Trial targets treatment for prostate cancer

News release from the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment

13 March 2007

As Prostate Cancer Awareness Week (19 – 25 March) highlights the most common cancer of men in the UK, the largest ever global trial in the area of prostate cancer is investigating the best treatments for the disease. Prostate cancer claims the lives of 10,000 men in the UK every year, with treatment costs to the NHS of around £41 million annually.

The £20.5 million ProtecT trial was commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme to evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and acceptability of three different treatments for men with localised prostate cancer : active monitoring, radical prostatectomy and radical radiotherapy.

Researchers from the Universities of Sheffield, Bristol and Cambridge led by Professors Freddie Hamdy, Jenny Donovan and David Neal are measuring the survival of participants at five, 10 and 15 years. There are also measuring disease progression, complications, lower urinary tract symptoms, quality of life and sexual function, to determine the effectiveness of the treatments.

This is the largest and most successful trial of men with localised prostate cancer worldwide. To date, researchers have tested over 80,000 men between the ages 50-69 (as they have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer) across nine UK clinical centres. They have recruited over 1,200 people of them to the trial since it started in 2001, with recruitment due to complete in 2008.

“Each of these treatments can have complications and unwanted side effects,” says Professor Hamdy. “Therefore research is crucial to build knowledge and reduce uncertainty to help inform and support patients' future treatment choices.

“The results of the trial should help to inform UK future screening policy and guidance to the NHS, reducing variation in practice.”

The findings of the ProtecT trial will be published in the Health Technology Assessment monograph series. For more information or to register to be alerted when its results are published visit: www.hta.ac.uk/project.asp?PjtId=1230

To find out more about Prostate Cancer Awareness Week visit http://www.realmendo.org.uk/

Notes:

  1. Some prostate cancers have been shown to develop very slowly causing no problems and so may be left untreated. In “active monitoring” cancer is left untreated but is monitored for growth through active blood tests.
     

  2. Radical or total prostatectomy is the removal of the entire prostate gland. The aim of the operation is to cure the cancer.

  3. In radiotherapy high-energy rays are used to damage cancer cells and stop them from growing and dividing.

Notes for editors


  1. The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with more than 400 issues published to date. The journal’s 2007 Impact Factor (3.87) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk The HTA programme is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton.
  2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility.  The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training.  Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk

Contact details

Naomi Stockley, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 646, Email: ns5@soton.ac.uk

Helen Nikandrou, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 584, Email: h.nikandrou@soton.ac.uk

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