New standard on IMRT number of sessions?

[Cmdrdata]

My younger brother is currently undergoing IMRT sessions at 2Gy per session. Can anyone here show a clinical study report that shows the efficacy of less sessions? He was told that the new IMRT machine they are using only needed 28 sessions. I can understand it if it was hypofractionated, but he was told it is 2 Gy/ session. Thanks.

PS: I had hypofractionated SBRT treatment as part of clinical trial in early 2007 (4.5Gy for 5 sessions).

[Hidden]

I can’t answer. Following Brachytherapy in 2003, the rest of the primary treatment was a “short” course of IMRT. 25 sessions total.

GD

[Tall_Allen]

Here you go...

prostatecancer.news/2018/10...

He was misinformed. If your brother is getting primary IMRT (rather than salvage) he is not getting 2 Gy for each of 28 sessions. If he is getting salvage IMRT it is more than that also.

You did not get 4.5 Gy for each of 5 sessions (= 22.5 Gy total) at UTSW. Maybe 45 Gy total, but not 22.5 Gy total. UTSW is usually on the high end.

[Cmdrdata in reply to Tall_Allen]

You are right. I enrolled in Phase II (dose efficacy) of the SBRT trial at UTSW and 45 Gy is the total, and yes I have fiducials installed prior to treatment (Dr. Robert Timmerman). My brother doesn’t keep notes or ask questions on his treatment (primary). Thanks.

[Bangkok]

Read my posts. I had 20 rounds of IMRT in Bangkok's Sametivej hospital (and no additional drugs previous). My oncologist then gave me a year and a halfs worth of lupron to be shot at 3 month intervals. I just finished it last March . I have maintained a PSA of 0.01 for 19 months now and I'm waiting to see what happens.

[Cmdrdata in reply to Bangkok]

Yes , evidently this is the “new” IMRT protocol. My younger brother was recently DXed with PCa in NY City and he too got the 20-sessions IMRT. I found out that this new protocol uses higher radiation 4 Gy per session, thus the shortened number of sessions. The old standard dose was 2 Gy. Gy stands for Gray, which is the current name forradiation dose unit.

[BanjoPicker]

I completed my primary IMRT course 4 months ago. I had 43 sessions and the radiation tech said my RO ordered 1.8 Gy per treatment. The RO’s reasoning for what he called traditional dosage was that higher dosage has a possibility of additional swelling of the prostate that could incrementally affect urinary retention. I surmise that a cumulative number of Gy Units is required to sufficiently damage the cancer cells and inhibit or hopefully stop the progression.