The Alfred is now the first hospital in Victoria to provide a novel type of radiation therapy that significantly reduces the duration of treatment for patients with prostate cancer.
Certain prostate tumors can now be treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), a high-precision, high-dose radiation therapy that is often used to treat cancers of the kidney, lungs, or brain.
According to A/Prof Wee Loon Ong, Alfred Specialist Radiation Oncologist, patients will only receive five sessions over a week and a half instead of their usual daily sessions spread over four weeks.
“It’s a very precise, high-dose treatment meaning men with intermediate risk prostate cancer can be treated as effectively with fewer treatment sessions,” said A/Prof Ong.
With the assistance of the multidisciplinary staff at The Alfred, the first patient started receiving treatment there at the end of March.
“It has been a concerted effort from radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, medical physicists, and nursing staff to ensure we can deliver a safe and effective treatment.
“SABR is more intensive from a treatment delivery point of view, where we need to continuously track the prostate during the treatment to ensure we’re targeting the correct area, without increasing the side effects of treatment.
“For newly-diagnosed prostate cancer patients, this standard-of-care treatment is as effective over fewer appointments, making it more convenient for them.”
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