Prostate cancer cells – Science Photo Library R/Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library RRF
Scientists believe that prostate cancer could be treated in one week by men using higher doses of precision radiotherapy.
To determine if it is safe and feasible to speed up treatment, a trial will be held at the London Royal Marsden Hospital.
Men who have prostate cancer currently receive 20 sessions in a single month.
Scientists want to reduce the number of high-dose treatments to two, which could be done in a matter of weeks.
This trial is the first to evaluate the long-term results of this type of concentrated therapy compared with standard treatment.
If caught early, there are good odds of catching the disease.
Each year, around 48,500 men get diagnosed with prostate cancer. Radiotherapy can save up to 80 percent of these patients.
According to Dr Alison Tree, a consultant oncologist at The Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), men might be able "to come in, get cured and continue with their normal lives, and forget about their cancer."
The same team published last month the results of a trial that showed that five sessions could be safely reduced with minimal side effects.
PACE-B found that nearly 90% of patients who had received treatment experienced minor side effects within two years. 99 percent did not experience any severe side effects. This suggests that shorter treatment is possible without causing long-term toxic effects.
Chief Investigator Dr Nicholas van As is a consultant clinical oncologist and medical director at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. He said: We are committed to developing better, more compassionate treatments for patients in the UK and abroad.
Patients may be able to return to their daily lives quicker by not needing to go to the hospital as often.
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Radiation therapy has improved in precision over the past few years and specialists have been able reduce the number of sessions. This means that there is less chance of tissue damage, which allows for higher doses.
Scientists believe that higher doses of chemotherapy may be more effective in fighting cancer. Experts believe that large doses of chemotherapy can be more effective in halting the disease than lower doses.
Dr Tree said: "When I began training 15 years ago, we did very basic radiotherapy. You'd treat large, square areas of your body."
We can be so precise, that we miss much of the healthy tissue.
However, charities cautioned that while a shorter treatment time may seem appealing, more precise equipment is only available at a few clinics so men might need to travel far.
One in six men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. The condition is more common among older men, especially those between 75-79.
It's also more common in overweight people and those who have a family history.
The NHS will save money by reducing the number of treatment required. This will allow for more appointments. The NHS currently has a large backlog of treatments that were not performed during the peak of the Covid pandemic.
