Effective treatment for aggressive prostate cancer that's still contained within the prostate

Thanks to you, we were able to support a clinical trial testing a technique called high dose-rate brachytherapy to treat high-risk localised prostate cancer in men. This form of cancer is aggressive but still remains confined to the prostate. The trial set out to discover whether adding small radioactive sources directly into the prostate, alongside standard external beam radiotherapy, would be more effective than external beam radiotherapy alone. This trial started in 1997, and the research team followed the men who took part for several years.

After 12 years of following men in the trial, results showed that adding brachytherapy was a safe and effective treatment for high-risk localised prostate cancer. The treatment reduced the risk of the cancer returning by 21% compared to external beam radiotherapy alone. In 2014, NICE, the UK’s health regulator, officially recommended this treatment to help more men gain access to it.

Steve was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019, aged 53, and was successfully treated with brachytherapy. Going through prostate cancer has definitely changed Steve's view on life. So much of his time used to be spent at work, but now Steve spends more time with his family and feels more relaxed.

From research idea to access for all

Idea

In the 1990s, men with prostate cancer were often treated with external beam radiotherapy alone, and a team of researchers wanted to know whether adding high dose-rate brachytherapy could improve outcomes for men with high-risk localised prostate cancer. High dose-rate brachytherapy is a treatment where thin tubes are inserted into the prostate, and a source of radiation is delivered through the tubes directly to destroy cancer cells. The radiation source is removed once treatment is complete, so no radiation remains in the body.

Lab research

External beam radiotherapy can be very effective at treating prostate cancer, but it can also cause life-changing side effects (although this has greatly improved since this trial was carried out). A team of researchers led by Professor Peter Hoskin from Mount Vernon Hospital wanted to find a way to increase the amount of radiotherapy delivered to prostate cancer cells while limiting damage to the surrounding normal tissue. They explored whether adding high dose-rate brachytherapy to standard treatment could achieve this.

Clinical trial

At the time, radiotherapy trials didn't get much attention, which made it hard for researchers to secure funding. Through your support, we were able to provide funding to the team to keep the trial running.

Approved for use

The trial was more positive than anyone anticipated, with 21% fewer men seeing their prostate cancer return. The trial provided the crucial breakthrough doctors and health regulators needed to make high dose-rate brachytherapy available to men across the UK.

Access for all

Thanks to your support, the results from this trial gave NICE the evidence it needed to recommend high dose-rate brachytherapy for men with high-risk localised prostate cancer. This treatment is now commonly used across the UK and helps reduce the chance of prostate cancer coming back for many men.