Andrew Kennedy, MD, physician-in-chief and radiation oncologist at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the next steps following the SIRFLOX clinical trial for patients with liver-metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).

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Dr. Kennedy on Next Steps With SIRFLOX Trial in Liver-Metastatic CRC

Andrew Kennedy, MD, physician-in-chief and radiation oncologist at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the importance of the SIRFLOX trial, which explored the efficacy of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) with SIR-Spheres Y-90 resin microspheres as treatment for patients with liver-metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) versus standard frontline chemotherapy.

The use of radioembolization in CRC, especially with Y-90, is showing good level 1 data in both the first-line and third-line settings, Kennedy explains. The goal of this treatment method is to protect the normal liver while radiating tumors that may not be responding to chemotherapy. Additionally, it can treat multiple tumors in the liver at once and can also be administered in patients with lower performance scores.

The SIRFLOX study was the first trial to demonstrate that moderate chemotherapy with Y-90 simultaneously was safe and efficacious in the first-line setting. However, the primary endpoint, which was progression-free survival, was not met, he adds. This is likely because the trial included patients with disease outside of the liver.

Results did show that disease were well controlled with statistically higher control rates than those on the chemotherapy-alone arm.

Dr. Kennedy on Importance of SIRFLOX Study in Liver-Metastatic CRC

Andrew Kennedy, MD, physician-in-chief, Radiation Oncology, Sarah Cannon, director, Radiation Oncology Research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the utilization of radioactive microspheres.

Kennedy says the radioactive microspheres can only be used to treat tumors in the liver that cannot be removed by surgery. If the patient’s tumor is not responding or even partially responding to chemotherapy, they should be considered for radioactive microsphere treatment.

Surgery is the only curative approach for tumors in the liver, Kennedy says. If the tumors cannot be removed, using radioactive microspheres usually dramatically controls the tumors in the liver for months to years, but can sometimes kill the tumor completely.

Kennedy says this allows patients to still receive chemotherapy while getting better control of the tumors in the liver.

Andrew Kennedy, MD

Articles

Dr. Kennedy on Next Steps With SIRFLOX Trial in Liver-Metastatic CRC

Dr. Kennedy on Importance of SIRFLOX Study in Liver-Metastatic CRC

Dr. Kennedy on the Utilization of Radioactive Microspheres