SBRT trial shows high cure rates for prostate cancer

Stereotactic body radiation therapy has been shown to offer effective cures for a majority of prostate cancer patients involved in a new trial.

The UT Southwestern Medical Center study is the first trial to publish five-year results from SBRT treatment for prostate cancer, offering a 98.6 percent cure rate, among a host of other advantages.

This noninvasive form of radiation treatment involves high-dose radiation beams entering the body from various angles and intersecting at the desired target. It allows for a concentrated dose to reach the tumour, while limiting the damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Currently, the most commonly-used form of radiation involves 44 treatments given over nine weeks, but SBRT therapy can be completed in as few as five sessions.

A total of 91 patients were treated prospectively and followed for five years in this study. Only one patient experienced a recurrence of his cancer following treatment.

Dr Raquibul Hannan, assistant professor of radiation oncology at the UT Southwestern Medical Center, said: "What we now have is a more potent and effective form of completely noninvasive treatment for prostate cancer, conveniently completed in five treatments."