What are some advances in radiation treatment for prostate cancer that were presented?
The early results of an important radiation study were presented. Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center looked at two different regimens of radiation: a standard seven and a half week (standard fractionation) approach of daily focused intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and an experimental approach of five and a half weeks (hypofractionation) of IMRT with each of these treatments of higher intensity. The authors had hypothesized that the shorter treatment would be more effective due to the alpha-beta ratio (a parameter which radiation oncologists use to determine the optimal dose for treating a particular type of cancer) of prostate cancer, which is thought to be notably lower (1.5) compared with 10 in many other types of cancer. The researchers, in fact, found that the two approaches were very similar. Thus, men may be able to have a shorter treatment course, which is more convenient. However, the researchers noted that the alpha-beta ratio may be higher than previously cons
