A new treatment approach for prostate cancer with higher radiotherapy doses over a shorter time works as well as current methods, but with fewer side effects according to a study. Cancer Research UK says the NHS needs to plan for the new approach that will also save it money.
The trial is reported in the journal Lancet Oncology and followed
more than 3,200 men who were treated for prostate cancer between 2002
and 2011 at more than 70 UK centers.
The current standard
radiotherapy schedule is 37 doses of 2 Gray (a measure of radiation) a
day. This was compared with two alternative approaches, 19 doses of 3
Gray per day, and 20 doses of 3 Gray per day.
Five years later, the 20-dose schedule was no less effective than the current system.
The good news for men having prostate cancer treatment was that fewer but higher doses of intensity-modulated radiotherapy meant half the rate of side-effects than older NHS methods.
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