The phase III HYPO-RT-PC trial has shown that a shorter course of radiotherapy (2 weeks) for localized prostate cancer is just as safe and effective as the traditional 8-week schedule—even 10 years after treatment. The findings, presented at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology's (ESTRO) 2025 Annual Meeting, give both patients and doctors greater confidence in choosing this short-course approach, also called “ultrahypofractionated radiotherapy.”
The study, led by researchers in Sweden, found that delivering precision radiotherapy over just 2.5 weeks is equally successful in treating prostate cancer as the standard 8-week approach. A decade after treatment, both options produced similar disease control rates and survival.
“These long-term findings confirm previous 5-year results from the trial, showing that delivering fewer, higher doses over a shorter period works just as well as the standard approach—not just in theory, but in real-world clinical practice,” said Associate Professors Per Nilsson, MD, PhD, Senior Radiation Physicist, and Adalsteinn Gunnlaugsson, MD, Radiation Oncologist, of Skåne University Hospital and Lund University, respectively, who led the 10-year outcome analysis of the HYPO-RT-PC trial.
For patients, this shorter course of treatment means less disruption to daily life and potentially lower health-care costs—without compromising outcomes and safety, according to the authors.
About the Study
This large phase III clinical trial enrolled 1,200 men with intermediate- to high-risk localized prostate cancer. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either short-course radiotherapy consisting of 42.7 Gy delivered in 7 sessions over 2.5 weeks or standard-course radiotherapy consisting of 78.0 Gy delivered in 39 sessions over 8 weeks. Researchers assessed survival, cancer recurrence, and treatment-related side effects, including urinary and bowel symptoms.
Key Outcomes After 10 Years
After 10 years, researchers reported the following findings:
• Failure-free survival: 72% in the short-course group vs 65% in the standard group
• Overall survival: 81% for short-course vs 79% for standard
• Prostate cancer–specific mortality: 4% in both groups
• Side effects: Urinary and bowel symptoms were similar in both groups, and most were mild to moderate.
“These findings confirm that the shorter course does not increase long-term side effects and provides equally durable cancer control”, added Camilla Thellenberg-Karlsson, MD, PhD, at Umeå University, who presented the results at the ESTRO meeting.
Implications for Cancer Care
These results demonstrate how modern radiotherapy approaches can make treatment more efficient, accessible, and patient-friendly—without sacrificing effectiveness or safety. Professor Matthias Guckenberger, President of ESTRO, added: “Shorter treatment schedules mean patients can return to their normal lives more quickly. Reducing treatment time to just [2.5 weeks] is a major win for both patients and health systems.”
Disclosure: For full disclosures of study authors, visit ESTRO.org.
