No "home run" for proton radiation--at least not yet

Researchers conducting a phase I/II clinical trial of proton radiation for early prostate cancer found that the treatment is safe and well-tolerated by patients, but probably no better than other, less expensive forms of radiation. Their preliminary findings were presented at a meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in September 2008 and have not been published yet in a peer-reviewed journal.

Of the 85 patients included in the study, about two-thirds developed genitourinary or gastrointestinal side effects, such as urinary incontinence, at the time of the treatment or shortly thereafter. Another one-third of patients developed problems later on. The median follow-up time was 23 months.

The study did not directly compare different types of radiation therapy. Nor did it assess patient outcomes, such as biochemical recurrence of disease, because the follow-up time was too short.

SOURCE: Zietman AL, Bae K, Coen JJ, et al. A Prospective Phase I/II Study Using Proton Beam Radiation to Deliver 82GyE to Men with Localized Prostate Cancer: Preliminary Results of ACR0312. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology & Physics 2008;72(1 Suppl):S77. Abstract 169.