Miami Cancer Institute

Miami Cancer Institute Physician-Researchers Contribute to New Guidelines for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

November 27, 2024

MIAMI, FL – November 27, 2024 – Physician-researchers from Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, contributed to new international guidelines focused on radiation therapy target volumes and dosing strategies for pancreatic cancer. The guidelines were recently published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (Red Journal).

“These expert guidelines will provide critical guidance to the radiation oncology community for how to employ more effective target volumes and higher dosing strategies for patients with locally advanced pancreatic tumors, which currently are not routine at most institutions,” said Michael D. Chuong, M.D., vice chair and medical director in the department of radiation oncology at Miami Cancer Institute as well as co-author of the article. “We have published data showing that this novel approach decreases the probability of tumor recurrence after radiation therapy and may contribute to prolonging patient survival.  This was an intensely collaborative effort, and research published on this topic at Miami Cancer Institute where volume- and dose-escalated radiation therapy has been a standard of care since 2018 for locally advanced pancreatic cancer influenced the development of the guidelines. It speaks to the quality of the procedures and research conducted in our department and at our institute.”

Pancreatic cancers are notoriously difficult to treat as symptoms usually present when the cancer is in an advanced stage, and surgery may not be possible. Dose- and volume-escalated radiation therapy is increasingly being used to treat advanced pancreatic cancer, although the optimal technique has not been clearly defined. To facilitate standardization, an expert international panel including radiation oncologists, surgeons, and diagnostic radiologists was recruited. Participants independently contoured high and low risk clinical target volumes on three cases: a borderline resectable head tumor, a locally advanced head tumor, and a medically inoperable tail tumor. After group review and discussion, consensus guidelines were finalized.

“These guidelines reflect an evolution in how radiation therapy is delivered for pancreatic cancer,” said Chuong. “It is our hope that they will fill an unmet need by standardizing practice for both clinical trials and routine practice as more centers begin to offer dose- and volume-escalated radiation therapy for unresectable pancreatic cancers around the world.”

The project was led by researchers at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, with contributions from other centers across the U.S. and the Netherlands, including Miami Cancer Institute.

About Miami Cancer Institute

Miami Cancer Institute brings to South Florida access to personalized clinical treatments and comprehensive support services delivered with unparalleled compassion. No other cancer program in the region has the combination of cancer-fighting expertise and advanced technology—including the first proton therapy center in South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean, and one of the only radiation oncology programs in the world with each of the newest radiation therapies in one place—to diagnose and deliver precise cancer treatments that achieve the best outcomes and improve the lives of cancer patients. The Institute offers an impressive roster of established community oncologists and renowned experts, clinical researchers and genomic scientists recruited from the nation’s top cancer centers. Selected as Florida’s only member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer (MSK) Alliance, Miami Cancer Institute is part of a meaningful clinical collaboration that affords patients in South Florida access to innovative treatments and ensures that the standards of care developed by their multidisciplinary disease management teams match those at MSK. For more information, please visit https://baptisthealth.net/services/cancer-care/miami-cancer-institute.

Miami Cancer Institute is part of Baptist Health Cancer Care, the largest cancer program in South Florida, with locations from the Florida Keys to the Palm Beaches.

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