Fewer radiation sessions for prostate cancer patients

Latrobe Regional Health has become the first public hospital in regional Victoria to offer a form of radiation therapy that reduces the number of treatment sessions for men with prostate cancer.

Traralgon man Wayne Barnes was the first patient to be treated with Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiation therapy (SABR) for prostate cancer at LRH, which means he only needs five sessions instead of 20.

SABR is a relatively new treatment for people with intermediate-risk prostate cancer which can be delivered on a standard linear accelerator (LINAC) machine.

Offering it at LRH saves Wayne from having to take time off work to attend either 20 daily sessions, or from travelling hours to The Alfred in Melbourne for the new five-session therapy.

Wayne was diagnosed with intermediate-risk prostate cancer earlier this year after a routine PSA blood test with his GP. A further MRI and biopsy with a urologist confirmed the diagnosis.

“I didn’t know how to feel, it was a bit scary to start with, but the urologist said I was in the mid-range safe zone, so this eased the news a bit,” the 65-year-old said.

“I hadn’t had a PSA test for a few years, and I was at that age when I thought it was a good time to get all the routine tests done with my GP.”

Associate Professor Wee Loon Ong, a Specialist Radiation Oncologist at Alfred Health, said prostate SABR treatments at LRH could make a “huge difference” for Gippsland patients who would otherwise face several weeks of radiation.

“For patients living hours away in east Gippsland, the fewer number of visits can make a huge difference to them logistically,” A/Prof Ong said.

“UK clinical trials data showed that in five years, 95 per cent of men with intermediate risk prostate cancer had their prostate-specific antigen levels under control after prostate SABR treatment.

“So, in terms of cancer control, this is as good as it can get.”