A large national clinical trial funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has shown outstanding early outcomes for prostate cancer patients treated with both proton therapy and standard photon radiation therapy.
Nancy Mendenhall, M.D., medical director of the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, presented early results of the prospective, comparative study, called COMPPARE, on Sunday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago. Early results include two-year follow-up for side effects like bowel urgency and frequency and gastrointestinal toxicity and three-year follow-up for disease progression. Assessing long-term comparative outcomes like disease control, late toxicity and secondary cancers will need longer follow-up.
“Based on the excellent early outcomes of both radiation modalities, and no significant early differences in patient-reported quality of life, toxicity and progression, both radiation modalities should be considered standard of care,” said Mendenhall, interim co-chair of The Alan H. Porter, M.D., & Claudia B. Porter, R.N., Department of Radiation Oncology and a member of the UF Health Cancer Institute.
The study compares the quality of life, side effects and cure rates for prostate cancer patients treated with proton therapy or photon therapy. It enrolled 2,524 men between the ages of 30 and 85 treated with either protons or photons at 51 centers nationwide. Participants answer brief surveys about treatment choice, quality of life and side effects for at least three years.
Radiation-induced rectal and bowel toxicity was significantly reduced in both types of radiation with the use of temporary rectal spacers, results from two years of follow-up showed.
“More follow-up is needed to assess important long-term outcomes like disease control, late effects and development of secondary cancers,” Mendenhall said.
The study applies to all patients with prostate cancer except those with very high risk or metastatic disease. About 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime in the United States. It’s the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men.
COMPPARE serves as a model for patient-centric clinical research. It’s poised to deliver insights that may reshape how prostate cancer is treated for years to come.
By emphasizing patient-centered outcomes, COMPPARE will help future patients make informed treatment decisions. Patient-centered outcomes include how likely men are to experience different quality of life issues with protons versus photons; how likely men are to experience different side effects with either treatment; which treatment results in a better cure rate; and whether a shorter treatment regimen is as safe and effective as the standard treatment regimen.
Mendenhall received a $11.9 million grant from PCORI for the study in 2017.
