The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), based in Rockville, Maryland, has requested a technical brief of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) technology. This relatively new type of radiation is currently being used in the treatment of thoracic cancers, and the AHRQ is eager to know what make this emerging technology of significant medical interest.
The ECRI Institute’s Evidence-based Practice Center’s brief concluded that SBRT can be used to treat a variety of malignant tumors, including those produced by non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mesothelioma. However, it also concluded that “a full systematic review of the current literature cannot answer questions on the effectiveness and safety of SBRT compared to other radiotherapy interventions.”
Previous studies have found SBRT allow for very precise targeting of tumors that spares healthy tissue. In the case of asbestos cancer, the appearance of several tumors and uneven growth patterns makes radiation a risky yet often-undergone variety of treatment in combination with either surgery or chemotherapy.
Despite claims that SBRT is a step forward in radiation treatment, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is not convinced, as the solicited brief identified 124 relevant studies in which SBRT was used as a treatment for solid malignant tumors, but none of which bothered to compare the new technology to other forms of radiation. For this reason, the brief reports that “Comparative studies are needed to provide evidence that the theoretical advantages of SBRT over other radiation therapies actually occur in the clinical setting.”
