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The INSPIRE (INdividualised Care, Survivorship, Prostate, Information, Rehabilitation, and Empowerment) study is the first radiotherapy trial to link cancer centres across the island of Ireland, with sites in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Belfast and Derry~Londonderry. 

The trial will recruit 136 patients from across the island of Ireland over the next two years. 

It will focus on men with localised prostate cancer who will be treated with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), an advanced radiotherapy treatment which can be given to men in just five sessions over one and a half weeks. 

SABR has been shown in major international trials to provide cancer outcomes comparable to conventional radiotherapy, but in a much shorter timeframe, making it a highly efficient and cost-effective treatment for prostate cancer. However, these studies also showed that urinary side-effects were more common in men treated with SABR. 

Clinical researchers across the island of Ireland have therefore developed a novel “second-generation” SABR approach, designed to increase the radiation dose to the tumour within the prostate while reducing the dose to nearby healthy tissues. 

By combining this precise radiotherapy technique with a protective gel spacer, which reduces radiation dose to surrounding organs during treatment, the INSPIRE trial aims to minimise side-effects for men with prostate cancer while maintaining excellent cancer outcomes. 

Co-Chief Investigator, Professor Suneil Jain, Clinical Professor from the Johnston Centre for Cancer Research at Queen’s University Belfast said: 

“More than 5,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year across Ireland, underlining the need to improve treatment while minimising its long-term impact on quality of life. 

"Our hope is that, in the future, most men with localised prostate cancer will need only five radiotherapy treatments with SABR, improving their chances of cancer control and survival, whilst minimising the risk of life-altering side effects.” 

The researchers will also examine whether genetic and biological factors can help predict which patients are more likely to experience side-effects, potentially allowing for more personalised treatment in future. 

The study is sponsored by Cancer Trials Ireland, funded by Teleflex and supported by the Irish Research Radiation Oncology Group.