Pelvic Radiation Therapy clinical trials

Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of Systemic Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (MSC) Injections for the Treatment of Severe and Chronic Radiotherapy-induced Abdomino-pelvic Complications (Pelvic Radiation Disease, PRD) Refractory to Standard Therapy

Patients receiving radiation therapy are still at risk for side effects due to off-target radiation damage of normal tissues The number of cancer patients is expected to increase from 14.1 million around the world in 2012 to 19.3 million in 2025. Up to ten percent will develop late severe gastrointestinal complications (i.e. Pelvic Radiation Disease - PRD). Symptoms are proctopathy (5-20%) and radiation-induced cystitis (3,5%) that affect quality of life. The treatment of PRD is limited to managing the symptoms; new alternatives should be proposed. Clinical trials using MSCs to treat hemorrhagic cystitis, proctopathy have demonstrated the feasibility to used MSCs in these pathologies : - MSCs successfully repair hemorrhagic cystitis, and perforated colon in patients with hemorrhagic cystitis, perforated colon and peritonitis. - Six clinical trials are currently ongoing for proctopathy, 3 are phase III. Results suggest an inhibition of chronic inflammation and fistulization and interruption of hemorrhagic syndromes. - Clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of MSCs to treat hemorrhagic cystitis is in progress. - A decrease in pain after the injection of MSCs was observed in patients treated by radiotherapy for breast cancer, radiation burns, and radiotherapy over-dosage. - Four patients, were treated with MSCs after receiving overdose pelvic irradiation for prostate cancer. A decrease in pain (EN score), bleeding and diarrhea was observed. MSCs will represent a promising alternative strategy in the treatment of severe enteritis, rectitis and cystitis after radiotherapy, and may avoid surgical treatment and may diminish the adverse effect of PRD in terms of chronicity, morbidity, mortality and health costs.