Definitive radiotherapy (dRT), intended for long-term disease control, is an effective option for several solid tumors that are oligometastatic, meaning they have limited metastatic lesions, or oligoprogressive, meaning few metastases are progressing. However, the benefit of dRT for metastatic thyroid cancers is largely unknown. Researchers led by Matthew Ning, M.D., examined the use of targeted dRT using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in 119 patients with oligometastatic/oligoprogressive thyroid cancer.
Treatment with dRT showed a 91% local control rate for treated sites at three years and was associated with significant delays in the need for systemic therapy, the current standard of care. Only 2.5% of patients experienced grade 3 toxicities, with no higher-grade events. The median time to systemic therapy escalation, which can bring significant adverse effects and impact quality of life, was more than four years. While further studies are needed, this study highlights the potential of dRT in controlling oligometastatic and oligoprogressive thyroid cancers