Reducing the duration of radiotherapy by around forty days, while delivering higher doses, is as effective as conventional radiotherapy in the treatment of prostate cancer.
- Radiotherapy reduced from 6 weeks to 5 days with higher doses gives comparable results
- This method improves the quality of life of patients
Going from forty-five to five days of radiotherapy, by delivering larger doses, makes it possible to obtain the same results in the treatment of prostate cancer. A team from the University of California – Los Angeles proves it in a study. With this technique, the four-year cure rate for patients with aggressive forms was 82%, with rare side effects. Previous studies had already proven the value of this method in patients with mild prostate cancer.
A high precision technique
344 men with aggressive prostate cancers participated in this research. They received radiotherapy over five days, with a stronger dose, called stereotactic radiotherapy. “It is a high-precision technique based on the use of convergent microbeams making it possible to irradiate very small volumes at high doses.“, explains the National Cancer Institute on its site. In addition to a significant recovery rate, the researchers found that few men experienced side effects: 2% of them had urinary problems and 1% intestinal disorders.
Better quality of life for patients
For the research team, this method of treatment could improve the daily lives of men with prostate cancer. “Conventional radiation therapy, which involves daily visits for treatment, can be burdensome for many patientsexplain the researchers, Reducing radiotherapy from six and a half weeks to five days is a significant step forward, which could improve the overall quality of life for men with prostate cancer.“
Two types of radiotherapy
Radiotherapy consists of destroying cancerous cells by irradiating them. This treatment can take two forms: external or internal. In the first case, these are rays that pass through the skin, in the second, an implant is injected into the prostate and diffuses radioactive substances. Sometimes radiotherapy is the only treatment for cancer, in other cases it is supplemented by surgery. Thanks to these different treatments and the early diagnosis of the disease, the risk of dying from prostate cancer has been decreasing in France in recent years. However, it is the most common cancer in men: each year, 71,000 new people are diagnosed. In total, one in nine men is affected during his lifetime.
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