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Treating the prostate with radiotherapy alongside standard treatment substantially improves survival for some men with advanced prostate cancer, according to results from the STAMPEDE trial, published in The Lancet and presented at the 2018 ESMO Annual Meeting in Munich, Germany yesterday. These findings are practice changing and will mean radiotherapy, alongside hormone therapy should become the standard of care for some men with advanced prostate cancer. In this part of the STAMPEDE trial, more than 2,000 men with prostate cancer that had already spread beyond the prostate were randomly split into two groups:   Group A received standard treatment (hormone therapy, plus docetaxel for those men who were recruited in 2016) Group H received standard treatment (hormone therapy, plus docetaxel for those men who were recruited in 2016) plus radiotherapy to their prostate.   After three years of follow-up, the researchers found that overall, there was no difference in how long men ...

The STAMPEDE trial has received the '2017 David Sackett Trial of the Year Award' from the Society for Clinical Trials (SCT). Each year since 2008, the SCT has presented the award to the randomized clinical trial published in the previous year that best fulfils exacting standards. The trial must provide the basis for a substantial, beneficial change in healthcare, reflect expertise, methodological excellence, and concern for its participants. The trial's design, execution, and results must be a model of clarity and intellectual soundness. The international award was presented at the 39th SCT Annual Meeting held 20-23 May 2018, in Portland, Oregon. Professor Mahesh Parmar, Director of MRC CTU at UCL and the UCL Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, accepted the award on behalf of the STAMPEDE trial team. Professor Parmar said: "The STAMPEDE trial's innovative design allows us to achieve answers to questions decades before the more traditional sequential two-arm trial approac ...

STAMPEDE has been shortlisted for the BMJ UK Research Paper of the Year award for the second year in a row; the first to be shortlisted twice for different papers. Now in their 10th year, The BMJ Awards are the UK's leading medical awards. They promote excellence in healthcare and recognise the inspirational work of healthcare teams across the country. This coveted award recognises original research that has the potential to contribute significantly to improving health and health care. MRC CTU at UCL has previously featured at the awards, with wins for ARROW and FEAST, and nominations for STAMPEDE and QUARTZ. A huge amount of work goes on within hospitals and the central coordinating centre across the length of a trial. The nomination is a timely reminder of the nature of these large collaborative projects, which typically run over many years. The shortlisted paper is titled 'Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer Not Previously Treated with Hormone Therapy.' "Abiraterone not only prolon ...

Docetaxel or abiraterone, in addition to standard care, are very effective treatments for men with prostate cancer due to start long-term hormone therapy. Findings from the STAMPEDE trial and STOPCAP network meta-analysis, helping clinicians to choose between them, were published recently in Annals of Oncology. The STAMPEDE trial, directly compared men recruited to the trial between November 2011 and March 2013. Patients were randomised to receive either docetaxel plus standard hormone therapy, or abiraterone plus standard hormone therapy. This is the first direct randomised data comparing the two treatments. The STOPCAP network meta-analysis represents the most comprehensive and reliable assessment of the effects of current treatment options for men whose prostate cancer has spread, and who are starting long-term hormone therapy for the first time.  Results based on all current trial data show that abiraterone plus standard hormone therapy is most likely to be the best treatment; do ...

As the STAMPEDE trial recruits its 10,000th participant, we would like to mark this milestone and take the opportunity to thank everyone involved, particularly participants and their families, all the hundreds of hospital staff involved and the staff at the MRC CTU at UCL. It would not be possible to help improve care for men with advanced prostate cancer without the dedication and continued involvement of all of these people. Impact on treatments for patients with prostate cancer STAMPEDE is the largest ever prostate cancer treatment trial. The study has already demonstrated improved survival with the addition of either docetaxel or abiraterone to standard-of-care treatment for men starting long-term hormone therapy. The clinical results from STAMPEDE on docetaxel were published in early 2016 and have changed the treatment for men with prostate cancer worldwide. Docetaxel is now available on the NHS to men with cancer that has spread to distant parts of their body. However, it is ...