Redefining radiotherapy for bladder cancer
Approximately 10,300 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer in the UK every year.
It's the 11th most common cancer and it鈥檚 predicted that there could be 10,700 new cases of the disease every year by 2040.
Shorter treatment, greater impact
Bladder cancer advances rapidly and traditionally a course of radiotherapy is delivered over six and a half weeks. While developing new treatments is a core focus of cancer research, it鈥檚 also crucial to improve existing therapies.
As hospitals look to maximise healthcare resources for patients while also minimising the number of visits theyneed to make for treatment, researchers are innovating solutions for delivering radiotherapy both convenient for patients and less resource-intensive for the NHS.
Experimenting with larger treatment doses
A collaboration between the University and The Institute of Cancer Research London provided the first direct comparison of the two radiotherapy schedules used to treat muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
They looked at how fewer treatment visits could deliver the same patient outcomes as the longer, more frequent visits traditionally seen.
Researchers analysed data from two prior clinical trials. They compared a20-dose radiotherapy course over four weeks to a 32-dose radiotherapy course over six and a half weeks.
The results suggest that by administering fewer but larger doses of radiation to patients lowers the risk of the cancer coming back. Patients who received a 20-dose radiotherapy course over four weeks had a 29% lower risk of cancer reoccurrence over five years compared to those on a 32-dose course over six and a half weeks. Crucially, the reduced dose schedule did not increase side effects, maintaining treatment quality and impact.
These are very exciting results and we have made significant progress in understanding how radiotherapy can help bladder cancer patients. We know bladder cancer can advance rapidly, so giving a higher dose over a shorter time can really benefit the patient. We hope these findings will lead to a new standard of care which will increase survival rates and extend the lives of many thousands of people in the future.
Compassionate and intelligent patient care
The research marks a significant advancement towards more compassionate and intelligent care for bladder cancer patients. With the ongoing challenges faced in the NHS, prioritising shorter treatment durations is important to minimise hospital visits and safeguarding patient well-being.