Jack Ady Cancer Centre launches Alberta's first rural cancer trial
The Jack Ady Cancer Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta, has opened a researcher-led clinical trial investigating whether prostate cancer radiotherapy can be safely condensed from five sessions to just two, marking the first time a cancer centre outside Calgary or Edmonton has hosted such a study in the province.
The trial, known as DAPAR, builds on the shift away from conventional radiotherapy schedules. Standard prostate radiation has historically involved up to 39 daily fractions over several weeks. A hypofractionation approach, now widely accepted, cuts that to five weekly sessions. DAPAR takes the next step by asking whether two treatments can achieve equivalent outcomes in appropriately selected patients, with the second session personalised to each individual's biological response.
How the trial works
What distinguishes the protocol is its use of MRI imaging after the first dose. Scans assess how the tumour has responded to the initial radiation, and that data is then used to tailor the second treatment rather than applying a fixed, standardised dose. Principal investigator Dr Charles Kirkby, a senior medical physicist at Jack Ady, described the ambition as delivering "the right dose, to the right place, at the right time for each patient." Participants will be monitored over two years to evaluate effectiveness against current standards of care.
Funding for the trial came from the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, in partnership with the Alberta Cancer Foundation, making it a donor-supported initiative rather than one backed by a commercial sponsor or government research grant. The Owerko Family Centre for Clinical Trials in Calgary is providing operational support, with the collaboration intended to serve as a blueprint for running trials in community settings across the province.
Wider significance for rural access
The geographic milestone is arguably as significant as the scientific question being asked. Cancer clinical trial participation in Canada has historically been concentrated in large academic medical centres. Rural and regional patients frequently face long travel distances to access standard care, let alone trial participation, and this logistical burden is well documented as a driver of under-representation in clinical research.
Alberta's government has framed the initiative within a 10-year strategy to expand clinical trial access province-wide. The approach echoes efforts in other jurisdictions: the US National Cancer Institute has supported community oncology research networks for decades, and NHS England has invested in decentralised trial infrastructure to broaden recruitment beyond teaching hospitals. The evidence base for these models is growing, with decentralised and hybrid designs gaining traction following their accelerated adoption during the Covid-19 pandemic.
If the two-fraction protocol proves safe and effective, the implications extend well beyond Alberta. Ultra-hypofractionated prostate radiotherapy is an active area of investigation globally, and a validated two-session approach would meaningfully reduce the treatment burden for patients and the resource demands on cancer centres. The two-year follow-up window means primary results are unlikely before late 2028, but the design of the study and the community-trial model it establishes are themselves the near-term contribution to the field.