Todd Scarbrough, Radiation Oncologist at Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center, posted the following on X/Twitter:
“RTOG 0022 Final Report. At 12 years, 9 of 10 radonc head/neck patients had no local recurrence. But only 6 of 10 patients alive! Which proves that the only EBM-based, literature-verified, 100% proven RT cure is to die before there is a local recurrence.
As far as I can tell, and as far as I know, since Kaplan-Meier curves started being used to measure local control in radonc since the 1960s, not a single person who was ever censored (from death) in a KM analysis ever had a local recurrence. Radiotherapy’s record is unblemished.
One other thing… RTOG 0022 trialists defined success as a <35% LRF rate at 2y There was a 10% 2y LRF Which reminds us that in this field of oncology, be prepared to have your preconceived notions challenged on a routine and annoying basis.
JUST ONE MORE THING… In a local control analysis using Kaplan Meier actuarial analysis, all these things are mathematically and statistically equivalent, by historical and widespread convention:
*No recurrence
*Loss to follow up
*Death”
Read more here.
Source: Todd Scarbrough/X