To compare acute and early late toxicity in patients with prostate cancer treated with moderately hypofractionated radiotherapy versus those treated with an ultra-hypofractionated regimen.
Key Findings:
Acute toxicity was significantly higher in the MHRT group compared to the UHRT group (25.17% vs. 11.63%; p=0.013).
Late toxicity was more frequent in the MHRT group (37.06% vs. 9.30%; p<0.001), with erectile dysfunction as the most common late event.
UHRT was independently associated with lower odds of acute toxicity (aOR 0.44; 95% CI 0.19–0.99; p=0.048).
Interpretation:
UHRT showed a generally favorable safety profile, with trends toward lower acute and late toxicity compared to MHRT, suggesting potential benefits for clinical practice.
Limitations:
The study was not randomized and relied on historical cohort data, which may introduce bias.
Exclusion criteria may limit generalizability to broader populations, particularly in different healthcare settings.
Conclusion:
In middle-income settings such as Colombia, UHRT may offer a practical approach to enhance treatment efficiency and patient access, while maintaining acceptable clinical outcomes, highlighting its potential as a preferred treatment option.
by Javier Cifuentes-Quin, Yiselle T. Garcia-Montañez, Alexandra Hurtado-Ortiz, Jhonatan Cruz, Luis Carlos Lagares, Luis A. Olarte-Licht, Maricel Licht-Ardila, Edgar Fabián Manrique-Hernández
