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Radiation Oncology
50 Inside News
TROG Cancer
Research
In exciting news, TROG Cancer Research
launched the TROG 15.01 SPARK clinical
trial in March, which will use revolutionary
KIM technology to improve targeting
accuracy for patients undergoing
radiotherapy for prostate cancer—cutting
treatment time from 40 visits to just five.
The SPARK trial .
au/TROG-1501-SPARK) studies an
Australian-developed technology,
Kilovoltage Intrafraction Monitoring
(KIM), which assesses the position of
the cancer in real-time, and enables the
treatment team to redirect the radiation
beam if the cancer moves even by a few
millimetres.
A standard course of radiotherapy for
prostate cancer involves treatment five
times a week for around eight weeks.
Although the side effects are generally
mild, the length of the regimen can be
difficult for some men to manage.
Steve McCluskey (pictured with A/Prof
Jarad Martin) is one of the first people in
the world who will access the novel KIM
treatment at Calvary Mater Newcastle.
He decided to join the SPARK trial after
being recently diagnosed with prostate
cancer and said the reduced number of
hospital visits will make life a lot easier.
“I am a great believer in new technology
and I loved the idea of only having five
visits with minimal chances of major side
effects. I cannot wait to get the treatment
behind me as quickly as possible and get
on with my life,” Steve said.
Trial Co-Chair, Prof Paul Keall, said the
innovative technology has the potential
to be transformative for men with early
stage prostate cancer, significantly
decreasing their treatment time.
“The KIM technology will enable safer
radiation dose intensification, and
therefore the SPARK trial cancer patients
will be treated in five treatment sessions
over two weeks,” he said.
“Potential patients are enthusiastic about
the increased accuracy and the shorter
treatment time. There are economic
benefits to shorter treatment times also,
reducing hospital workload and costs, as
well as the time off work and transport for
patients and their families.
“KIM is a technology being developed
and pioneered in Australia, and is
applicable to other cancers affected
by motion, including lung, liver, kidney
and pancreas cancers. This Australian
technology could become the global
standard of care for many cancer
patients.”
A/Prof Jarad Martin is the clinical Co-
Chair of SPARK, and is excited to be able
to offer this promising treatment option
for men in Newcastle and beyond.
“Radiotherapy is already a safe and
effective treatment option for men with
prostate cancer. SPARK is another step in
us exploring novel ways to make a good
treatment even better,” he said.
SPARK will recruit 48 patients around
Australia and researchers expect
the efficacy of the KIM technology
to be known in late 2017. The trial is
coordinated by TROG Cancer Research,
co-funded by Cancer Australia and the
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
and sponsored by the University of
Sydney.
Art4TROG
The opening night of the inaugural
Art4TROG exhibition was held on
Friday 6 May and was an enjoyable and
successful event, raising both funds for
the TROG 07.01 breast cancer trial and
awareness of radiotherapy clinical trials
research. We are grateful to the 17
emerging and established artists from
the Hunter area who participated in the
exhibition, creating an array of works
based on their experiences with cancer
and donating a portion of any proceeds
from the sale of work to TROG. The
silent auction held on the opening night
was also successful, with generous bids
placed on all items, including a limited
edition Charles Blackman print and
a portrait sitting with Archibald Prize
finalist, Jocelyn Maughan.
For further information on
TROG Cancer Research visit