Researchers at the University of Florida, USA, have treated over 200 men suffering from prostate cancer with proton therapy. The early outcomes have found the treatment to be highly effective and to have reduced gastrointestinal and genitourinary side effects.
The study, published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics looked at the efficacy of proton therapy, a specialised type of external beam radiation therapy using protons as opposed to x-rays, on treating men with low-risk, intermediate-risk and high-risk prostate cancer. After two years the percentage of patients suffering from associated gastrointestinal symptoms was only 4%, with less than half of patients requiring treatment for related genitourinary symptoms. The overall survival rate after two years was 96%.
The researchers are hoping that the high survival rate with lack of side effects will lead to further trials and studies into proton therapy as an effective treatment for prostate cancer.
