A new method to improve the delivery of dose escalated prostate radiotherapy

In a nutshell

This project will monitor the dose of radiotherapy received by normal tissue surrounding the prostate.  Combined with information on toxicity, this could help reduce side effects of radiotherapy treatment to the prostate.

Why we funded it

Previous research suggests that increasing the amount of radiation to the prostate could improve treatment, but that this could result in increased toxicity in the normal tissue surrounding the prostate, most notably the rectum.  

By monitoring how much radiation is received by surrounding tissue it could help to plan a patient’s treatment more effectively, potentially allowing an increased dose to be delivered to the prostate, whilst also minimising the impact to normal tissue. This could therefore minimise some of the well-known side effects of radiotherapy, including erectile dysfunction, bladder and bowel toxicity, which greatly impacts a patient’s quality of life.

Grant information

Institution - Royal Marsden Hospital
Researcher - Ms Ashley d'Aquino
Grant award - £198,916
Duration - 2014-2017
Reference - COR-CRTF13-003 d'Aquino