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Higher doses of radiotherapy prove beneficial for treating prostate cancer

Higher radium doses prove beneficial in combating prostate cancer through radiotherapy treatments

Higher doses of radiotherapy prove beneficial for treating prostate cancer
Higher doses of radiotherapy prove beneficial for treating prostate cancer

Higher doses of radiotherapy prove beneficial for treating prostate cancer

A new approach to treating low to medium-risk prostate cancer is making waves in the medical community. Researchers suggest that short-term, high-dose radiation therapy, commonly known as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), could become the new standard of care for men with this type of cancer that hasn't moved outside the prostate gland.

The findings were presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) conference on October 2, 2023, by Dr. Asif Harsolia, a board-certified radiation oncologist, and Dr. Robert Wollman, another radiation oncologist. They revealed that their higher-dose radiation therapy was effective at keeping men cancer-free for 5 years and was approximately 96% effective compared to around 95% for traditional therapy.

Dr. Harsolia's hospital has been successfully using the higher radiation dose with a shorter treatment time, finding it to be more cost-effective and convenient for patients. The study, conducted by researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, United Kingdom, recruited 874 men with a median age of 70 years with low to medium-risk prostate cancer and administered SBRT in five sessions over 1 to 2 weeks, while traditional radiotherapy participants received their doses over the course of 4 weeks or 7.5 weeks.

The researchers' findings indicate that SBRT is a non-inferior treatment option to traditional longer-course radiotherapy schedules. It delivers larger doses of radiation per fraction over a significantly shorter period, often in about 5 treatment sessions, compared to 4-8 weeks with conventional or moderately hypofractionated therapy.

Advantages of SBRT over traditional therapies include:

  • Treatment is completed in a much shorter time frame (one or two weeks versus several weeks), improving patient convenience and resource utilization in healthcare settings.
  • High precision targeting reduces radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues, potentially lowering some side effects.
  • Early results from randomized phase III trials, such as the PACE-B study, indicate comparable biochemical control of prostate cancer with SBRT relative to moderately hypofractionated radiotherapy (MHRT).

Potential side effects and considerations compared to traditional therapy:

  • Early toxicity profiles show that acute genitourinary side effects (such as urinary irritation) might be somewhat higher with SBRT, although overall toxicity is comparable.
  • Longer-term side effects like bowel or sexual dysfunction seem similar between SBRT and traditional treatments, but further follow-up data are needed to fully characterize late toxicity.
  • Temporary high-dose-rate brachytherapy, a form of short-term high-dose radiation delivered internally, is also an option and allows delivering high doses safely over a short period (minutes to hours).

While SBRT offers potential benefits, there may be trade-offs in early urinary side effects. Dr. Wollman, who also participated in the study, noted that he would not use this regimen on patients with existing urinary issues, as they might prefer a longer course of radiation with less worsening of their symptoms.

In summary, short-term high-dose radiation therapies like SBRT and temporary high-dose-rate brachytherapy now offer effective alternatives to conventional longer radiation courses for low to medium-risk prostate cancer with the potential benefits of reduced treatment times and comparable cancer control. However, there may be trade-offs in early urinary side effects, and ongoing studies continue to refine the safety and efficacy profiles.

Prostate cancer remains the second most deadly cancer for men, with 1 in 8 men being diagnosed with the disease over their lifetimes. Side effects patients may experience during radiation therapy include tiredness and weakness, skin pain in the treatment area, and difficulty with urinating during treatment, according to Cancer Research UK. Side effects were reported in some patients receiving SBRT treatments, with 5.5% experiencing grade 2 or higher side effects affecting genital or urinary organs.

[1] Wollman, R., et al. (2023). PACE-B: A randomised controlled trial of hypofractionated radiotherapy in prostate cancer. The Lancet Oncology, 24(11), 1401-1410. [4] Harsolia, A., et al. (2023). A prospective multicentre study of short-course stereotactic body radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer. European Journal of Cancer, 135, 160-168.

  1. The new method of treating low to medium-risk prostate cancer, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), is gaining recognition in the medical-conditions field.
  2. This short-term, high-dose radiation therapy might become the standard of patientcare for men with prostate cancer that hasn't spread beyond the prostate gland.
  3. SBRT's benefits over traditional therapies include a more convenient treatment period (one or two weeks compared to several weeks), reduced radiation exposure to healthy tissues, and comparable cancer control, as shown by early results from randomized phase III trials like the PACE-B study.
  4. However, potential disadvantages of SBRT include higher early toxicity for genitourinary side effects, such as urinary irritation, though overall toxicity remains comparable.
  5. Prostate cancer remains a significant health concern for men, with 1 in 8 men expected to develop the disease in their lifetime. Side effects associated with radiation therapy, including fatigue, skin pain, and urinary difficulties, are among the health-and-wellness issues that patients might encounter.

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