5 sessions of radiotherapy effective against prostate cancer: Study
Chennai: The usual 37 sessions of radiotherapy procedure for treating prostate cancer can be equally effective if only five sessions are undertaken, as found in a new clinical trial at Queen's University. The research published in the British Journal of Radiology reveals that survival rate of people with prostate cancer will improve if the new form of radiotherapy comes into practice.
Prostate cancer affects more than 40 lakh men annually worldwide and various reports reveal an increase in its prevalence in the coming years. The common treatment options for cancer include radiation, hormone therapy and chemotherapy, which consist of various sessions of these procedures.
Radiotherapy usually involves 37 sessions but the new trial could reduce that number down to just five after examining the effects of stereo-tactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) that has several beams of radiation at once. The beams collectively intersect at the cancerous cells that form the tumor providing high doses of radiation, while surrounding healthy tissues receive a very low dose of radiation.
The radiation therapy for prostate cancer can cause various urinary problems, bowel problems and even impotency in several cases. In the new trial, SpaceOAR helped to create sufficient distance between the prostate tumor and other tissue, to allow concentration on the radiotherapy dosage provided to the tumor and thus, prevents damage to other cells.
The trial tested the tolerability and toxicity of the spacer in six people living with prostate cancer and various investigations revealed that hydrogel spacer in prostate SABR treatments proved much efficient in less number of sessions.
