People with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer treated with either of two types of contemporary radiation therapy -; proton beam therapy or intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) -; achieved equally high rates of tumor control with no differences in patient-reported quality of life, according to a first-of-its-kind phase III clinical trial comparing the two technologies. Findings of the PARTIQoL trial will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting. We tested two contemporary, advanced forms of external beam radiation for a very common cancer, and we demonstrated that both are very safe, effective treatments that give patients excellent outcomes in terms of quality of life and cancer control.
" Jason Efstathiou, MD, PhD, FASTRO, principal investigator of the trial and vice chair of faculty and academic affairs in the department of radiation oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital Patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, in which the cancer has not spread outside the prostate and may grow slowly, have many treatment options. About 70% of new prostate cancer cases -; more than 200,000 people in the U.S.
each year -; are diagnosed as localized disease. And since many of these patients will survive their cancer and live many years after treatment, their quality of life becomes particularly paramount when making treatment decisions, Dr. Efstathiou said.
External beam radiation therapy is a common option for pa.
