The ProtecT Trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, showed that Active Monitoring of all low- and many intermediate-risk prostate cancers was safe and that death rates were essentially the same whether the men were assigned to surgery, or radiation, or were followed with what is now known as Active Surveillance.
Freddie Hamdy CBE, Head of the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences at the University of Oxford and lead investigator of the ProtecT Trial, said: 'I want to say how touched I am for the ProtecT team by this generous award and recognition of our work by ASPI, and what a wonderful surprise it is. It feels so very special to be recognised by the very people we have been trying to help.'
'We started ProtecT over 25 years ago, because we wanted to help patients with PSA-detected prostate cancer to decide what treatment to choose, which can be daunting, by providing high-quality evidence, and importantly measuring and analysing patient-reported outcomes alongside the clinical outcomes of our trial. We did not know what to expect. But with our findings, we do believe that it now allows men to consider all options, and to have confidence in Active Surveillance when appropriate.'
Jenny Donovan PhD, of the University of Bristol and co-lead investigator, added: 'I am also absolutely thrilled and honored that we have been nominated for this ASPI Special Award. We set out all those years ago, involving patients at every stage of the study, to provide high-quality information about the trade-offs that are needed when making the decision about which treatment pathway to follow.'
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences.