
"Health wise I am feeling great. I am a big supporter of trials - it allows new treatments and drugs to be brought in.”
This study is looking at pieces of in the blood and urine (
) and scans. This is to see if they can predict what happens to cancer and normal tissue. Also to predict how well radiotherapy works.
It is open to men with who are going to the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh.
Radiotherapy is one of the treatments doctors can use for early prostate cancer.
Researchers are looking at using:
They want to try and predict:
In this study you have (SBRT or SRT). You have 5 treatments. Before and after each treatment the team take a sample of your breath. During the study they also take:
They use these samples to look at your normal tissue and any free tumour circulating DNA (
) from the prostate cancer.
The aims of the study are to:
The following bullet points are a summary of the entry conditions for this study. Talk to your doctor or the study team if you are unsure about any of these. They will be able to advise you.
Who can take part
You may be able to join this study if you are going to the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh and all of the following apply. You:
Who can’t take part
You cannot join this study if any of these apply. You:
The team hope to recruit up to 48 men to take part.
Before your radiotherapy you have a planning appointment. This is to work out the dose of radiotherapy to give and where to give it. You also have gold fiducial markers put in place. This is to make sure you have the radiotherapy in the correct place. You have antibiotics after to prevent possible infection.
You have 5 treatments with stereotactic body radiotherapy. This usually starts on a Wednesday and finishes the next Tuesday. You don’t have treatment on the Saturday or Sunday. The machine used to give the radiotherapy is a Linear Accelerator (LINAC).
You have a special type of urinary catheter called a HypoCath put into your bladder on the day before you start radiotherapy. This remains in during the whole 5 days of treatment.
During treatment the catheter is attached to the LINAC. This helps the LINAC track the movement of the prostate. So that the radiotherapy targets the prostate cancer the whole time.
Each radiotherapy treatment takes between 30 and 40 minutes.
The catheter should stay in during the whole 5 days. If it doesn’t the team can replace it.
Research samples and tests
You give a spit (saliva) sample once. The research nurse or the radiographer collects this and will tell you how to do it. They can take this sample on any of one of the 5 days.
The team also take blood samples and urine samples before each treatment. And then 1 and 3 hours after treatment.
Quality of life
You fill in questionnaires:
The questions ask about:
These are quality of life questionnaires.
There are no extra hospital visits if you take part. But you will need to stay for up to 3 hours after each radiotherapy treatment for the team to collect the breath samples, blood samples and urine samples.
After treatment you see the doctor as part of the study at:
At these times you give a:
The team don’t anticipate any side effects or problems during the study.
We have information about having radiotherapy to the prostate.
Please note: In order to join a trial you will need to discuss it with your doctor, unless otherwise specified.
Professor Duncan McLaren
University of Edinburgh
NHS Lothian
Jamie-King Urological Cancers Research Fund
If you have questions about the trial please contact our cancer information nurses
Freephone 0808 800 4040
"Health wise I am feeling great. I am a big supporter of trials - it allows new treatments and drugs to be brought in.”