Miami Cancer Institute Study Shows High-Dose MR-Guided Radiation Therapy Safe and Effective for the Treatment of Various Cancers
MIAMI, FL – May 2, 2025 – A study led by physician-researchers at Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, showed that high-dose magnetic resonance (MR)-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) delivered in just one session can safely eradicate tumors in the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. The phase 2 SMART ONE trial demonstrated that this targeted therapeutic approach achieved nearly 100 percent local tumor control. The study was published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (Red Journal).
“This study is the first in the world to demonstrate that single-fraction MR-guided SBRT is highly effective, safe, and substantially more convenient alternative to other forms of radiation therapy that frequently are delivered over multiple days or weeks,” said Michael D. Chuong, M.D., vice chair and medical director in the department of radiation oncology at Miami Cancer Institute as well as principal investigator for the trial. “In addition, this novel treatment is performed without anesthesia, is completely noninvasive, and allows patients to immediately return to their normal daily activities. No patients experienced significant toxicity that was definitely related to radiation therapy and were able to maintain excellent quality of life throughout treatment.”
SBRT delivers millimeter-precise high-dose radiation that can eradicate tumors in different parts of the body. It is normally delivered over multiple daily sessions, typically for one week, to decrease the risk of side effects in contrast to SBRT delivered in this clinical trial that was completed in typically under just one hour. The SMART ONE trial enrolled 30 patients with primary or metastatic tumors in the lungs, liver, pancreas, abdominal or pelvic lymph nodes, and adrenal glands. Patients were treated on an advanced radiation delivery system that utilizes MR imaging prior to and continuously during treatment to ensure targeting accuracy, which is not available on other state-of-the-art systems. Miami Cancer Institute was one of the first centers in the world to treat with this delivery system beginning in early 2018.
"The SMART ONE trial establishes a foundation to develop future clinical trials that incorporate this convenient, safe, and highly effective treatment. The ability to eradicate tumors in just one session increases the feasibility of treating multiple tumors in a much shorter duration than conventional radiation treatment regimens, and can be highly cost-effective. By demonstrating the effectiveness of single-fraction MR-guided radiation therapy, we are opening the door to faster, more precise treatments that can improve the lives of cancer patients. This innovative approach has the potential to streamline care, reduce treatment burden, and ultimately enhance outcomes for those faced with cancer,” said Chuong.
The study enrolled patients at the Miami Cancer Institute and the University of Wisconsin.
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://cancer.baptisthealth.net/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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