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Prostate Cancer Radiation Doses Cut Safely!
Prostate Cancer Radiation Doses Cut Safely, according to the study discussed below. This matters to PCa patients considering radiation treatment of their cancer because radiotherapy can cause awful side effects.
I underwent radiation to my pelvic region for my incurable blood cancer called multiple myeloma. While the radiation did a great job zapping my lesion, it caused a long-term side effect called radiation-induced lumbo-sacral plexopathy– nerve damage that has weakened my lower body muscles.
My point is that radiotherapy can be very effective, but it can cause serious side effects. If you have medium-risk PCa, please talk to your radiation oncologist about the study discussed below.
The video linked here is both current and remarkably detailed. I recommend watching it and discussing it with your radiation oncologist.
Radiation Therapy Side Effects for Prostate Cancer: What Actually Happens
One more therapy has been shown to prepare you for radiation therapy. Consider Prehabilitation before undergoing radiation therapy.
Have you been diagnosed with PCa? Scroll down the page, post a question or comment if you’d like to learn more about diet and exercise.
Good luck,
David Emerson
- Cancer Survivor
- Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Prostate cancer trial: Radiotherapy doses can be cut safely
Men undergoing treatment for prostate cancer could be safely given far less radiotherapy, a major trial has found.
Doses can be cut by three-quarters, meaning five higher doses is enough, instead of the 20 or so given now.The international trial involved nearly 900 men with medium-risk prostate cancer that had not spread.
Lead researcher Prof Nicholas van As from the Royal Marsden Hospital said the results were “outstanding” and “fantastic” for patients…
The study found that after five years, 96% of the men who received five doses of the multi-beam radiotherapy were cancer-free, compared to 95% who received at least 20 doses of standard radiotherapy.
Side effects, such as needing to pass urine more often, were low in both groups.
The top-line results of the PACE-B trial will be released at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology (Astro) conference in San Diego.
Prof van As said he expected the results to lead to “enormous change” in the way radiotherapy was delivered…
Doses saved
Prof van As said he expected that the NHS would “rapidly adopt” the lower-dose treatment. “Across the whole NHS that’s hundreds of thousands of doses of radiotherapy that are going to be saved,” he said. “And in a system which is quite under pressure, that’s going to be very welcome.”
Prof van As says an estimated 8,000 men a year might meet the criteria of having intermediate risk prostate cancer which had not spread. They could therefore benefit from the change by having all their treatment in a week rather than spread over at least a month.
In the UK, 20 doses of radiotherapy are the standard treatment, but in other countries like the US they use up to 40 doses.
Another key element of the trial was that none of the 874 men were given any hormone therapy to block testosterone, a driver of prostate cancer.
Hormone therapy has multiple side effects including severe tiredness, hot flushes and low libido.
Simon Grieveson, assistant director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “It’s fantastic to see that this new type of multi-beam therapy appears to be just as effective as traditional radiotherapy, and could help men get treated more quickly, and with far fewer visits to the hospital.”
Mr Kennedy-Rose encouraged other men to get checked out. “It’s vital that men over 50 have a routine PSA test, or, if their doctor deems it necessary, an MRI scan,” he said. “Then, if cancer is found early they can have easy treatment with the fewest side effects, which I fortunately have benefited from.”
Prostate Cancer Radiation Doses Cut Safely Prostate Cancer Radiation Doses Cut Safely