Short Course Radiation in the Treatment of Localized XXXX : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

@entity5 @entity1 @entity137
This meta-analysis sets out to systematically assess the efficacy of short course radiation (SRT) for @entity5 @entity1 based on randomized, controlled trials. Eight randomized controlled trials involving 6894 @entity1 were ultimately included in this meta-analysis. Three trials (n   =   2574) compared SRT with surgery alone. Local recurrence was improved (HR   =   0.48, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.58). Overall survival was marginally improved with an HR of 0.90 (95% CI 0.81 to 1.00), but the magnitude of benefit was heterogeneous across trials. An additional three trials (n   =   3682) compared SRT with selective postoperative radiation    chemotherapy. A significant reduction of local recurrence (HR   =   0.44, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.56) was also found after SRT. However, no benefit in overall survival was observed. Moreover, two trials (n   =   638) compared SRT with long course chemoradiation. There was no statistically significant local recurrence or overall survival difference observed between the two strategies. @entity1 receiving SRT had lower grade 3 or 4 acute treatment related @entity137 (RR 0.11, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.22) whereas no difference in late @entity137 was observed. Overall, SRT is a reasonable alternative for resectable @entity5 @entity1 and should be part of an informed discussion of treatment options for this group of @entity1 .
