Recent days have seen considerable changes in the touche of prostate cancer treatment, and turning back weeks or months of radiotherapy is currently being replaced by short and more comfortable timings which appear to work the same way. A landmark study now argues that a short radiation course, given in just five sessions, is as effective as the longer-decision treatments which span for several weeks on the whole.
Ease and Efficacy: Moving to a Shorter Regimen of Radiotherapy
In the past, the patient with prostate cancer would plan for radiation therapy to bring them to the clinic every single day for several weeks. Future radiotherapy treatment technologies offer a potentially attractive alternative: delivering a high dose at much less time. This method, called hypofractionation, bears as much efficacy as the several weeks worth of radiation treatments but in return for lesser patient time.
One kind of fractionated therapy is referred to as stereotactic body radiation therapy, and it is notably gaining fav or as a treatment completed in as few as one week when compared to the usual month or more. The treatment finds the tumor-specific target so it can deliver high-dose radiation to be finished in just five sessions, ultimately being more convenient for the patient. It often splatters with different brand names such as the CyberKnife.
How SBRT Works
SBRT treatments are quick; often a session-specific session consists of 20 to 30 minutes at the most and is likened to getting an X-ray. In order to enhance precision, the medical professionals can insert small metal markers, called fiducials, into the prostate, to mark out accurately the cancerous growth, sparing the healthy prostate tissue. The patient lies still as the radiation delivery machine rotates around them administering the beams very carefully.
Study Shows SBRT Matches Conventional Radiation in Cancer Control
A large multi-year study compared SBRT with standard radiation requiring up to 7.5 weeks of therapy. The study ensnared 874 men aged 65-74 with localized, low- to intermediate-risk cancer. Half of the participants received SBRT in just five visits, while the other half received the standard radiation regimen.
The study found that after an average of six years, the cancer recurrence rates were nearly identical. Of the men in the SBRT group, 26 experienced a recurrence, while 36 in the conventional therapy group did. This means 95.8% of the SBRT group remained free of prostate cancer, compared to 94.6% in the longer-treatment group.
Considerations for Side Effects
While the shorter treatment course proved equally effective in controlling cancer, there were some differences in side effects in the early stages of the study. Two years into the trial, 12% of men in the SBRT group experienced genitourinary side effects (such as urinary pain, frequency, or incontinence), compared to 7% in the conventional radiation group.
However, these side effects seemed to decrease over time. By the five-year mark, the difference in side effects between the two groups had disappeared. Interestingly, men treated with the CyberKnife showed lower levels of significant toxicity compared to those treated with other SBRT platforms.
Doctors recommend that men with pre-existing urinary issues consider conventional radiation to avoid worsening their symptoms. Careful patient selection and counseling are key to ensuring the best treatment approach.
A Game-Changer for Prostate Cancer Treatment
Dr. Marc Garnick, a leading expert at Harvard Medical School, called the study “an important validation of what’s becoming a standard practice” in prostate cancer care. The shorter, five-day treatment schedule has been especially popular with patients who live far from treatment centers, as they can complete their sessions within a single week.
The study’s results are helping establish SBRT as a standard treatment option for many prostate cancer patients. However, as with any treatment, patient selection is crucial.Doctors must consider the health of each patient in tandem with his medical history so that they may minimize potential side effects.
Keeping pace with increasing demands for SBRT, the high standards for quality of care provided by doctors must ensure that radiation therapy is suitably delivered and safe. With this promising new approach, patients can expect excellent cancer control with fewer visits and less disruption to their daily lives.
