In July 2022, the Roudebush VA Medical Center was among the first VA health care facilities nationwide to use this new stereotactic body radiotherapy for metastatic prostate cancer.

“This novel therapy is a meaningful milestone for the prostate cancer community,” said Dr. Brett Pieper, MD, Section Chief of Nuclear Medicine at the Roudebush VA Medical Center. “With the addition of this treatment, we are proud to offer our Veterans one of the most advanced treatment options available for this challenging cancer.”

This prostate cancer therapy is available as part of VA’s STARPORT trial – VA’s Trial of STAndard Systemic theRapy With or Without PET-directed Local Therapy for OligoRecurrenT Prostate Cancer, a clinical trial that looks to improve survivorship for one of VA’s most diagnosed cancers. Since July, VA has begun offering this treatment at additional VA medical centers in Los Angeles and Chicago.

This new therapy is one way VA is contributing to the goals of Cancer Moonshot – reducing cancer deaths. More than 43,000 Veterans are diagnosed with cancer each year and millions are considered at risk. The Cancer Moonshot aims to reduce cancer deaths by 25 percent by 2040.

The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center is the flagship medical center for Veteran Health Indiana, the VA’s healthcare system in central and southern Indiana. The health system has been serving Hoosier Veterans since 1932. As Indiana’s Level 1a, tertiary care Veteran facility, the medical center serves as home base for a system of inpatient and outpatient care locations serving more than 62,000 Veterans.

For more information, contact Public Affairs Officer Mark Turney at mark.turney@va.gov | cell 317-224-8133 or Deputy Public Affairs Officer Angela Taylor at angela.taylor@va.gov | cell 317-987-9052.