ESTRO 2021 | Two-year follow data from the OPERA trial

Jean-Pierre Gerard, MD, Centre Antoine Lacassagne, Nice, France, summarizes the results of the Phase III OPERA trial (NCT02505750), which investigated whether contact X-ray brachytherapy (CXB) in addition to chemoradiotherapy is more effective than external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in organ preservation for rectal cancer. 144 patients were recruited and given chemoradiotherapy followed by CXB or EBRT, with the primary endpoint being organ preservation at three years. At two-year follow-up, data are still blinded and organ preservation is a particularly promising approach for patients with a tumor smaller than 3 cm. This interview took place at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) 2021.