Two "groundbreaking" studies could mean prostate cancer patients need only two doses of radiation treatment, a study at Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva found in December.
During the past decade, the number of patients seeking treatment for prostate cancer has increased sharply, and among Israelis, the disease is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths.
Study could change cancer treatment
Led by Dr. Elisha Fredman, Head of the Genitourinary Cancer Service and Clinical Radiation Research at the Davidoff Cancer Center at Rabin Medical Center, two new “groundbreaking” studies hope to “change the global standard of prostate cancer treatment.”
According to Dr. Fredman, who is “[i]n recent years we are required to treat far more prostate cancer patients than in the past. The goal of our research is to dramatically improve the quality of life of prostate cancer patients in Israel and around the world, and to make treatment easier, more efficient, and above all, tailored to each individual patient.”]
"In the past, the standard daily radiation dose was small and spread over several weeks. Over time, it became clear that the biological characteristics of prostate cancer allow for higher intensity radiation doses,” he explained.
“The combination of rapid technological advances together with improved ability to design highly focused and personalized radiation plans that spare healthy organs has enabled a significant reduction in the number of treatments, and this is exactly what we are now very close to proving in this study".
The study, consisting of more than 100 participants, seeks to lower the number of localized radiation treatments from five to two, “without compromising effectiveness and without increasing side effects.” Just ten years ago, the statement says, “the standard radiation regimen involved about 40 treatments.” Similarly, Dr. Fredman has treated patients with a more aggressive form of the cancer, typically requiring 20 treatments in just five.
Participants see immediate improvements
One of the participants, 65-year-old Haim Hoterer, spoke optimistically about his experience with the reduced treatment. “When I received the diagnosis, I was presented with two treatment options, surgery or radiation,” he said.
“The moment I was told there was an option for two radiation treatments instead of five, it definitely tipped the scales in favor of radiation. It was an important consideration for me. This is a very important study, and in my follow-up tests, we already saw a significant regression of the disease.”
In 2022, Israel’s National Cancer Registry recorded 3,335 new patients. Rates of cancer grew among both Jewish and Arab men, and Israel’s prostate cancer incidence rate is considered relatively high, although its mortality rate is significantly lower.