High-precision radiation cuts prostate treatment time by 75 per cent

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) is a high-precision, high-dose radiation treatment usually used to treat cancer in the kidney, lungs or brain, and can now be used to treat certain prostate cancers.

Alfred Specialist Radiation Oncologist, A/Prof Wee Loon Ong, says that for patients this means their treatment is reduced from daily sessions every weekday over four weeks to just five sessions, over a week and a half.

“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.

The first patient began their treatment at The Alfred at the end of March, with the support of The Alfred's multidisciplinary team.

“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."