Researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have launched a clinical trial, called ANDROMEDA, to compare two types of targeted radiation therapy for men with recurrent prostate cancer. Targeted therapy is used to attack cancer cells directly with the goal of protecting the surrounding healthy tissue.
This clinical trial is currently enrolling patients with recurrent prostate cancer that has spread to other areas of the body. Approximately 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, most commonly in men age 65 or older, and in rare cases in men under 40 years old, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
The good news is that many men do not die from prostate cancer. In fact, the death rate has been cut in half between 1993 and 2022, attributed to early detection and treatment advances, the ACS says. As of last year, a new AI tool, called ProCUSNet, can help oncologists detect prostate cancer with higher accuracy than biopsies, which have been the standard detection tool for decades. The findings were published in European Urology Oncology and seem very promising for men who want a more accurate picture of their prostate health or stage of disease. This new AI tool caught prostate cancer that biopsies might miss. But that’s not to say biopsies are going away; this is just an additional tool in the toolbox.
“What makes ProCUSNet unique is its ability to localize areas of cancer on standard ultrasound images using deep learning. We’re not asking clinicians to change how they perform biopsies. Instead, we’re enhancing the value of the data they already collect with a tool that’s fast and practical for use in the real world,” said Mirabela Rusu, PhD, assistant professor of radiology, in a news release.
Prostate cancer doesn’t have obvious symptoms, and experts at Johns Hopkins Medicine recommend that men start screening between the ages of 40 and 54 with a blood test called the PSA test that measures how much of a protein, called prostate-specific antigen, you have in your blood. Prostate cancer is very treatable, so early detection can help you have the best outcome. It tends to run in families, so knowing your family history is important.
