“The ‘oligometastatics’ are those patients who, despite having a disease extended to multiple locations in the body, have a limited number of lesions, up to 3-5 in one or more organs – explains Alongi -. In Italy it is estimated that they are 1 out of 5 e radiotherapy is usually used for these patients for palliative purposes, ie to relieve pain or prevent symptoms, for which it is prescribed in low doses and targeted on the site of the lesions that can cause great suffering. The study instead evaluated the impact of radiotherapy in patients with multiple metastases with the aim of local remission”.
The patients enrolled were 1,600 of which more than 200, the highest number, came from the IRCSS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria of Negrar, one of the most advanced centers in our country in the radiotherapy treatment of tumours. “Most of them had 1 to 3 metastases of primary tumors of the breast, colon, prostate and lung, mainly located on the lungs, lymph nodes, bones and in some cases also in the brain”, need alongi. Stereotactic radiotherapy was used for the treatment of the lesions, i.e. high ionizing doses delivered with millimeter precision, thanks also to the possibility of administration under the guidance of CT scans or magnetic resonance. The treatments had an average duration of 5 sessions lasting from a few minutes to less than an hour and in many cases they were carried out at the same time as medical therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy and therapy with molecular target drugs). “Preliminary results show that radiotherapy, in addition to drugs, and in some cases even alone, for example in prostate cancer, is able to destroy more metastases by locally shutting down the disease, with a 97% survival after 6 months from treatment and relevant side effects in just 1% of cases – reports the expert -. The very promising real data collected, even if they need to be confirmed with a longer follow-up, allow us to validate the value of radiotherapy as a definitive local treatment modality and not only for palliative purposes with local efficacy on metastases equal to surgery “.
However, despite the great effectiveness, too much misinformation still weighs on radiotherapy, for which a lower value than surgery and pharmacology continues to be attributed to this therapeutic approach, as well as an uneven distribution of linear accelerators throughout the country.
“Citizens, the media and institutions unfortunately have an unbalanced view of the forces involved in the treatment of cancer – clarifies Alongi -. The idea we have of radiotherapy is somewhat distorted and is influenced by a legacy that belongs to the past and which, in the best case scenario, correlates it to a mere palliative purpose or to ancillary therapy. This is a serious problem for patients who in numerous clinical situations, not only if inoperable, could benefit from a non-invasive alternative to surgical and synergistic therapeutic option with modern oncological drugs”.