New studies explore genetic testing, personalised radiation treatment and strategies for reducing cancer-treatment side effects across prostate and head and neck cancers. Researchers and physicians from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center are presenting new research and clinical trial findings at the 2026 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, highlighting efforts to make cancer treatment more personalised while improving outcomes and reducing treatment-related complications.
The research covers several areas of radiation oncology, including prostate, bile duct and head and neck cancers, as well as advances in targeted radiation and radioligand therapy.
One of the major themes emerging from the research is the potential use of a patient’s genetic information to help doctors determine how they are likely to respond to radiation treatment.
Genetic testing could help personalise prostate cancer treatment
One UCLA study focuses on men with prostate cancer receiving stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), a treatment that delivers highly focused radiation over a relatively short course.
The research, led by Dr. Amar Kishan and Dr. Joanne Weidhaas, examines a genetic test known as PROSTOX, which looks at inherited genetic differences that may influence a patient’s risk of developing long-term urinary side effects following radiation treatment.
According to the researchers, a prospective clinical trial found that using PROSTOX to guide treatment reduced the risk of moderate-to-severe urinary complications.
One way the approach was used was to identify patients considered to be at higher risk and direct them towards a longer radiation treatment schedule rather than SBRT.
The researchers also examined data from four clinical trials involving 457 men.
They reported that patients classified as high risk by PROSTOX were approximately 36 times more likely to develop late urinary side effects than patients classified as low risk.
The findings suggest that genetic information could eventually become another factor doctors consider when selecting radiation treatment strategies and counselling patients about potential long-term complications.
Kishan is scheduled to present the findings on September 29.
Genetic markers studied in head and neck cancer
Another UCLA study is examining whether inherited genetic differences could help predict treatment complications and survival among people with head and neck cancer.
The research, led by Weidhaas, analysed genetic and clinical information from 171 patients who received radiation and the chemotherapy drug cisplatin as part of a large clinical trial.
The researchers reported that models combining genetic markers with conventional clinical information performed better at predicting both short- and long-term treatment side effects than clinical information alone.
The models also identified differences in survival risk.
According to the study, patients predicted to have a higher risk of death had a median survival of 2.25 years, compared with 4.46 years among those classified as lower risk by the researchers’ model.
The findings do not mean genetic testing can currently determine an individual patient’s outcome with certainty. Rather, the research is investigating whether genetic and clinical information can eventually help physicians identify patients who may require closer monitoring or potentially different treatment strategies.
Weidhaas is scheduled to present the findings on September 30.
Wider research programme focuses on precision cancer treatment
The UCLA team is presenting additional research involving prostate, bile duct and head and neck cancers.
The studies reflect a broader movement in radiation oncology towards combining advances in imaging, genetics, radiation technology and targeted therapies.
Rather than applying identical treatment approaches to every patient with the same type of cancer, researchers are increasingly investigating ways to account for biological differences between patients.
This could include using genetic information to estimate the likelihood of treatment-related complications, targeting radiation more precisely, or combining radiation with other therapies to improve cancer control.
Dr. Michael Steinberg, professor and chair of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of Clinical Affairs at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, said the research reflects the rapid development of radiation oncology and the department’s work on personalised treatment approaches and new combinations of radiation with other therapies.
UCLA physicians also recognised by ASTRO
The 2026 ASTRO meeting is also recognising several UCLA researchers for their contributions to radiation oncology.
Dr. Daniel Low, professor and vice chair of medical physics research and innovation in UCLA’s Department of Radiation Oncology, is receiving the 2026 ASTRO Gold Medal, the organisation’s highest honour.
Low is being recognised for contributions to radiation oncology through research and professional service. He is scheduled to receive the award during the ASTRO Awards Ceremony on September 29.
Dr. Luca Valle, an associate professor of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has also been selected for the 2026 ASTRO-PCF Young Investigator Award, presented by ASTRO and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jie Deng, assistant professor-in-residence of radiation oncology, has received an American Cancer Society Clinician Scientist Development Grant, co-sponsored by ASTRO and designated in honour of Felix Feng, a specialist in translational genomics and preclinical therapeutics for prostate cancer.
The next phase of cancer treatment
The UCLA research illustrates how cancer treatment is increasingly being studied through the intersection of technology and biology.
Genetic testing could potentially help identify patients who face a greater risk of treatment complications, while advances in radiation delivery and targeted therapies could allow treatment to become increasingly specific.
However, these findings remain part of an evolving research landscape. Genetic prediction models and new treatment approaches require further validation before they can become routine standards of care.
For patients, the long-term goal is more precise treatment: identifying the therapies most likely to control a particular cancer while reducing unnecessary exposure to treatment-related risks.
The latest research being presented at ASTRO provides another indication of how researchers are pursuing that goal through a combination of genetics, technology and clinical research.
