Skip to main content

Ultra-Hypofractionated Radiotherapy Noninferior for Prostate Cancer

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on May 8, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 8, 2025 -- Ultra-hypofractionated (UHF) radiotherapy delivered over two weeks is noninferior to conventionally fractionated (CF) radiotherapy delivered over eight weeks for localized prostate cancer up to 10 years, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, held from May 2 to 6 in Vienna.

Per Nilsson, Ph.D., from Skåne University Hospital in Lund, Sweden, and colleagues presented the 10-year efficacy and toxicity outcomes for UHF versus CF radiotherapy for men with intermediate- to high-risk localized prostate cancer. The per-protocol population included 1,180 men who were randomly assigned to UHF (42.7 Gy in seven fractions over 2.5 weeks) or CF radiotherapy (78.0 Gy in 39 fractions over eight weeks).

The researchers found that 178 and 205 primary outcome events (failure-free survival [FFS]) occurred in the UHF and CF groups, respectively, at a median follow-up of 10.6 years. For FFS, the adjusted hazard ratio was 0.84 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.69 to 1.03), confirming noninferiority. Up to approximately six years, the Kaplan-Meier curves were similar, after which they diverged, favoring UHF. At 10 years, the difference was significant. The two groups had similar overall survival, which was 81 and 79 percent in the UHF and CF groups, respectively, at 10 years. The cumulative incidence of prostate cancer-specific death was identical, at 4 percent at 10 years. Freedom from androgen-deprivation therapy did not differ significantly between the groups and was 77 and 75 percent in the UHF and CF groups, respectively, at 10 years. There were no statistically significant differences in late genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity between the groups.

"Delivering fewer, higher doses over a shorter period works just as well as the standard approach -- not just in theory, but in real-world clinical practice," Nilsson said in a statement.

Press Release

More Information

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

One-Week Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer Safe, Effective Up to 10 Years

TUESDAY, May 27, 2025 -- A five-fraction, one-week schedule of adjuvant breast radiotherapy is as safe and effective as a standard three-week schedule for patients with invasive...

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Feasible After Radical Prostatectomy

TUESDAY, May 20, 2025 -- Post-radical prostatectomy (post-RP) stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is well tolerated, with patient-reported outcomes (PROs) comparable to those...

MRI-Guided Biopsy Linked to Durability of Active Surveillance in Prostate Cancer

MONDAY, May 19, 2025 -- Use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided biopsy (MRGB) could increase the durability of active surveillance (AS) in men with prostate cancer...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.