Patients with oligometastatic non‑small cell lung cancer lived significantly longer without disease progression when radiotherapy was added to standard systemic therapy, according to new phase 2 data presented at the ESMO Congress 2026. The SARON trial, funded by Cancer Research UK and sponsored by UCL, found progression‑free survival increased from 8.9 to 13.9 months – a 56% improvement.
Dr Fiona McDonald, Consultant Thoracic Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Leader of the Thoracic Radiotherapy Group at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, who is Chief Investigator of the SARON trial, said: “Until now, there has been limited randomised evidence about the benefits of adding radiotherapy to the standard of care systemic treatment for patients with oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The SARON trial has provided important data in this context, demonstrating a significant improvement in progression-free survival without compromising quality of life.
The trial enrolled 140 patients across 19 UK centres, all with between one and five metastases in three or fewer organs. Participants were randomised to receive either standard systemic therapy alone or systemic therapy plus local consolidation radiotherapy delivered to all known disease sites. High‑dose radiotherapy included stereotactic ablative radiotherapy where appropriate.
After a median follow‑up of 37.4 months, only 13% of patients receiving radiotherapy experienced progression at initial disease sites within 12 months, compared with 39.5% in the standard‑treatment arm. Overall survival was similar between groups, at 31 months versus 28 months respectively, and radiotherapy was well tolerated without significant impact on quality of life.
Julie Moran, a 69‑year‑old former Senior Cardiac Technician from Buckinghamshire, was diagnosed with oligometastatic lung cancer after long COVID symptoms led to further investigation. She said: “In a way, COVID saved my life. Without it, my symptoms might have gone under the radar.
“It’s strange to be diagnosed with lung cancer after working in heart and lung care for so long, because you can really see it from the patient’s perspective. Even after seeing so many ECG scans throughout my career, when I saw my own one, it was off the scale.”
