Southampton tops UK recruitment for prostate cancer therapies trial
Dozens of patients are trialling cutting-edge prostate therapies in new research at Southampton.
The ATLANTA NHS clinical trial is inviting men with advanced prostate cancer to take part at 15 locations across the UK. Over 40 patients have been recruited in Southampton, about a third of the total from the entire trial.
Around 47,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK each year. Three in ten of these diagnoses are already advanced, where the cancer has spread from the prostate to another part of the body.
Research suggests treating the prostate tumour even in already advanced disease may significantly improve survival. ATLANTA is testing these findings with standard and new prostate therapies not yet routinely available in the NHS for men with advanced disease.
Leading recruitment total
University Hospital Southampton (UHS) is the trial’s top recruiting site. It has enlisted more than four times the study’s national average.
Tim Dudderidge, UHS urologist and prostate cancer specialist, said: “The exceptional recruitment for the ATLANTA trial is testament to the dedication and energy of our team in Southampton. I would like to thank them all for their efforts that are reaping such excellent numbers in both this and other national studies.
“It is vitally important that research and innovation continues to drive better patient outcomes in the UK, and I hope the ATLANTA study can deliver valuable new insights into the treatment of prostate cancer.”
The research is continuing to recruit newly diagnosed patients. To register interest please email urologyresearchteam@uhs.nhs.uk.
Beyond standard treatment
The standard treatment for advanced prostate cancer is systemic therapy – androgen deprivation therapy or hormone therapy, which treats the cancer wherever it is in the body. This is supplemented in suitable men with chemotherapy or new drugs called novel antiandrogens – another form of hormonal therapy.
Recent research suggests that also treating the cancer inside the prostate itself might be useful for men with advanced prostate cancer. Evidence already exists showing some men with advanced disease may be suited to modified prostate radiotherapy.
This latest trial explores this by comparing standard hormone therapy with treatments that treat cancer inside the prostate.
Participants have the choice of hormone therapy with or without chemotherapy. Some men are given the choice of robotic surgery or standard ‘radical dose’ radiotherapy, and some have treatments that heat or freeze the prostate. These approaches are like what would be offered to men with cancer that hasn’t spread beyond the prostate gland.
Randomised men are also being offered specialised radiotherapy that targets cancer anywhere in the body.
The research is led by Imperial College London and supported by the Wellcome Trust. Recruitment is due to continue until September 2022.
Image: (Left to right) Nikki Carney, Tim Dudderidge and Aneta Zahorska at University Hospital Southampton.