Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy vs Moderately Hypofractionated IMRT for Prostate Cancer

A randomized clinical trial compared stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) with moderately hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in men with localized intermediate-risk prostate cancer, testing whether the shorter SBRT schedule is superior for patient-reported urinary irritative/obstructive and bowel quality of life as well as disease-free survival. The design directly addresses the key clinical question of whether compressing treatment into a handful of high-dose fractions costs patients in side effects or cancer control. Because intermediate-risk localized disease is one of the most common oncology presentations in men, head-to-head randomized data on these two widely used schedules can shape routine radiotherapy practice and shorten treatment burden for large numbers of patients.