Residual Cancer Associated with Poor Long-Term Prognosis, Warn Scientists
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Synopsis
New York, March 23 (NationPress) Radiotherapy may leave behind microscopic cancer even when scans suggest the tumour is gone. This ‘residual disease’ is more prevalent than expected and linked to worse long-term outcomes, researchers caution.
Key Takeaways
- Residual cancer often remains undetected by imaging.
- This condition is prevalent in several cancer types.
- Patients with residual disease face higher recurrence risks.
- Complete response on scans does not guarantee tumour eradication.
- Recognizing residual cancer is vital for improving outcomes.
New York, March 23 (NationPress) Radiotherapy may leave behind microscopic cancer even when scan images suggest the tumour is gone, and this “residual disease” is more prevalent than anticipated and is associated with poorer long-term outcomes, researchers have cautioned.
Dr Muzamil Arshad from the University of Chicago Medical Center and his team emphasized this increasing concern in cancer treatment in a recent editorial published in the Oncotarget journal.
Their viewpoint advocates for a reassessment of how treatment efficacy is evaluated and how cancer is monitored post-therapy.
Radiotherapy, particularly a technique known as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), is commonly employed to address cancers in the lungs, liver, prostate, and other organs.
SABR administers high-dose radiation with remarkable accuracy and often yields impressive results on diagnostic scans.
Nevertheless, the authors pointed out that depending solely on imaging may not deliver a comprehensive understanding.
Follow-up biopsies conducted months or even years later often uncover cancer cells that imaging tests failed to detect.
“Residual cancer is identified on histology in 40 percent of lung, 57–69 percent of renal cell, 7.7–47.6 percent of prostate, and 0–86.7 percent of hepatocellular carcinoma,” the authors noted.
This discrepancy between imaging results and tissue analysis can have significant implications.
Research across various types of cancer has demonstrated that patients with residual disease—even if minimal—are more prone to cancer recurrence and reduced survival rates.
This trend is evident in rectal, cervical, prostate, and liver cancers, among others. In certain cases, failing to completely eradicate the tumour may facilitate its spread to distant organs.
The authors highlighted that a complete response on imaging does not necessarily equate to the total eradication of the tumour.
The editorial urged the cancer care community to look beyond imaging results. Residual cancer may persist even when scans appear clear, and recognizing this concealed danger is crucial for enhancing long-term outcomes.
