Targeting treatment‑resistant spots to extend benefit in advanced prostate cancer
Project 3: Extending Clinical Benefit by Selective Treatment of Resistant Lesions in mCRPC
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · NIH-11184192
This project finds resistant tumor spots with advanced PET/CT imaging and uses focused radiation to help men with metastatic castration‑resistant prostate cancer stay on effective systemic therapy longer.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (MADISON, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11184192 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
You will get advanced PET/CT scans analyzed with a new method called Quantitative Total Extensible Imaging (QTxI) to identify which individual metastases are not responding to treatment. Imaging will be done at PSA nadir, at PSA progression, and again after 12 weeks to track lesion‑level responses. The team will run virtual models using different PET metrics to pick which resistant lesions to target and predict the effect of ablating them on total tumor burden. Finally, they will test whether selectively treating those resistant lesions with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is practical and can extend clinical benefit.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are men with metastatic castration‑resistant prostate cancer on second‑generation androgen‑signaling inhibitors who show PSA changes suggesting early progression while many lesions still appear to respond.
Not a fit: Patients with widespread resistance across most metastases, those who cannot undergo PET/CT imaging, or those who are not eligible for SBRT may not gain benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could let men with mCRPC stay on effective systemic drugs longer and delay overall disease progression by locally treating resistant lesions.
How similar studies have performed: Local ablative therapies like SBRT have shown benefit in oligometastatic prostate cancer, but combining lesion‑level PET analytics with selective ablation in mCRPC is relatively new and not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
MADISON, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON — MADISON, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: JERAJ, ROBERT — UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- Study coordinator: JERAJ, ROBERT
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.