BY BILLIE KAAL
Hunter residents are being encouraged to part take in a clinical cancer trial looking at testing new methods of treatment for men with localized prostate cancer.
The NINJA trial is putting emphasis on making shorter schedules of radiation therapy available to regional communities in hopes of making treatment more accessible for all.
The trial will place two different versions of radiation therapy head to head, looking at the effectiveness of fourteen visits versus five visits.
The trial is now available to patients at GenesisCare in Maitland, with Professor Jarad Martin believing this will have a positive impact on men living in this community.
"Regional patients often miss out on cutting edge clinical trials and it really takes effort to set these things up," he said.
"We've really made it a priority to have such options available for men in regional centres because that's how you get the best outcomes."
A man from Raymond Terrace has become the trial's 200th participant, completing his treatment at GenesisCare Maitland.
The trial has now been running for three years, with Professor Martin saying the results have been positive.
He hopes this will continue now that more individuals have access to the treatment.
