Varian Medical (NYSE:VAR) joined forces with the National Cancer Institute to support a Phase III clinical trial comparing radiosurgery with surgical resection in treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
The trial will compare non-invasive radiosurgical treatment with surgery in early-stage, high-risk, operable patients, according to a press release.
"To date, there have not been any prospective, randomized trials to compare the efficacy and toxicity of surgery to radiosurgery for high-risk operable early-stage lung cancer patients," Varian oncology systems president Kolleen Kennedy said in prepared remarks. "We anticipate that this trial could yield very useful information for making treatment decisions about these types of cases."
The study will enroll 420 patients over a 5-year period to compare overall, disease-free, and regional recurrence-free survival rates 3 years after treatment, as well as adverse event rates and post-treatment quality of life.
The study, which i sponsored by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, is overseen by "the Alliance," an NCI research cooperative formed last year from the merger of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, Cancer & Leukemia Group B, and the North Central Cancer Treatment Group.
As of June there were 45 cancer treatment centers credentialed to participate in the study, according to the press release.
Rival radiosurgical devices maker Accuray (NSDQ:ARAY) recently launched its own trial pitting its CyberKnife radiosurgery device against competing therapies, including Intuitive Surgical’s (NSDQ:ISRG) da Vinci surgical robot.
