Prostate cancer: Reduced radiation sessions show similar efficacy in recurrence treatment

A joint research team from Asan Medical Center and Samsung Medical Center has found that hypofractionated radiotherapy can be as effective as standard treatment for patients experiencing biochemical recurrence after prostatectomy.

In a randomized phase 3 clinical trial involving 316 patients, researchers compared the standard method of 33 radiation sessions (2 Gy per session) against a hypofractionated approach of 26 sessions (2.5 Gy per session). The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, showed no statistically significant difference in key outcomes. The 4-year biochemical progression-free survival rate was 80.1% for the hypofractionated group compared to 78.1% for the standard group. Additionally, the 4-year distant metastasis-free survival rate was 91.7% versus 91.0%, respectively.

While the hypofractionated group experienced a slightly higher temporary rate of moderate gastrointestinal side effects, such as rectal bleeding, no severe side effects were reported, and patients recovered by the final follow-up. The study suggests that adopting this reduced-session treatment could alleviate the burden of frequent hospital visits for patients and potentially save over 5 billion KRW annually in national health insurance costs in South Korea.