The Bristol Dose-Painting Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A pilot study of the use of MRI scans to plan the escalation of radiotherapy dose to the dominant tumour(s) within the prostate
IRAS ID
162728
Contact name
Steve Blake
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
DT2015-4780, EDGE (U H Bristol research database)
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Prostate cancer is currently the most common cancer in men and is often treated using high-energy external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). However, the treatment results of EBRT for advanced prostate cancer patients need to improve as current five-year cancer recurrence rates are approximately 35%.
Randomized trials demonstrate that a higher dose to the entire prostate improves prostate cancer control. However, this can be harmful to surrounding tissues and increase side effects.
Dose-Painting, where a standard radiotherapy dose is given to the whole prostate and an additional boost dose is given to localised small areas inside the prostate containing high numbers of cancer cells (dominant tumours), may improve treatment results.
Recent studies suggest that Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can locate the dominant tumours within the prostate.
This 18 month study aims to recruit 20 patients who are being consented for radical radiotherapy to the prostate and seminal vesicles at the Bristol Haematology Oncology Centre (BHOC) clinics.
Patients who take part in this study will have their routine computerised tomography (CT) scan, to plan their radiotherapy treatment, Clarity ultrasound scan (if suitable), to help with positioning the prostate, at BHOC and a research MRI scan, at CRICBristol, on the same day.
This study aims to use MRI to find the dominant tumours within the prostate, then use the MRI, CT and Clarity ultrasound scans to plan the additional radiotherapy boost dose for dose-painting. The treatment plans will then be looked at by a specialist to see if MRI and CT scans can be used in future to plan an additional boost dose of radiotherapy to the dominant tumours in the prostate while keeping the radiotherapy doses to organs such as the bladder and rectum and side effects to a minimum. No extra radiotherapy will be given to patients in this study.
REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SW/0132
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion