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Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) for treating the primary kidney cancer tumour is a promising non-invasive treatment option. A recent clinical trial showed that SABR was feasible and well tolerated. In this study, the primary kidney cancer tumour from patients in a UK hospital were treated with SABR and followed for up to 2 years.
Nineteen patients with a biopsy-confirmed primary kidney cancer tumour were treated with SABR using either a standard linear accelerator or CyberKnife. The average tumour size was 4.5 cm, the largest being 5.2 cm. They were followed-up with CT scans at 6 weeks, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after treatment.
SABR was well tolerated and there were no significant acute side effects. Kidney function (estimated glomerular filtration rate, eGFR) dropped from baseline by an average of 5.4 ml/min at 6 months and 8.7 ml/min at 12 months. The cancer was controlled in more than 90% of patients at both 6 and 12 months. Nearly 95% of patients survived for 6 months and more than 78% for 12 months. After an average follow-up of 17 months, three patients experienced a severe side effect that was resolved with treatment.
SABR for primary kidney cancer tumours is a safe and feasible treatment for medically unfit patients, which can be delivered in most UK cancer centres using a standard linear accelerator or CyberKnife.
