First patients in Sussex receive pioneering prostate cancer treatment
A trial's seeing if it can improve survival rates in advanced cases
The first patients in Sussex have received a new prostate cancer treatment hoped to boost survival rates in advanced cases.
A major trial is investigating whether existing hormone therapy can be used with cancer targeting drugs and high precision radiotherapy to target the disease.
The first patient to receive the treatment is Darius Aibara, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer last October.
The 61-year-old has completed four treatments so far:
“The treatment itself has been painless, and everything has gone very smoothly,” he said.
“The team at the Royal Sussex County Hospital have been fantastic and the care I’ve received has been excellent. It’s also a nice setting for treatment. I’ve had no problems at all.
“I feel optimistic about how things are going and I’m hopeful the treatment will continue to work.”
Professor Sabina Dizdarevic at UHSussex said: “We’re delighted to see the first Sussex patients now benefiting from innovative treatments and taking part in the STAMPEDE2 trial as part of our Trust's commitment to give patients better access to research.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see local patients, such as Darius, receiving therapies that are at the forefront of prostate cancer research.
"This trial is an important step in developing more effective treatments for advanced prostate cancer, and we are proud that the team at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton is playing a key role in this national research.”