How successful is HDR brachytherapy for prostate cancer?
How successful is HDR brachytherapy for prostate cancer?
While a variety of dose and fractionations have been used, a single 15 Gy HDR combined with 40–50 Gy external beam radiotherapy results in a disease-free survival of over 90% for intermediate risk and 80% for high risk.
What does HDR radiation mean?
An amount of radiation that is greater than that given in typical radiation therapy. HDR is precisely directed at the tumor to avoid damaging healthy tissue, and may kill more cancer cells in fewer treatments. Also called high-dose radiation.
Who is a candidate for HDR brachytherapy?
Most HDR brachytherapy is combined with EBRT because candidates for this treatment method are intermediate-risk or high-risk prostate cancer groups.
How long does HDR brachytherapy take?
The Iridium-192 radiation source will move through the tubes into your needles. You won’t see or feel the radiation while it’s in your prostate. You may hear a clicking sound from the HDR machine. Your treatment will take about 10 to 20 minutes.
What are the side effects of HDR brachytherapy?
What are the side effects?
- Tiredness and fatigue. You may feel tired for the first few days after treatment as you recover from the anaesthetic.
- Urinary problems. HDR brachytherapy can cause urinary problems, including:
- Erection problems.
- Other sexual problems.
- Having children.
- Bowel problems.
- If you are gay or bisexual.
Is HDR brachytherapy painful?
You shouldn’t feel any pain during brachytherapy, but if you feel uncomfortable or have any concerns, be sure to tell your caregivers. Once the radioactive material is removed from your body, you won’t give off radiation or be radioactive.
What is HDR treatment?
What is High-Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy? HDR brachytherapy is a form of internal radiotherapy where an oncologist: Temporarily implants a catheter — a small plastic tube or balloon — in the tumor area. Places highly radioactive material inside the body for a short time and then retracts it using a remote control.
What should PSA be after HDR brachytherapy?
A PSA nadir <0.5 ng/mL is associated with significantly better long-term freedom from biochemical failure (95.2% vs 71.5%). A PSA level at 5 years after brachytherapy is highly predictive of outcome, with 97.4% 10-year biochemical control in a cohort of 921 men with PSA ≤0.2 ng/mL at 5 years post-brachytherapy.
