Study on Using POSLUMA Imaging to Improve Radiation Treatment for Prostate Cancer

Program Overview

This research is focused on men with intermediate or high-risk prostate cancer who are undergoing hormone therapy and radiation treatment. The study aims to find out if a special imaging test, done during hormone therapy, can help doctors better target the remaining cancer with radiation, while avoiding areas that may not need extra treatment. All participants will receive standard hormone and radiation therapy, along with three imaging scans over six months. The goal is to make prostate cancer radiation treatment more precise and reduce side effects for future patients.

Description

Prostate cancer is often treated with hormone therapy and radiation. Hormone therapy lowers testosterone levels, which can shrink or weaken the cancer before radiation starts. However, after hormone therapy begins, it can be difficult for doctors to see where the active cancer is using standard imaging like MRI. This study is testing whether a newer imaging test can better identify which parts of the cancer are still active and might need more focused radiation treatment.

Participants will receive six months of hormone therapy, which is standard for intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer. They will also have PSMA PET/CT scans, a type of imaging that highlights prostate cancer cells, and MRI scans. These scans will be done before hormone therapy starts, about eight weeks after starting hormone therapy (before planning radiation), and again at 24 weeks (at the end of all treatment) to see how the cancer has responded.

Radiation therapy will start shortly after the eight-week imaging scan. Participants will receive high-precision radiation to the prostate over about two weeks. Based on the imaging results, doctors may give an extra "boost" of radiation to small areas that still show signs of active cancer. If the scans show that the cancer has responded well to hormone therapy, some patients may not need this extra boost. This approach aims to deliver the strongest treatment where needed while limiting radiation to healthy tissue to minimize side effects.

The main goal is to see if doctors can use the mid-treatment PSMA PET/CT scan to guide radiation planning. Researchers will also monitor changes in PSA blood levels, imaging findings, treatment side effects, and patient-reported quality of life, including urinary, bowel, and sexual symptoms. Doctors will provide feedback on how easy or difficult it is to define radiation target areas using the different scans.

Participation lasts about 6 months, and all treatments are commonly used in prostate cancer care, with the PSMA PET scans being the experimental part. While participants may or may not directly benefit, the study results may help improve how radiation therapy is planned and delivered for future prostate cancer patients, aiming to maintain treatment effectiveness while reducing side effects.

Eligibility Criteria

Locations