HICCC at ASTRO 2025: Research Roundup

October 28, 2025

Researchers from Columbia’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) shared new findings at the 67th American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, held September 27–October 1, 2025, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. As the leading conference for radiation oncology research, this year’s meeting, titled “Rediscovering Radiation Medicine and Exploring New Indications,” spotlighted innovations that broaden how and where radiation is used to improve patient care. Below are selected highlights from our HICCC presenters.

Please note: for this roundup, only Columbia researchers and trainees are listed. Please visit the external link for the full listing of authors.

New Research Featured at ASTRO

Lisa Kachnic, MD, FASTRO

Is Patient-Reported Baseline Fatigue Associated with Overall Survival in Pancreatic Cancer?

Lisa Kachnic, MD, FASTRO, presented new findings from the NRG/RTOG 0848 clinical trial demonstrating that patient-reported fatigue levels before treatment did not predict overall survival in patients with resected pancreatic cancer. The study analyzed fatigue assessments from more than 400 participants and found no significant association between baseline fatigue and survival outcomes. Patients who reported higher fatigue were more often women and had slightly lower performance status—a measure of how well patients can carry out daily activities—but these factors did not affect overall survival. The findings suggest that, for patients treated with chemotherapy with or without chemoradiation after surgery for pancreas adenocarcinoma, patient-reported fatigue at diagnosis may not be a reliable indicator of long-term outcomes.

CT-Guided Online Adaptive Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Pancreas Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Early Outcomes and Toxicity Data

Albert Lee, MD, shared early results from a retrospective analysis evaluating CT-guided online adaptive stereotactic body radiotherapy (OART) for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) using the Ethos™ platform (Varian Medical Systems). This technology leverages artificial intelligence to enable clinicians to adjust treatment plans daily based on anatomical changes, delivering higher, more precise radiation doses while protecting nearby organs such as the stomach and bowel. The study builds on prior findings showing that daily CT-guided OART improves tumor coverage and reduces exposure to organs at risk.

Among 40 patients treated between 2022 and 2024, a majority had locally advanced disease, while others had recurrent or stable oligometastatic cancer. Treatment was well tolerated, with few severe side effects directly linked to OART. One-year local tumor control was 77.9%, and overall survival reached 90.1%. These findings suggest that CT-based OART can safely deliver high, effective doses with minimal toxicity, supporting further investigation in larger prospective studies.