A research by the UT Southwestern Medical Center showed that patients with kidney cancer can be effectively treated with stereotactic radiation therapy. The treatment showed a staggering 90 percent control over the kidney tumors. This finding can potentially lead to the possibility of delaying the systemic therapy on patients.
According to the American Cancer Society, the kidney cancer or commonly known as renal cancer is one of the most common forms of cancers among both men and women. The most common type of these kidney cancers is the renal cell cancer. It is so common that 9 out of 10 patients are suffering from it. If so, the stereotactic radiation therapy can offer a hope to those who suffer from the disease.
To make the matter worse, around 60,000 individuals are feared to be diagnosed with kidney cancer this 2017. The figure is going to add to the ballooning 400,000 Americans who are already diagnosed. Further, kidney cancer has a slim survival rate of just 8 percent for those who are on stage 4. There is a higher chance of five-year survival rate for stage 3 which pegs at 53 percent.
Dr. Raquibul Hannan of the Kidney Cancer Program of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center said that the stereotactic radiation therapy is a noninvasive option for traditional treatment such as medical surgery. However, there is a high success rate among those who are not yet a candidate for surgery. After all, most are not eligible for surgery yet due to conditions like the location of metastases, Science Daily reported.
To treat kidney cancer, doctors often prefer the systemic therapy. However, this proved to be causing some side effects like fatigue and high blood pressure. On the contrary, the stereotactic radiation therapy does not register any side effects that its drug counterparts do. Another benefit of the new therapy is its ever improving system on how the radiation is given.
