For men with early stage prostate cancer, a slightly higher daily dose of radiation can cut more than two weeks of radiation treatments without compromising control of the disease, according to researchers at Duke Cancer Institute.

The study included about 1,100 men with early stage prostate cancer — diagnosed before it had spread. About half received the standard treatment of 41 treatments spread over weeks. The second group received the higher doses for just 28 treatments spread over 5.5 weeks.
The researchers found that even though side effects were slightly less in the standard regimen, both treatments controlled cancer equally.

After a five-year follow-up, 85.3 percent of the men who underwent traditional therapy were disease-free compared to 86.3 percent in the group receiving the shorter treatment. Overall survival was 93.2 percent in the traditional group and 92.5 percent in those who experienced the shorter regimen.

"This study has implications for public policy," said the study’s principal investigator, Duke professor W. Robert Lee, M.D. "Because the shorter regimen has advantages such as greater patient convenience and lower costs, it’s important to establishing whether we can cure as many patients with the shorter regimen. Our study provides that information for the first time.

"An estimated 220,000 men are expected to be newly diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the United States, and the majority will have early stage disease at low risk for recurrence," Lee said. "These findings should help guide clinical decisions, and doctors should be comfortable recommending a shorter radiotherapy course as an alternative to the conventional schedule."

According to cancer.gov, prostate cancer is more common in men 65-years-old and older, and almost all men have some cancer in their prostate by the age of 80.

Treatment options vary. Some men opt for a prostatectomy which removes the prostate. Others, especially men with early stage prostate cancer, choose radiation, which uses high doses of radiation to eliminate the cancer.

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.