Â鶹ӳ»­

At this year¡¯s American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, MD Anderson experts will showcase their pacesetting research and latest advances in radiation oncology, including techniques to alleviate pain in patients with spinal metastases and less-invasive treatment options to improve quality of life for some lung cancer patients.

I am most excited to see the latest innovations in radiation oncology, particularly the clinical and translational studies that have the potential to advance cancer care.

Our researchers will be presenting dozens of studies at this year¡¯s meeting. Here are four abstracts that have significant potential to inspire additional research and advance care for cancer patients.

1. Long-term study finds radiation is comparable to surgery for some lung cancer patients 

Long-term data presented by Joe Chang, M.D., Ph.D., and Troy Kleber, M.D., demonstrated that a type of radiation therapy known as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), also called stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), has similar survival outcomes to surgery for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients.

This study is the first to compare ten-year outcomes of SBRT to surgery. The initial findings on survival continue to hold up, and there are some notable advantages for quality of life for SBRT patients that have been subsequently observed. 

Many patients aren¡¯t eligible for surgery, so a non-invasive option is an immediate advantage for those patients. Additionally, radiation therapy is less invasive and usually has an easier recovery, even for patients who are eligible for surgery. While this approach may not apply to all early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients, it does emphasize the importance of a multi-disciplinary care team to consider all options for their patients.

2. Addition of metastasis-directed therapy may enhance standard-of-care drug therapy for oligometastatic disease 

s team will present results from the Phase II EXTEND trial, the largest randomized trial of oligometastatic disease to date. It examined which tumor types may benefit the most from adding metastasis-directed therapy to the standard of care drug therapy. Metastasis-directed therapy involves direct local treatment of metastatic lesions through surgery or radiation, with the goal of killing all cancer cells in that location. Metastasis-directed therapy in the EXTEND trial mostly consisted of high-dose stereotactic body radiation therapy. 
 
Response to metastasis-directed therapy for oligometastatic disease varies across tumor types; the EXTEND trial was created to detect which cancers may benefit the most from this additional therapy. 

Results showed that by adding metastasis-directed therapy to the standard of care for pancreatic and prostate cancer patients, progression-free survival significantly improved, meriting evaluation in a Phase III clinical trial. , is leading the ongoing Phase III EXPAND trial of metastasis-directed therapy for patients with oligometastatic pancreas cancer.

3. Genomic profiling could tailor pain relief for patients with spinal metastases 

Stereotactic spine radiosurgery (SSRS) is a highly effective, non-surgical treatment strategy for alleviating pain in patients with spinal metastases. This technique delivers high-dose radiation using dozens of precisely targeted beams, allowing for accurate tumor control while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue.  

Medical student Areeba Al-Sharfeen, from MD Anderson¡¯s Department of Central Nervous System Radiation Oncology, will present research conducted under the guidance of principal investigators , and , examining the relationship between primary tumor mutations and clinical outcomes following SSRS. The study provides important insights into the genetic factors that may influence overall survival and local control.

In particular, primary tumor site mutations in TP53 and KRAS were associated with shorter overall survival and reduced local control, respectively, whereas FGFR2 mutations correlated with improved local control. These findings highlight the potential role of genomic profiling in guiding SSRS treatment, helping to refine dose regimens based on tumor-specific genetic characteristics and advancing personalized therapeutic strategies for patients with spinal metastases.

4. Magnetic resonance fingerprinting could produce more detailed imaging and precise treatment for head and neck cancers

From MD Anderson¡¯s Fuller Laboratory,  Medical Physics Ph.D. student Lucas McCullum will present results from a study that examined the feasibility of using 1.5T MRI/linear accelerator (MR-Linac) machines for a novel imaging technique called magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF).  

Magnetic resonance fingerprinting holds significant promise because of its potential ability to deliver more informative and more accurate information to clinicians. However, if the research required to make MRF possible on the 1.5T MR-Linac machines isn¡¯t studied, a significant amount of scan time will be required to generate the same valuable information.  In this study, the authors validated that magnetic resonance fingerprinting is feasible on a 1.5T MR-Linac, paving the way for wider and faster adoption of this technology and its potential benefits. With its ability to simultaneously extract several levels of data in a single scan, there is the potential for a significant decrease in the time that patients spend in MRI machines while also benefiting from more personalized treatment plans. 

, is division head and chair of Radiation Oncology at MD Anderson.

Learn more about MD Anderson¡¯s research at the 2025 ASTRO Annual Meeting.