Proton Beam Therapy – Favourable Tolerance Levels Noted Among Prostate Cancer Patients

A study that was lately presented during the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology in Chicago revealed that Proton beam therapy could be effectually administered to those men having prostate cancer and was observed to have negligible urinary and rectal side effects.

Researchers aimed at ascertaining whether administering elevated radiation dosages using proton beam therapy could lead to early detrimental side effects to the urinary function within the GU or genitourinary system and the rectal functioning within the GI or gastrointestinal system.

Proton therapy is quickly garnering immense popularity as a potent prostate cancer treatment, but it is fuzzy as to whether the long-standing results of proton therapy would surpass those attained by other treatment methods. These procedures were intended to create yardstick outcomes with proton therapy offered at comparatively elevated every day dosages.

Nancy Mendenhall, M.D., the author of the study and the medical director from the University Of Florida Proton Therapy Institute, Jacksonville, Fla., stated that presently they have found that early tolerance of proton therapy has appeared to be promising with a minimal rate of urinary and rectal noxious side effects. She mentioned that the study proves that proton beam therapy was a viable choice among prostate cancer patients with diminutive chances of any side effects to the urinary and rectal functioning.

Proton beam therapy is a kind of external beam radiation therapy that employs protons instead of photons (X-ray beams) for treating particular forms of cancer and other ailments. The physical features of proton beam therapy allow easier delivery of radiation to the tumor with lesser-intensity radiation being passed to the adjoining normal tissues.

In the course of an external beam radiation therapy, a radiation shaft (X-ray or protons) is passed via the skin reaching the malignant growth and it’s nearest adjoining area for destroying the major tumor growth and any of the adjacent cancer cells.

During the time spans from August 2006 till October 2007, there were 212 prostate cancer entrants for 1 of the 3 forthcoming trials for receiving proton therapy. Those patients in the high-risk category were also given the chemotherapy drug – docetaxol, subsequent to which hormone therapy was offered to them.

The researchers had follow-up session with these patients subsequent to treatment for no less than a year’s time to keep tabs on the scores of genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity employing both the IPSS (International Prostate Symptom Scores)  and CTCAE, v.3 (Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events) in case of each of the patients that underwent the trial.

The outcome revealed that there was negligible early genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity on prospective trials of proton therapy. Lesser than 1% of patients faced Grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicities with the commonly observed side effects being least amount of rectal bleeding that was linked to the section of the rectal wall that received the series of radiation dosages.

The frequency and the extent of severity of the rectal signs were additionally affected by colonoscopic intercessions subsequent to treatment.

Dr. Mendenhall appeared quite optimistic with the outcome of their study and further added that though there were a number of toxicities that might be occurring later on, the researchers were highly delighted with the early toxicity scores as compared to the other treatment choices. Additional follow-up would be needed in such patients for ensuring that these men didn’t experience any kind of side effects that might surface years subsequent to the treatment.

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