UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology January 1, 2022 - Flipbook - Page 27
UCLA RADIATION ONCOLOGY JOURNAL
Now, Amar U. Kishan, MD, and a team of his UCLA Health colleagues, are
conducting clinical trials on a more effective and less burdensome treatment that
uses genetics and advanced technology to determine if a patient can be cured
with large doses of radiation given in short sequences, even for patients with
recurrences after surgery.
So far the results of this precision medicine approach have been positive.
“We've learned that prostate cancer responds very well to a higher daily dose
radiation delivered precisely and with expertise,” said Dr. Kishan, chief of
genitourinary oncology and vice chair of clinical and translational research in the
Department of Radiation Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
and the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“There have been a lot of technological revolutions within radiation that will
help us make the treatments safer and more effective,” he said. “There are many
patients that can be cured by radiation, and there are many patients who might be
meaningfully helped by radiation.”
Optimism about the efforts comes out of the SCIMITAR and GARUDA clinical
trials.
"We're trying to push the envelope a little bit and innovate and use our
sophisticated technologies to deliver more convenient, cost-effective and
potentially better care for our patients," Dr. Kishan said.
In the SCIMITAR trial, Dr. Kishan is studying a high-dose targeted procedure
— condensed to five treatments over two weeks — called SBRT, or stereotactic
body radiotherapy. Dr. Kishan said 100 patients have been treated as part of the
SCIMITAR clinical trial, which started in 2018 and completed enrollment earlier
this year.
Regarding the results of the SCIMITAR trial, he said, “I don't want to overstep and
make any claims that are inappropriate, because we just are finishing it, but I can
say that clearly we're pleased enough with our results that we want to immediately
open up the follow-up trial.”
The UCLA Health research team is planning to launch the follow-up EXCALIBUR
study before summer to include more than 100 new participants. Dr. Kishan
is encouraging men with a rising PSA (prostate-specific antigen) count after
prostate cancer surgery to contact Radiation Oncology if they are interested in
participating.
The studies build on previous UCLA Health research showing that the majority of
participants who underwent the high-dose treatment for low- and intermediaterisk prostate cancer were still disease free seven years later.
Dr. Kishan and his team decided to expand their research through the SCIMITAR
trial to see if a shorter course of radiation treatment would benefit men with
aggressive prostate cancer. Generally, the course of radiation treatment for
prostate cancer requires eight to nine weeks of daily sessions.
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