Men with advanced prostate cancer who have had their disease spread to one or two other parts of the body could benefit from a less aggressive treatment than chemotherapy. Instead of using chemotherapy, researchers from The Royal Marsden hospitals in London are exploring the use of precision stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to target tumours with sub-millimetre precision. This approach allows clinicians to deliver radiation with pinpoint accuracy, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue and reducing side effects. A trial involving 81 men who received a combination of hormone therapy drugs and SBRT found that they were able to go an average of 6.4 months without their cancers growing. Furthermore, 40% of these patients had no evidence of cancer growth a year later. The promising results suggest that this combination treatment may delay the need for chemotherapy and improve patients’ quality of life.
The findings from the trial are significant because they challenge the assumption that patients with advanced prostate cancer are resistant to milder hormone therapy drugs once their disease has spread to other parts of the body. According to the researchers, it may be only some tumours that are resistant, and by using SBRT to target these tumours, the rest of the cancer may still respond to hormone drugs. This new approach could provide a less invasive and more effective alternative to chemotherapy for these patients. Head-to-head trials comparing the drug/SBRT combination to chemotherapy are now being planned to further evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment strategy. Dr. Alison Tree, the chief investigator of the study from The Institute of Cancer Research, noted that radiotherapy is well tolerated, and significant side effects are rare, making it a promising option for patients with advanced prostate cancer.
The study results were presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) annual congress in Glasgow. The researchers highlighted the potential benefits of using SBRT in combination with hormone therapy drugs to treat patients with advanced prostate cancer. By delivering targeted radiation to resistant tumours, this approach could help delay the progression of the disease and improve patient outcomes. The use of precision radiotherapy techniques like SBRT allows for more accurate targeting of tumours, reducing damage to healthy tissue and minimizing side effects. These findings suggest that this treatment strategy could offer a more tolerable and effective option for men with advanced prostate cancer.
Research into less aggressive treatment options for advanced prostate cancer is crucial for improving patient outcomes and quality of life. The combination of hormone therapy drugs and SBRT offers a potentially promising alternative to chemotherapy for patients whose disease has spread to other parts of the body. The results of the trial indicate that this approach can delay cancer progression and may even lead to long-term remission in some patients. By targeting resistant tumours with precision radiotherapy, clinicians can effectively manage the disease while minimizing side effects. Further research and head-to-head trials comparing this treatment strategy to chemotherapy will help determine its efficacy and establish it as a viable option for men with advanced prostate cancer.
