The rate of prostate cancer is increasing, but medical experts have found a new way to treat the disease. Results from a recent study suggest that a breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment could cure what was previously considered an incurable affliction.
The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London and the leading cancer hospital in the UK, Royal Marsden, revealed in a joint study that intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), a specialized form of radiotherapy, could successfully eliminate the disease. The ICR said that the findings were a "giant leap forward" and will eventually help thousands of men a year.
The study found that the highly targeted radiotherapy could stop cancer and remove the fears that the radiation would inevitably damage other organs. With IMRT, doctors could allow higher doses to be given without damaging the surrounding healthy tissues.
Study leader David Dearnaley said, "Our trial was one of the first of this revolutionary technique, which was pioneered by colleagues here at the ICR and The Royal Marsden. This technique has already proven to be a game-changer for men with prostate cancer and the work done here has already been carried forward into later-stage phase II and phase III trials."
The professor of Uro-Oncology at the ICR further quipped, "I'm excited to see this treatment become available to every man with prostate cancer who could benefit from it."
Chief executive of the ICR Paul Workman also said, "Radiotherapy is often seen as perhaps old-fashioned and crude compared with other cancer treatments — but nothing could be further from the truth."
Workman added that radiotherapy has been improved far beyond recognition since it was first introduced in medicine over a hundred years ago. This time around, it is an extremely precise and sophisticated process. He also stated that he was glad to see "long-term evidence of the degree to which precision radiotherapy has transformed outcomes for men with prostate cancer."
However, Dr. Matthew Hobbs said via The Telegraph that although the results were "promising," there is still a need for larger randomized trials in order to get know more about the benefits of precision radiotherapy and its suitability for different cases.
