Dr. Fitch Discusses Dose Escalation of Radiation in Prostate Cancer

Dwight L. Fitch, MD, Radiation Oncologist, 21st Century Oncology in Bradenton, Florida, discusses dose modifications for radiation therapy in patients with prostate cancer.

Over the last 10 years, the dose of radiation for prostate cancer has gone from 70 Gy to 79-81 Gy. This dose increase lowers PSA failure while increasing prostate cancer control; however, it remains unclear whether it improves survival, Fitch notes. Additionally, the increased dose results in added toxicity.

A study presented at the 2014 ASTRO Annual Meeting attempted to address these concern. Overall, the analysis showed that patients could be treated at a few fractions under the maximum tolerated dose to help decrease toxicities, without compromising PSA control and survival, Fitch says.