Can prostate cancer be treated in just two radiation sessions?

Treating prostate cancer patients with fewer, higher-dose radiation therapy sessions appears to be as safe and effective as the current standard regimen, with no additional side effects, according to results from the HERMES study.

Patients with localised prostate cancer are typically treated with five radiotherapy sessions delivered over two weeks. The HERMES study examined whether the same effective radiation dose could be safely administered in just two sessions over eight days.

The clinical trial included 46 patients with localised prostate cancer. Twenty-four patients received the standard five-dose regimen over two weeks, while 22 received an equivalent dose in just two sessions over eight days. Treatments were delivered using advanced MRI-guided technology that precisely targets the prostate while protecting surrounding healthy tissue.

Researchers found that the two-dose schedule was as safe and effective as the standard five-session schedule, with no increase in side effects affecting urinary or bowel function. No severe urinary or bowel side effects were reported in either group.

After two years of follow-up, patients reported minimal changes in their quality of life.

“For patients, a two-session treatment course would be far less disruptive than the weeks of daily hospital visits that radiotherapy has traditionally required,” the lead researcher said.

The findings were presented at the Congress of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology.