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Squamous-cell carcinoma of the anus: progress in radiotherapy treatment

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology volume 13, pages 447–459 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Chemoradiotherapy is the standard-of-care treatment of squamous-cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA), and this has not changed in decades. Radiation doses of 50–60 Gy, as used in many phase III trials, result in substantial late morbidities and fail to control larger and node-positive tumours. Technological advances in radiation therapy are improving patient outcomes and quality of life, and should be applied to patients with SCCA. Modern techniques such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), rotational IMRT, image-guided radiotherapy using cone-beam CT, and stereotactic techniques have enabled smaller margins and highly conformal plans, resulting in decreased radiation doses to the organs at risk and ensuring a shorter overall treatment time. In this Perspectives article, the use of novel approaches to target delineation, optimized radiotherapy techniques, adaptive radiotherapy, dose-escalation with external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or brachytherapy, and the potential for modified fractionation are discussed in the context of SCCA.

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  1. Robert Hughes and Peter Hoskin are at the Department of Clinical Oncology, Rob Glynne-Jones, Mount Vernon Centre for Cancer Treatment, Mount Vernon Hospital, Rickmansworth road, Northwood, Middlesex HA6 2RN, UK.,

    Rob Glynne-Jones, Robert Hughes & Peter Hoskin

  2. David Tan is at the National Cancer Centre, 11 Hospital Drive, Singapore 169610, Singapore.,

    David Tan

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Glynne-Jones, R., Tan, D., Hughes, R. et al. Squamous-cell carcinoma of the anus: progress in radiotherapy treatment. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 13, 447–459 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2015.218

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