Experts issue urgent plea for men with high-risk prostate cancer

MedTech News: Australian cancer experts are issuing an urgent plea for innovative prostate cancer treatment to be covered on Medicare for men living with the more advanced form of the disease, or risk falling behind global standards of care.

Their call follows the publication of the international ASCENDE-RT trial data which revealed the largest tumour control, or ‘cure rates’ ever seen in radiotherapy, after investigating low dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy in men with locally advanced prostate cancer.

Both treatments are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and covered under Medicare for those living with intermediate-risk prostate cancer. However, the independent Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) is yet to list the combination therapy on Medicare for men with high-risk prostate cancer, the most advanced form of the disease.

According to Dr Joseph Bucci, Radiation Oncologist, Sydney, Australia at risk of falling behind global standards of care for high-risk prostate cancer.

“Within 24 months of the ASCENDE-RT research publication, medical organisations world-wide updated their clinical guidelines. The combination treatment is now the standard of care for prostate cancer across the USA, UK, Canada and Europe.

“Yet six years later, Australian men living with cancer that has spread beyond the prostate, still lack access to the combination treatment on Medicare. These men deserve access to treatment choices that are available, and funded internationally,” said Dr Bucci.

“We are therefore calling for the urgent expansion of LDR-brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy on Medicare so we can offer the treatment to suitable, higher-risk patients.”

LDR-brachytherapy for prostate cancer is a minimally invasive, targeted treatment option which helps to reduce the risk of damage to surrounding healthy cells. It involves the insertion of permanent, radioactive ‘seeds’ directly into the prostate, which give off localised radiation over a number of months to kill cancer cells. External beam radiation therapy is directed to the prostate from a machine outside the body.

The decision to list the combination therapy for men with high-risk prostate cancer on Medicare is currently under review by MSAC.

According to Dr David Malouf, Urologist and Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgeon, Sydney, Australian clinicians want to be able to offer the combination therapy option to their prostate cancer patients.

“LDR-brachytherapy has been used to treat early-stage prostate cancer for more than 20 years in Australia, and the combination treatment is approved, and covered on Medicare for lower-risk disease confined to the prostate.

“Following the cure rates seen in the landmark ASCENDE-RT trial involving men living with more aggressive, higher-risk tumours, we can’t understand why MSAC is yet to expand access on Medicare for this group of men,” Dr Malouf said.

“Every Australian man deserves the right to choose from every available prostate cancer treatment option approved by the TGA, and implemented globally as a standard of care.”

Prostate cancer is Australia’s most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, with approximately 24,200 men diagnosed each year. Prostate cancer is also Australia’s third most common cause of cancer death, claiming the lives of more than 3,300 Australian men each year.

In reimagining healthcare across the entire patient journey, Health Industry Hub^TM is the only one-stop-hub uniting the diversity of the Pharma, MedTech, Diagnostics & Biotech sectors to inspire meaningful change.

The Health Industry Hub^TM content is copyright protected. Access is available under individual user licenses. Please click here to subscribe and visit T&Cs here.