Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials

Multi-modality therapy that includes a brachytherapy implant improves outcomes in locally advanced prostate cancer when compared to other radiation-based treatments, but is also associated with more adverse side effects. The goal of the OPTiMAL trial is to reduce these side effects by using advanced imaging and biopsy techniques to locate cancer and deliver precision radiation therapy, while not compromising the unprecedented high cure rates obtained for the brachytherapy arm of the Androgen Suppression Combined with Elective Nodal and Dose Escalated Radiation Therapy (ASCENDE-RT) randomized control trial. Additionally, some applied research in genetics, pathology and medical imaging is included. Novel medical imaging methods, namely, multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), multi-parametric trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS), prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) are used for re-staging of prostate cancer. This is followed by trans-perineal biopsy to locate cancerous areas of the prostate with greater precision compared to conventional biopsy. Results from imaging are compared to those from biopsy to develop image-based cancer detection methods.