This study is designed to see whether stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) can reduce tumour size, slow progression of the disease, prolong life and improve quality of life. SBRT is concentrated focused radiation therapy delivered very precisely to the liver tumour. Presently, the treatment for unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer is most often chemotherapy or novel targeted therapy. These treatments may improve survival, but not control the metastases permanently; so new treatments are needed to control metastases. It is hoped that knowledge obtained from this study will improve our ability to treat patients with liver tumours that cannot be treated with surgery and other methods, and that SBRT may prove to be a treatment that can lead to long-term and permanent control of liver tumours for some patients.
From July 2003 to May 2007, over 50 patients with liver metastases participated in two studies at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) designed to determine the safety of treating liver metastases with SBRT. These studies have shown that SBRT can be delivered safely to the majority of patients with liver metastases. The treated tumour was controlled (shrank or remained the same size) in 74% of patients at one year following treatment. The median survival of patients was 16 months (i.e.half of patients survived longer and half shorter than 16 months). This survival rate is better than that expected in patients whose tumours grew bigger even though they were treated with chemotherapy. Supportive care only (no treatment other than care to make you feel better) in these patients is associated with a median survival rate of 6-12 months. We expect that the benefits of SBRT in this study will be similar to those observed in our initial studies.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
35
Radiation therapy will be delivered on six occasions, over two weeks. Each treatment will take approximately 30 minutes to deliver (up to an hour including all imaging and set-up procedures). You may be asked to swallow 250 cc of oral contrast before each radiation therapy treatment. Pepto Bismol (a liquid that coats the stomach and is used to treat heartburn) and/or water may be combined with the contrast to improve the quality of the stomach's image.
University Health Network, Princess Margaret Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Determine one year local progression free rate, defined as lack of progression within the irradiated volume, using RECIST criteria.
Time frame: 5 years
Overall progression free survival
Time frame: 5 years
Overall survival
Time frame: 5 years
Quality of life
Time frame: 5 years
CTC3.0 toxicity
Time frame: 5 years
Cytokine response to radiation and association with complications
Time frame: 5 years
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