New prostate cancer treatment shows promise

This week, the first three men with prostate cancer will be treated with a new and more potent form of radiotherapy as part of a trial at Rigshospitalet aimed at curing a higher percentage of high-risk patients susceptible to relapse. Ivan Vogelius, chief physicist at Rigshospitalet’s cancer treatment department, explains that the breakthrough lies in targeting the most diseased prostate area with more aggressive radiation therapy. The technical advancements in equipment now allow precise targeting of the most affected area to deliver a higher radiation dose. The trial is influenced by a Dutch study where the new method halved the risk of recurrence without increasing side effects. Rigshospitalet’s trial involves 50 men and plans to go national by fall 2025. Approximately 4,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually in Denmark.