(Press-News.org) Results of the NRG Oncology NRG-GU005 clinical study comparing stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to moderately hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (MH-IMRT) for patients with localized immediate risk prostate cancer indicate that the use of SBRT improved bowel health related quality of life (HRQOL) in this patient population. There was no significant improvement seen for the other primary objectives including urinary HRQOL and there was a lack of improvement in distant-free survival for patients. These results were recently reported during the Plenary Session of the American Society for Radiation Oncology Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California.
“We are pleased NRG-GU005 was able to meet the EPIC-26 Bowel domain QOL endpoint per the co-primary endpoints of NRG-GU005. While the Urinary irritative or obstructive domain of EPIC-26 was not able to show a significant improvement, the secondary genitourinary endpoints for lower incontinence related quality of life and improved maintenance of erectile dysfunction versus moderately hypo fractionated IMRT were also significant as presented by Dr. James Yu on Monday’s session. While the Disease-Free Survival (DFS) co-primary endpoints crossed futility for superiority at three years due solely to higher biochemical failure by PSA, further follow up is warranted to see the results at 5 years or more. PACE-B showed SBRT is non-inferior to IMRT, and now NRG-GU005 shows SBRT can be less likely to detrimentally effect patients’ quality of life as determined by these patient reported outcomes,” stated Rodney J. Ellis, MD, from the University of South Florida and the lead author of the NRG-GU005 abstract.
The Phase III NRG-GU005 trial enrolled 698 evaluable patients with immediate-risk prostate cancer. Trial participants were randomly assigned to either receive SBRT at 36.25 Gy in 5 fractions or to receive IMRT at 70 Gy in 28 fractions or 60 Gy in 20 fractions. The HRQOL co-primary endpoint was designed to show 10% and 8% absolute reductions in the frequency of a minimal clinically important decline (MCID) in bowel and urinary irritation or obstruction domains respectively at 24 months. The Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC-26) questionnaire was distributed and completed at baseline, 12- and 24-months post-treatment. At 2 years post-treatment, 82.5% of patients who received MH-IMRT completed the EPIC versus 85.1% of patients who received SBRT and approximately 97.5% and 96.2% of the questionnaires received had scorable bowel and UID domains, respectively.
Fewer patients on the SBRT arm experienced MCID in bowel HRQOL at 2 years than patients receiving IMRT (34.9% vs. 43.8%, p=0.034). Longitudinal bowel domain scores and use of rectal spacers further increased favorability of SBRT over IMRT. However, there was no significant difference in MCID frequency for the urinary irritative or obstructive symptoms domain between patients receiving SBRT or IMRT (33.7% vs. 34.7%, p=0.68). Additionally, the interim analysis of this study crossed the futility boundary for DFS, thus indicating SBRT is not superior over hypofractionated IMRT in this patient population.
This project was supported by grants UG1CA189867 (NCORP), U10CA180868 (NRG Oncology Operations), U10CA180822 (NRG Oncology SDMC), U24CA180803 (IROC), CTEP from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Special Podcast Episode
Follow The NRG Oncology Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube for a special episode interviewing Dr. Rodney Ellis on the findings of the 2025 ASTRO Plenary Session Presentation for NRG-GU005. Podcast information and playable episodes are available on the NRG website as well.
Citation
Ellis RJ, Pugh SL, Yu JB, Feng FY, Konski AA, Grubb III RL, Wallace RE, Gladstone DJ, Ménard C, Frazier AJ, Pennington JD, Michalski JM, Spratt DE, Martinez A, Morgan SC, Mihai A, Paulus R, Sander HM. Primary results from NRG-GU005: A Phase III Trial of SBRT vs. Hypofractionated IMRT for Localized Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer. Paper presented during the Plenary Session at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. San Francisco, CA. (2025, September-October).
About NRG Oncology
NRG Oncology conducts practice-changing, multi-institutional clinical and translational research to improve the lives of patients with cancer. Founded in 2012, NRG Oncology is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit corporation that integrates the research of the legacy National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) programs. The research network seeks to carry out clinical trials with emphasis on sex-specific malignancies, including gynecologic, breast, and prostate cancers, and on localized or locally advanced cancers of all types. NRG Oncology’s extensive research organization comprises multidisciplinary investigators, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, physicists, pathologists, and statisticians, and encompasses more than 1,300 research sites located world-wide with predominance in the United States and Canada. NRG Oncology is supported primarily through grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and is one of five research groups in the NCI’s National Clinical Trials Network. www.nrgoncology.org
END
NRG Oncology trial results show favorable bowel health related quality of life outcomes for localized immediate risk prostate cancer treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy
2025-09-29
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Could nasal sprays replace needles for delivering adrenaline to anaphylactic patients?
2025-09-29
Vienna, Austria: Instead of stabbing yourself, or someone else, in the thigh with a needle to deliver a dose of adrenaline to counter anaphylactic shock, would it not be easier to use a nasal spray instead?
A study presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress today (Tuesday) shows that liquid or powder nasal sprays are as effective and sometimes even better than injection devices such as EpiPens® for delivering adrenaline [1].
Anaphylaxis is an acute allergic reaction to substances, such as nuts or insect bites or stings, and is a life-threatening emergency. A patient who goes into ...
Children lose 8.45 million days of healthy life due to second hand smoke
2025-09-29
Children lose 8.45 million days of healthy life each year globally due to second hand smoke, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands [1]. Children from low socio-economic regions face the biggest impact of breathing second hand smoke, also known as passive smoking.
The study was presented by Dr Siyu Dai, Assistant Professor in the School of Clinical Medicine at Hangzhou Normal University and an Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Paediatrics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
She told the Congress: “Second-hand smoke is a major contributor ...
Indoor wood burners linked to a decline in lung function
2025-09-29
Using a wood burning stove at home can lead to a decline in lung function, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands [1].
The study was presented by Dr Laura Horsfall, Principal Research Fellow from the Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, UK.
The use of solid fuel for domestic heating has increased in Europe due to the marketing of wood as renewable energy and high fossil fuel prices. In the UK, the proportion of harmful ...
Yale researchers develop novel test for leptospirosis
2025-09-29
New Haven, Conn. — In a new study, Yale School of Medicine (YSM) researchers unveiled a novel diagnostic method for detecting leptospiral virulence-modifying (VM) proteins in the blood and urine of hamsters, an advance that could pave the way for early diagnosis of the tropical disease leptospirosis in humans and improved treatment options. The findings were published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.
Found around the world, leptospirosis affects approximately 1 million people annually, with nearly 60,000 fatalities. The disease is caused by the bacterium Leptospira and is spread ...
Medicaid unwinding associated with less medication treatment for opioid use disorder
2025-09-29
The end of pandemic-era enrollment enhancements for Medicaid was associated with a rise in the number of people ending medication treatment for opioid use disorder, as well as a decrease in the number of people beginning such treatment, according to a new RAND study.
While some people who disenrolled from Medicaid may have found other methods to pay for drug treatment, the overall number of those initiating and continuing medication treatment for opioid use disorder declined in the six months after Medicaid unwinding began. The changes were greatest in states that have had the largest disenrollments.
The study ...
Rapid flash Joule heating technique unlocks efficient rare‑earth element recovery from electronic waste
2025-09-29
A team of researchers including Rice University’s James Tour and Shichen Xu has developed an ultrafast, one-step method to recover rare earth elements (REEs) from discarded magnets using an innovative approach that offers significant environmental and economic benefits over traditional recycling methods. Their study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Sept. 29, 2025.
Conventional rare earth recycling is energy-heavy and creates toxic waste. The research team’s method uses flash Joule heating (FJH), which rapidly raises material temperatures to thousands of degrees within milliseconds, and chlorine gas to extract REEs from ...
First randomized study comparing proton and photon radiation therapy for breast cancer finds both preserve quality of life
2025-09-29
SAN FRANCISCO, September 29, 2025 — The first randomized trial to compare photon- and proton-based radiation therapy for breast cancer finds that patients report equally strong health-related quality of life with either treatment. Patients who received proton therapy were more likely to say they would recommend or choose it again, but overall patient-reported outcomes were similar.
The phase III Radiotherapy Comparative Effectiveness (RadComp) trial enrolled more than 1,200 patients, making it also the largest head-to-head comparison of photon and proton therapy for any ...
Shorter radiation improves patient experience but not disease control for intermediate-risk prostate cancer
2025-09-29
SAN FRANCISCO, September 29, 2025 — For patients with intermediate-risk, localized prostate cancer, radiation therapy delivered in five sessions reduced patient-reported side effects compared to longer courses of radiation, according to results of a large, randomized phase III trial. Patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) reported fewer declines in bowel, urinary and sexual functioning but were more likely to experience a rise in prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Initial results of the NRG Oncology GU005 ...
Scientists successfully recreate wildfire-induced thunderstorms in Earth system models for the first time
2025-09-29
On September 5, 2020, California’s Creek Fire grew so severe that it began producing it’s own weather system. The fire’s extreme heat produced an explosive thunderhead that spewed lightning strikes and further fanned the roaring flames, making containment elusive and endangering the lives of firefighters on the ground. These wildfire-born storms have become a growing part of fire seasons across the West, with lasting impacts on air quality, weather, and climate. Until now, scientists have struggled to replicate them in Earth system models, hindering our ability to predict their occurrence ...
AI tool may enable opportunistic assessment of body composition from routine imaging, identify patients at cardiovascular risk
2025-09-29
Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 29 September 2025
Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Linkedin
Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of ...