Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HFSRT) versus single fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to the resection cavity of brain metastases after surgical resection (SATURNUS): study protocol for a randomized phase III trial

TY - JOUR

T1 - Hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HFSRT) versus single fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) to the resection cavity of brain metastases after surgical resection (SATURNUS): study protocol for a randomized phase III trial

AU - Waltenberger, Maria

AU - Bernhardt, Denise

AU - Diehl, Christian

AU - Gempt, Jens

AU - Meyer, Bernhard

AU - Straube, Christoph

AU - Wiestler, Benedikt

AU - Wilkens, Jan J

AU - Zimmer, Claus

AU - Combs, Stephanie E

N1 - © 2023. The Author(s).

PY - 2023/7/29

Y1 - 2023/7/29

N2 - BACKGROUND: The brain is a common site for cancer metastases. In case of large and/or symptomatic brain metastases, neurosurgical resection is performed. Adjuvant radiotherapy is a standard procedure to minimize the risk of local recurrence and is increasingly performed as local stereotactic radiotherapy to the resection cavity. Both hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HFSRT) and single fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can be applied in this case. Although adjuvant stereotactic radiotherapy to the resection cavity is widely used in clinical routine and recommended in international guidelines, the optimal fractionation scheme still remains unclear. The SATURNUS trial prospectively compares adjuvant HFSRT with SRS and seeks to detect the superiority of HFSRT over SRS in terms of local tumor control.METHODS: In this single center two-armed randomized phase III trial, adjuvant radiotherapy to the resection cavity of brain metastases with HFSRT (6 - 7 × 5 Gy prescribed to the surrounding isodose) is compared to SRS (1 × 12-20 Gy prescribed to the surrounding isodose). Patients are randomized 1:1 into the two different treatment arms. The primary endpoint of the trial is local control at the resected site at 12 months. The trial is based on the hypothesis that HFSRT is superior to SRS in terms of local tumor control.DISCUSSION: Although adjuvant stereotactic radiotherapy after resection of brain metastases is considered standard of care treatment, there is a need for further prospective research to determine the optimal fractionation scheme. To the best of our knowledge, the SATURNUS study is the only randomized phase III study comparing different regimes of postoperative stereotactic radiotherapy to the resection cavity adequately powered to detect the superiority of HFSRT regarding local control.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT05160818, on December 16, 2021. The trial registry record is available on https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05160818 . The presented protocol refers to version V1.3 from March 21, 2021.

AB - BACKGROUND: The brain is a common site for cancer metastases. In case of large and/or symptomatic brain metastases, neurosurgical resection is performed. Adjuvant radiotherapy is a standard procedure to minimize the risk of local recurrence and is increasingly performed as local stereotactic radiotherapy to the resection cavity. Both hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (HFSRT) and single fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can be applied in this case. Although adjuvant stereotactic radiotherapy to the resection cavity is widely used in clinical routine and recommended in international guidelines, the optimal fractionation scheme still remains unclear. The SATURNUS trial prospectively compares adjuvant HFSRT with SRS and seeks to detect the superiority of HFSRT over SRS in terms of local tumor control.METHODS: In this single center two-armed randomized phase III trial, adjuvant radiotherapy to the resection cavity of brain metastases with HFSRT (6 - 7 × 5 Gy prescribed to the surrounding isodose) is compared to SRS (1 × 12-20 Gy prescribed to the surrounding isodose). Patients are randomized 1:1 into the two different treatment arms. The primary endpoint of the trial is local control at the resected site at 12 months. The trial is based on the hypothesis that HFSRT is superior to SRS in terms of local tumor control.DISCUSSION: Although adjuvant stereotactic radiotherapy after resection of brain metastases is considered standard of care treatment, there is a need for further prospective research to determine the optimal fractionation scheme. To the best of our knowledge, the SATURNUS study is the only randomized phase III study comparing different regimes of postoperative stereotactic radiotherapy to the resection cavity adequately powered to detect the superiority of HFSRT regarding local control.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT05160818, on December 16, 2021. The trial registry record is available on https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05160818 . The presented protocol refers to version V1.3 from March 21, 2021.

KW - Humans

KW - Radiosurgery

KW - Brain Neoplasms/radiotherapy

KW - Radiation Dose Hypofractionation

KW - Brain

KW - Dose Fractionation, Radiation

KW - Adjuvants, Immunologic

KW - Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

KW - Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic

U2 - 10.1186/s12885-023-11202-9

DO - 10.1186/s12885-023-11202-9

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 37516835

VL - 23

SP - 709

JO - BMC CANCER

JF - BMC CANCER

SN - 1471-2407

IS - 1

ER -