Pioneering Medicine: TPR and UT Health San Antonio Researchers Revolutionize Prostate Cancer Treatments

The collaboration between TPR and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, known as Science & Medicine, is exploring how scientific advancements in San Antonio can influence medical practices globally. Dr. Christien Kluwe, a radiation oncologist at Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio, is one of the researchers involved in this partnership. He acknowledges the need to revolutionize how men with prostate cancer are approached due to improving technologies and longer life expectancies.

Kluwe questions whether every prostate cancer patient needs androgen deprivation therapy like testosterone blockers and aims to identify those who will benefit significantly from a decrease in testosterone levels. He believes in treating patients with the appropriate therapy based on their individual needs and not putting them through treatments that may not provide substantial benefits.

Additionally, Kluwe is researching radiation techniques such as stereotactic body radiation therapy, which has significantly improved outcomes for prostate cancer patients. This precise and powerful treatment allows for the delivery of high doses of radiation in just five days, compared to the traditional eight weeks of treatment. By using tiny pellets the size of grains of rice, radiation can be directed specifically to the cancerous cells, sparing healthy surrounding tissue.

The five-year survival rate for prostate cancer is 97%, making it the most common cancer diagnosed in men. Kluwe’s research into new treatments and technologies aims to improve these outcomes even further, providing hope for men with prostate cancer and their families.