A randomised study of a diet intervention to maintain consistent rectal volume for patients receiving radical radiotherapy to the prostate

Figures & data

Table I. Demographic characteristics of prostate cancer patients participating in a diet intervention and bowel motion compliance study (total N = 30).

	Standard therapy n/N (%)	Diet intervention n/N (%)
Age (years) Mean (± SD)	69 (± 8.5)	70.4 (± 5.8)
Risk group (MD Anderson)
Low	1/15 (7)	2/15 (13)
Intermediate	6/15 (40)	5/15 (33)
High	8/15 (53)	8/15 (53)
Previous TURP	5/15 (33)	3/15 (20)
Hormone therapy	11/15 (73)	12/15 (80)

TURP, transurethral resection of the prostate.

Figure 1. Boxplot displaying the per-patient rectal volume standard deviation – a measure of rectal volume variability, grouped per randomisation. The bar represents the median rectal volume standard deviation per randomisation; the box represents the inter-quartile range and the whiskers represent the 95 percentile.

Table II. Relationship between rectal filling at superior and centre slices of the rectum to randomisation of standard therapy or diet intervention.

		Treatment arm
		Standard		Intervention
Rectal filling		Y	N	Y	N	p-value
Superior	Empty	89	161	88	119	0.13
	Gas	59	191	38	169	0.17
	Moving gas	10	240	10	197	0.67
	Faeces	119	131	94	113	0.64
Centre	Empty	108	142	130	77	< 0.001
	Gas	62	188	28	179	0.003
	Moving gas	5	245	6	201	0.58
	Faeces	95	155	53	154	0.004