Edmonton clinical trial aims to help doctors target prostate cancer

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New Edmonton-based Clinical Trial Helps Physicians Find and Target Prostate Cancer, Opening New Doors for Treating the Most Commonly Diagnosed Cancer Among Canadian Men open.

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Dr. Adam Kinnaird, a surgeon and assistant professor at the University of Alberta, is leading research aimed at precision treatment of prostate cancer.

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An important part of the current diagnostic process is taking several samples from different parts of the prostate to check for cancer cells. However, if cancer cells are found, doctors don’t have a clear sense of where they are. affect.

Both options are very effective, but the treatment can cause erectile dysfunction and incontinence problems because the prostate is located just below the bladder and plays an important role in the production of semen.

Kinnaird is currently clinically testing the efficacy of locally generated experimental tracers that can be injected into a patient’s bloodstream and bind to prostate cancer cells so that they can be visualized on positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Recruiting trial patients. Doctors can see exactly where the tumor is and ideally treat just that area.

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Kinnaird said it’s important to catch the disease before it spreads because once the disease has moved beyond the prostate to the lymph nodes and bones, it’s no longer considered curable.

“It’s all about not just diagnosing prostate cancer early, but diagnosing it correctly, treating it correctly, and ensuring a good outcome,” he said.

“Like with breast cancer, radical mastectomy used to remove the whole breast, but now a lumpectomy is done, so only the tumor is removed…theoretically. In the future, we should be able to do this with prostate cancer as well.”

PET scans are now sometimes used in men who have already been treated and are concerned about prostate cancer returning. However, this test may help guide potential use during diagnosis.

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The tracer used in Edmonton does not even show up in urine. This is important because the prostate and bladder are very close together. Kinnaird said looking for prostate cancer while his bladder glows on his PET scan is “like trying to find a flashlight while you’re staring at the sun.”

The trial, which is expected to enroll 150 men over three years, has seen double the expected enrollment interest within the past few months, Kinnaird said. In this study, a patient who chose to have her prostate removed underwent both her MRI and PET scans, and after surgery, a pathologist would check exactly where the cancer was and compare it to the images to see which one was more accurate. Check if it was

Kinnaird said there is a lot of interest in additional image processing as the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in longer wait times for surgery and radiation treatments.

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“Men wait months to get treatment for prostate cancer. That is.

“So we’re going to do this clinical trial and say, ‘Okay, I’ve had a blood test and I know I have this prostate cancer. Would you like to participate? Many men would like to participate.”

The hope is to move to less invasive treatments that continue to save lives.

“It’s a radically different way of thinking about disease and being able to pinpoint where the disease is,” said Kinnaird.

masmith@postmedia.com

@mexsmith