar levels in check is a constant challenge. A new clinical trial at UVA is aiming to simplify diabetes management by testing an innovative AI-powered device designed to improve automated insulin delivery.
The trial is co-led by several School of Data Science faculty, including Assistant Professor of Data Science Heman Shakeri; Boris Kovatchev, founding director of the UVA Center for Diabetes Technology, a professor at the School of Medicine and professor ...
New technology could quash QR code phishing attacks
2025-02-11
The ubiquitous QR (“quick response”) codes that appear on everything from parking pay stations to soda cans and promotional flyers have become an increasingly popular target for cybercriminals to exploit through QR code–based phishing attacks, also known as “quishing.” Bad actors will place phony QR codes that direct smartphone users to enter their sensitive private information in fake websites masquerading as bank websites, parking enforcement offices, or other seemingly ...