Testing Shorter Duration Radiation Therapy Versus the Usual Radiation Therapy in Patients With High Risk Prostate Cancer

To join this study, you need to be a man aged 18 or older with a specific type of prostate cancer called adenocarcinoma, and your cancer must be considered 'high-risk'. This means it has certain characteristics, such as if it's spread slightly outside the prostate but not to distant parts of the body, or if your PSA blood test was very high, or if the cancer cells look particularly aggressive under a microscope.

There are also some things that would mean you can't join. For example, if your cancer has already spread to distant parts of your body. Also, you can't have had previous radiation treatment to your prostate area or certain other prostate treatments like surgery to remove the prostate, or other focused treatments to destroy prostate tissue. Your prostate also needs to be a certain size to safely receive the new treatment.

If you decide to take part, you'll be assigned by chance (like flipping a coin) to one of two treatment groups. One group will receive the new, shorter radiation treatment (SBRT), which is typically 5 treatments over two weeks. The other group will receive the standard radiation therapy, which is usually 20-45 treatments over 4-9 weeks. Both treatments are given in a hospital setting and involve lying still while radiation is delivered.

You'll have various tests and appointments throughout the study. These will include scans like bone scans, CT scans, and MRI scans to check the cancer. You'll also be asked to fill out questionnaires about your quality of life, how you're feeling, and any side effects you might experience, especially related to your bladder and bowel function. These assessments are important for us to compare the two treatments. The total duration of your participation will depend on how long we need to follow your health and the cancer's behaviour, which could be several years.