New study supports gene-tailored radiation doses to treat HPV+ throat cancer
Genetic testing can identify patients with HPV-positive throat cancer who may benefit from lower radiation doses, according to Cleveland Clinic research. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, builds on a growing body of evidence that radiation treatment can be personalized using tumor genomics, potentially shifting treatment approaches from the norm, where radiation is prescribed at a uniform dose, to one called Genomic Adjusted Radiation Dose (GARD), where radiation is prescribed to a desired effect.
The current standard radiation dose for HPV-positive throat cancer is 70 Grays (Gy), which offers cure rates between 80% and 95% but can ...