Research shows five SBRT sessions are as effective as 39 for radiotherapy in prostate cancer

Results have been published from a British long-term follow-up study of 874 prostate cancer patients who received either conventional radiation therapy in 20 or 39 sessions or stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) involving higher radiation doses in five sessions. The results showed that treatment outcomes are equally effective for patients treated five times compared to those who received conventional radiation therapy, according to Micropos Medical, the company behind the Raypilot system.

The study ‘Phase 3 trial of stereotactic body radiotherapy in localized prostate cancer’ was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The last of the 874 patients in the study was treated in January 2018. After more than five years of follow-up, researchers conclude that treatment outcomes are equally effective for the 433 patients treated with higher doses in five radiation sessions as for the 441 in the control group who received conventional treatment with lower radiation doses in 20 or 39 sessions.

Micropos Raypilot During the study period, the technology used in prostate cancer radiation therapy has advanced. One example is the Raypilot system, a Swedish technology designed to enable improved radiation therapy for prostate cancer through fewer, higher dose sessions while reducing the risk of side effects. It visualises organ movement in real-time during ongoing radiation therapy, displaying the exact location of the prostate in relation to the radiation field with millimetre accuracy, alerting healthcare providers if radiation risks drifting outside the targeted area.

“With the publication of this comparative study, we now have evidence that SBRT treatment provides results equal to conventional treatment. It is likely that SBRT will, in the foreseeable future, not only become approved but also recommended as standard treatment for localised prostate cancer in several countries, including Switzerland, Italy and the UK,” said Micropos Medical md Thomas Lindström.

Picture: Raypilot enables radiotherapy through fewer, higher doses.

Read this report on page 15 of the January 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.

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