making advances

Dr David Dearnaley, making significant advances in the treament of cancer

A technique known as conformal radiotherapy, pioneered at the Institute of Cancer Research and tested in the Royal Marsden NHS Trust, is offering new hope to prostate cancer sufferers.

In recent years, localised prostate cancer has commonly been treated with radiotherapy, but conventional methods also irradiate large volumes of normal, healthy tissue in the surrounding areas.

Side effects of this treatment can include blood in the urine and rectal inflammation and bleeding. These harmful side effects limit the amount of radiation that can be given which in turn can limit the effectiveness of the treatment.

However, the Institute's Dr David Dearnaley and his team have completed trials of this conformal radiotherapy technique at the Marsden with successful and significant results.

While conventional radiotherapy uses radiation beams which form a rectangle, conformal radiotherapy uses beams shaped to fit the irregular outline of the tumour - thereby limiting the effect on the surrounding healthy tissue, even when the dose of radiation is increased.

Dr Dearnaley commented, "The results of our study are significant in two ways. Firstly we are now able to reduce the most unpleasant effects of prostate cancer radiotherapy and can begin applying the treatment to other types of cancer.

Secondly, we will be able to give patients higher doses of radiation which we expect will reduce the size of tumours and ultimately save more lives. This will be the next stage of our research".

As a result of the success of his research, Dr Dearnaley is now leading the first national, multi-centre study to evaluate the opportunities for the use of this treatment.

Professor Peter Garland, Chief Executive of the Institute at the time of the breakthrough, commented, "This is a major step forward in the treatment of prostate cancer. I am delighted that the NHS is making this new technology available to patients across the country.