Two new prostate cancer trials funded

The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) and the Movember Foundation are funding two new clinical trials that will potentially revolutionise the way prostate cancers are monitored and treated.

A clinical trial team at Macquarie University, headed by Professor Howard Gurney, will undertake a phase II randomised controlled trial of high-dose Vitamin D on men with prostate cancer. The trial aims to establish whether Vitamin D supplementation is safe, effective and able to prevent prostate cancer progression.

If Vitamin D supplementation is found to prevent prostate cancer progression, it will become the basis for a phase III trial. The outcomes of this trial have the potential to reduce the anxiety of men with low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer, allowing them to take control of managing their cancer during clinical monitoring, improve perseverance of active surveillance and reduce the uptake of unnecessary active treatment.

Researchers at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, led by Associate Professor Michael Hofman, will meanwhile study the impact of PSMA PET/CT (prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography) imaging in the management of prostate cancer. This new type of scan provides whole body images of prostate cancer spread and could be of value in scanning for prostate cancer relapse.

The trial will be undertaken at multiple centres around Australia and will compare PSMA PET/CT to conventional imaging. If effective, the technique could result in significant changes to patient management.

“These are both very interesting trials, with great potential to improve our knowledge about how to fight prostate cancer,” said Associate Professor Anthony Lowe, the CEO of the PCFA. “We eagerly await the outcomes of these trials and wish Professors Hofman and Gurney the very best with their inspiring work.”