What is Radiation Cystitis?
Radiation Cystitis (also known as Irradiation Cystitis or “RC”) is a rare and serious side effect that arises from anticancer radiation therapy for pelvic malignancies including prostate, rectal, endometrial and cervical cancers. Symptoms include hematuria (urinary bleeding) and other voiding symptoms such as urinary pain and incontinence.
Hemorrhagic cystitis is a closely related condition and is often used synonymously with RC. Hemorrhagic cystitis refers to the same urinary symptoms as RC which result from of either anticancer radiation therapy and/or certain types of anticancer chemotherapy.
Patients with RC and often experience variations or flares of these symptoms over time. RC can be a life threatening condition and there are no definitive treatments or cures for RC. Existing options are costly and limited. The condition represents a significant unmet medical need worldwide.
Radiation Cystitis & Public Health:
Despite a growing interest in RC by both the general public and medical communities, the condition remains under-researched.
At this time there is no approved cure available. RC patients and their families are in need of additional medical options and support. We are motivated to encourage and share any advances in the RC field that will have a positive impact on patient life.
In the Community: Clinical Trial
As of November '20, a clinical trial for hemorrhagic cystitis testing a new experimental drug is open for enrollment for qualifying patients at sites in the Pittsburgh, PA and Detroit, MI areas.
The title of the trial is: A Multicenter, Dose-Ranging, Placebo-Controlled Trial Evaluating the Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of LP-10 in Subjects With Refractory Moderate to Severe Hemorrhagic Cystitis. To learn more, including inclusion/exclusion criteria, see the ClinicalTrials.gov entry in the link below. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03129126.
