Stronger radiotherapy for prostate cancer lasts only five days

Intensified radiation significantly shortens treatment time

Prostate cancer is a dangerous disease that often leads to the death of the person. Researchers now found that men with prostate cancer can benefit from radical radiation therapy, which lasts only five days instead of the usual 37 days.

Researchers at the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research in London found in their recent research that radical radiation therapy could help men with prostate cancer effectively and quickly fight the disease. The advantage of this treatment is that it lasts only five days instead of the usual 37 days.

Treatment of prostate cancer with only five sessions?

When men with prostate cancer get treatment, they still have to spend nearly two months in a hospital every week from Monday to Friday, say the experts. However, physicians are currently conducting a large-scale study to complete a full therapy in just five daily sessions.

Study includes 1,800 participants

Such a therapy could save healthcare millions, and it is simply much more comfortable for the affected men, say the authors. The experts assume that such a treatment can also reduce the side effects. The new study comprises a total of 1,800 patients. Participants received either surgery or radiotherapy, which lasted for five, twenty or thirty-seven days.

NHS England is currently advising on a 20-day treatment

NHS England advised in November that a 20-day treatment should be used as the standard procedure. The current study will now determine whether the five-day course is as effective in controlling prostate cancer as the other treatment options. The participating men are medically monitored for this purpose for a period of five years.

How many cases of prostate cancer are there in Germany every year?

Every year more than 50,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in Germany. According to the Cancer Information Service of the German Cancer Research Center, there were 57,400 new cases in 2014. In the same year, 13,700 deaths were reported among those affected.

It is important to start treatment early

Cancer therapy for prostate cancer is particularly effective when it occurs at an early stage of the disease. In such a case, the treatment is able to permanently eliminate about 60 percent of the tumors. However, such treatment can lead to long-term side effects such as impotence, bowel problems, and even bladder cancer, explain the physicians.

Irradiation is more accurate and stronger

The study involves increasing the radiation power during treatment to more than double the original dose, the researchers report. By using MRI scanning, radiologists can also focus increased levels of radiation on the nucleus of the cancer instead of simply irradiating the entire prostate.

Results are very pleasing

If the effectiveness of the treatment can be maintained, it also makes it more comfortable for the person affected and leads to fewer side effects, which is really very pleasing, so the conclusion of Professor David Dearnaley of the Institute of Cancer Research. (As)