Study Reports Consistent High Freedom from Recurrence Rates for Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Treated with Image-Guided SRT, Regardless of Age or Sex

CHICAGO, Sept. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dermatology Association of Radiation Therapy (DART), a national non-profit medical society working to heighten awareness of radiation therapy in the dermatological setting through advocacy, education, and research, today announced the publication of a large retrospective cohort study that found freedom from recurrence rates associated with Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy (IGSRT or Image-Guided SRT) for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) were 99.68% at two years, 99.57% at four years, and 99.57% at six years. The study, "Freedom from Recurrence across Age in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Treated with Image-Guided Superficial Radiation Therapy," was published in the international peer-reviewed journal Geriatrics.

The DART-commissioned research, involving treatment records for nearly 20,000 NMSC lesions from 28 institutions in 12 states, from 2016 to 2023, also found that freedom from recurrence did not vary by patient age (<65 years or ≥65 years) even when stratifying by sex.

The study was authored by Aaron S. Farberg, MD; Randy V. Heysek, MD; Robert Haber, MD; Rania Agha, MD; Kevin M. Crawford, MD; Ji Xinge, MS; and Jeffrey Blake Stricker, DO.

The authors note, "This lack of difference in recurrence rates was consistent across stages in younger patients, while older patients did demonstrate a significant difference in recurrence when stratified by stage with slightly poorer outcomes seen in patients with stage 2 NMSC. These findings demonstrate that IGSRT is a viable therapeutic option for patients with NMSC regardless of patient age, sex, or stage, and bolster previous findings that IGSRT demonstrates excellent local tumor control and absolute lesion control and superior recurrence rates in this cohort relative to traditional SRT and historical rates of [Mohs micrographic surgery]."

DART President and Chairman Jacob Scott, MD, DPhil, DABR, observed, "This research, viewed in combination with previous studies indicating the superiority of Image-Guided SRT over SRT, reinforces the evidence that Image-Guided SRT demonstrates an excellent safety profile with predictable outcomes, making it an excellent first-line treatment alternative for patients diagnosed with early-stage NMSCs."

NMSCs, the incidence of which is increasing in older patients, are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. For early-stage NMSCs, Image-Guided SRT is a clinically equivalent alternative to Mohs surgery and has demonstrated statistically significant superiority over non-image-guided SRT. Image-Guided SRT is a treatment option for patients with low-or high-risk, early-stage NMSC who prefer to avoid surgery or are poor surgical candidates.

About The Dermatology Association of Radiation Therapy (DART)
The Dermatology Association of Radiation Therapy (DART) is a national non-profit medical society working to heighten awareness of radiation therapy in the dermatological setting through advocacy, education, and research. It is the only medical society focused on the use of radiation therapy and other nonsurgical options for the treatment of skin cancer and dermatologic conditions. Membership information and additional details can be found at dermassociationrt.org.

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SOURCE Dermatology Association of Radiation Therapy