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Conformal Radiotherapy Reduces Radiation-Related Morbidity In Prostate Cancer LONDON, ENGLAND -- Jan. 22, 1999 -- Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer diagnosed among elderly men in the United States and a similar pattern of diagnosis is expected to appear in Europe as more sensitive diagnostic tests are introduced. Localised (confined to the area) prostate cancer is commonly treated with radiotherapy, but conventional radiotherapy also irradiates large volumes of normal tissue. Side-effects of this treatment include blood in the urine (haematuria) and rectal inflammation and bleeding (proctitis). These side-effects limit the dose of radiation that can be given and low dosage limits the effectiveness of the treatment. Dr. David Dearnaley and colleagues from the United Kingdom’s Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Trust tried a technique known as conformal radiotherapy in a trial of 225 men with prostate cancer. In the study, published in this week’s issue of The Lancet, 114 men were randomly assigned to conformal therapy and 111 men to conventional treatment. Conformal radiotherapy is more accurate than conventional radiotherapy, since it shapes the radiation beam to target the specific area of tissue that needs treatment -- in this case, the prostate gland. Of the 225 men studied, conformal and conventional treatments were equally effective in controlling cancer, with similar overall survival at two years and at five years. However, there was a significantly lower incidence of proctitis and bleeding in the group of men who had had conformal treatment rather than conventional treatment, even at a modest total radiation dose of 64 Gy. "To our knowledge, this is the first randomised trial to show that conformal radiotherapy reduces radiation-related morbidity," the researchers write. “Widespread introduction of these radiotherapy treatment methods is appropriate." Related Links: The Lancet E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version