A NEW form of radiotherapy that delivers highly targeted doses of radiation to kill tumour cells could be the key to beating pancreatic cancer.
Each year in Australia, more than 2,900 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It also has one of the lowest survival rates of all cancers.
Now Sydney cancer researchers have announced a cutting edge-trial which uses stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) as well as chemotherapy to target pancreatic cancer.
SBRT boosts the radiation dose to the tumour site while minimising the dose and toxicity to surrounding normal tissues.
In the Masterplan trial, patients will receive this therapy in addition to chemotherapy.
The trial’s principle investigator Associate Professor Andrew Kneebone said there was a “desperate need” for better treatments for patients.
“With the Masterplan trial, we hope to determine whether stereotactic body radiotherapy with modern chemotherapy is superior to the current standard of care,” he said.
“This is an exciting new therapy that could provide better outcomes for these patients.”
This phase II study will recruit 120 patients who have high-risk, locally advanced pancreatic cancer.
The trial secured $1.5 million in government funding and will be coordinated through the Clinical Trials Centre of the National Health and Medical Research Council in Camperdown, Sydney.
November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
PANCREAS FACTS
The pancreas is a gland of the digestive system, near your stomach and small intestine.
It releases hormones including insulin into your blood vessels to help your body control how it transforms food into energy. It also releases enzymes through ducts into your small intestine to help you digest food.
Pancreatic cancer starts in the cells lining the ducts. It then spreads into the body of the pancreas, before invading nearby nerves and blood vessels.
If left untreated, it will spread to all the organs in the abdomen. Pancreatic cancer may also enter the lymphatic system and spread to other parts of the body.
Just 8 per cent of patients survive for five years past their initial diagnosis.
The disease is frequently not detected until it is at an advanced stage, by which point it often cannot be cured.
It recently claimed the life of singer Aretha Franklin as well as Apple founder Steve Jobs and actor Patrick Swayze.
It’s not known what causes pancreatic cancer but some things, such as smoking, make it more likely.
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