GenesisCare has launched a new radiotherapy technology in the UK to treat late stage prostate cancer patients, for whom there are limited treatment options available.
The technology, called Theranostics, provides a personalised approach to treatment and diagnosis in prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumours including head and neck cancers, and the service is now available at the GenesisCare centre in Windsor for the first time in the UK.
The technology combines two techniques in one: diagnostic (imaging) and therapy, by using a radioactive tracer that is specific to receptors found on the surface of cancer cells.
The company says that “The therapy is equally specific and targets the same protein receptors on the prostate cancer cells. The radioactive tracer acts like a ‘smart homing missile’ to locate and destroy cancer cells. The targeted therapy limits damage to surrounding normal cells, to minimise potential side effects and improve a patient’s quality of life.”
Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs for many years, meaning that early detection is difficult.
“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, yet treatment options which extend survival and provide hope for a good quality of life remain limited in late stage disease,” said Dr Yong Du, UK clinical director of Theranostics at GenesisCare.
“While not a complete cure, theranostics can enable suitable patients a good quality of life, for longer, and I am proud to be part of bringing this new and highly innovative technique to the UK – something that patients in Germany and Australia have been able to access for a number of years already.”
