Cancer News Around the Web
May 06, 2019
Role of novel imaging in the management of prostate cancer
This review summarizes novel imaging in the management of prostate cancer including multiparametric MRI, PET-CT scans with different radiotracers including 11C-acetate, 11C-choline, 18F-choline, 18F sodium fluoride, prostate-specific membrane antigen, and anti-1-amino-3-[18F] fluorocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid (fluciclovine)...
May 03, 2019
The current state of randomized clinical trial evidence for prostate brachytherapy
Interstitial brachytherapy is one of several curative therapeutic options for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. In this review, we summarize all available randomized data to support the optimal use of prostate brachytherapy...
May 02, 2019
‘Fake News’ in urology: evaluating the accuracy of articles shared on social media in genitourinary malignancies
Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy of the most popular articles on social media platforms pertaining to genitourinary malignancies, and to identify the prevalence of misinformation available to patients...
April 03, 2019
Single-fraction brachytherapy as monotherapy for early-stage prostate cancer: The UCSF experience
Purpose: High-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy as monotherapy is an effective treatment option for localized prostate cancer, but experience with single-fraction brachytherapy is limited by studies with small sample size. We report a large single-institution experience with single-fraction HDR brachytherapy as monotherapy for early-stage prostate cancer...
March 16, 2019
Permanent prostate brachytherapy is safe in men with severe baseline lower urinary tract symptoms
Purpose: To evaluate the long-term urinary outcomes of men with severe pretreatment lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) treated with permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB) ± external beam radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer...
March 07, 2019
Reducing seed migration to near zero with stranded-seed implants: Comparison of seed migration rates to the chest in 1000 permanent prostate brachytherapy patients undergoing implants with loose or stranded seeds
Purpose: Pulmonary seed emboli to the chest may occur after permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB). The purpose of this study is to analyze factors associated with seed migration to the chest in a large series of PPB patients from a single institution undergoing implant with either loose seeds (LS), mixed loose and stranded seeds (MS), or exclusively stranded seeds in an absorbable vicryl suture (VS)...
February 28, 2019
Current state of interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) education in Italy: results of the INTERACTS survey
Purpose: Rapid evolution and improvement of technology in radiation oncology and the complexity of each area of radiotherapy (RT) practice determined the need for an adequate and flexible practical training system. In the field of interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy – BT), a decline in BT utilization was detected in the 1990’s, essentially due to technological improvement of external beam RT...
February 01, 2019
Combined-modality 125J-seed-brachytherapy, external beam radiation and androgen deprivation therapy of unfavorable-risk prostate cancer: report of outcomes and side-effects
Purpose: To analyze outcomes and complication rates in an unselected cohort of men with unfavorable (NCCN intermediate and high-risk) PCa receiving combined-modality radiation treatment (CRT)...
January 16, 2019
Impact of a dominant intraprostatic lesion (DIL) boost defined by sextant biopsy in permanent I-125 prostate implants on biochemical disease free survival (bDFS) and toxicity outcomes
Background and purpose: To compare bDFS and toxicity outcomes in a population of intermediate risk prostate cancer patients treated using I-125 LDR brachytherapy with or without DIL boost based on multiple core biopsy maps...
January 10, 2019
Surgery Versus Radiation for High-risk Prostate Cancer: The Fight Continues. But Is It Time To Call a Draw and Reach Consensus?
Management of high-risk prostate cancer (PC) is one of the most contentious issues that urologists face. Level 1 evidence shows that adding external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) improves survival outcomes in high-risk and locally advanced PC [1]...
January 09, 2019
Long-term oncological and functional outcomes support use of low-dose-rate brachytherapy with or without external beam radiation in young men (≤60 years) with localized prostate cancer
PURPOSE: To evaluate the oncological and functional outcomes of young men treated with low-dose-rate brachytherapy (BT) for prostate cancer (PCa)...
January 09, 2019
A comparative analysis of overall survival between high-dose-rate and low-dose-rate brachytherapy boosts for unfavorable-risk prostate cancer
Purpose: External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy boost has been associated with improved biochemical progression–free survival and overall survival (OS) compared with dose-escalated EBRT (DE-EBRT) alone for unfavorable-risk prostate cancer...
November 15, 2018
Disadvantageous Socioeconomic Position at Specific Life Periods May Contribute to Prostate Cancer Risk and Aggressiveness
Background: Previous studies on socioeconomic position (SEP) and risk of prostate cancer (PCa) have produced contradictory results. Most measured SEP only once during the individuals' life span. The aim of the study was to identify life course models that describe best the relationship between SEP measured...
November 08, 2018
Combined Low Dose Rate Brachytherapy and External Beam Radiation Therapy for Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer
Introduction: This is a retrospective study conducted to report the tumor control and late toxicity outcomes of patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer undergoing combination external beam radiation therapy and low dose rate brachytherapy (LDR-PB)...
November 01, 2018
Brachytherapy Improves 10-year Overall Survival Compared to Prostatectomy Alone in Young Men (≤60) with Low- and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer: An NCDB Analysis
Purpose/Objective(s): The treatment of prostate cancer, weather with prostatectomy, radiation therapy, or active surveillance varies based on risk factors including Gleason score (GS), PSA value and T staging. There is controversy regarding the impact of age on treatment modality choice for those with locally advanced prostate cancer despite the current risk stratification...
October 31, 2018
Predicting pubic arch interference in permanent prostate brachytherapy based on the specific parameters derived from nuclear magnetic resonance imaging
Purpose: The aim of this study was to establish a more reliable method to predict pubic arch interference (PAI) before permanent prostate brachytherapy...
October 23, 2018
Patient-reported data confirms efficacy of brachytherapy alone in intermediate risk prostate cancer
Oncology trial RTOG 0232 comparing a combined treatment of external beam therapy and brachytherapy (EBT+B) to transperineal interstitial permanent brachytherapy (B) alone indicate a significantly different clinician and patient-reported late toxicity profile between arms despite similarities in progression-free survival results...
October 09, 2018
A Prospective Phase II Trial of Trans-perineal Ultrasound-Guided Brachytherapy for Locally Recurrent Prostate Cancer after External Beam Radiotherapy (NRG Oncology/RTOG -0526)
Purpose: Only retrospective data is available for low dose rate (LDR) salvage prostate brachytherapy for local recurrence after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). The primary objective of this prospective Phase II trial (NCT00450411) was to evaluate late gastrointestinal and genitourinary adverse events (AEs) after salvage LDR brachytherapy...
October 04, 2018
Permanent prostate brachytherapy monotherapy with I-125 for low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer: Outcomes in 974 patients
Purpose: To report outcomes of patients undergoing low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy and investigate factors associated with biochemical failure and survival...
September 25, 2018
Patient-reported health-related quality of life outcomes after HDR brachytherapy between small (<60 cc) and large (≥60 cc) prostate glands
PURPOSE: Patients with large prostate glands are underrepresented in clinical trials incorporating brachytherapy due to concerns for excessive toxicity. We sought to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes between small (<60 cc) and large (≥60 cc) prostates treated with high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-B)...
September 20, 2018
Selection of patients who would not require long-term prostate-specific antigen monitoring after low-dose-rate brachytherapy
Purpose: To identify patients at extremely low risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer after low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) to determine when prostate-specific antigen (PSA) monitoring can be stopped...
September 11, 2018
Inferring postimplant dose distribution of salvage permanent prostate implant (PPI) after primary PPI on CT images
Purpose: To evaluate the dose distribution of additional radioactive seeds implanted during salvage permanent prostate implant (sPPI) after a primary permanent prostate implant (pPPI)...
September 11, 2018
Declining brachytherapy utilization for high-risk prostate cancer—Can clinical pathways reverse the trend?
PURPOSE: Although external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) plus a brachytherapy boost (BB) offers a 20% improvement in biochemical progression-free survival compared with dose-escalated EBRT alone for men with intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer, population studies show a concerning decline in BB utilization...
August 31, 2018
Five-year effectiveness of low-dose-rate brachytherapy: comparisons with nomogram predictions in patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer presenting significant control of intra- and periprostatic disease
Purpose: To assess the effectiveness of low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy in patients with localized prostate cancer and to compare the outcome with predictions from Kattan and Partin nomograms at 60 months after seed implantation...
August 29, 2018
Prostate-specific antigen bounce in patients treated before 60 years old by iodine 125 brachytherapy for prostate cancer is frequent and not a prognostic factor
PURPOSE: The only prognostic factor of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) bounce in prostate cancer found in several studies is young age but has never been specifically studied in this subset of patients for long-term results. Bounce characteristics, histological, clinical, and dosimetric data in young patients were analyzed, as well as their impact on toxicity and survival...
August 22, 2018
Long-term outcomes analysis of low-dose-rate brachytherapy in clinically T3 high-risk prostate cancer
Purpose: The available data demonstrating that superiority of LDR brachytherapy (LDR-BT) boost in high-risk prostate cancer patients under represents patients with extracapsular extension (T3a) and/or seminal vesicle invasion (T3b) have been limited. We report long-term clinical outcomes data for patients with cT3a/b disease receiving LDR-BT...
August 01, 2018
Cost-effectiveness of prostate boost with high-dose-rate brachytherapy versus intensity-modulated radiation therapy in the treatment of intermediate-high risk prostate cancer
PURPOSE: The recently published ASCENDE-RT randomized clinical trial demonstrated improved biochemical control, albeit with increased toxicity, for a prostate boost with brachytherapy versus external beam radiation therapy alone in patients with intermediate-high risk prostate cancer...
July 26, 2018
High-volume providers and brachytherapy practice: A Medicare provider utilization and payment analysis
PURPOSE: Brachytherapy is an important component of the treatment of gynecologic and prostate
cancers, with data supporting its impact on clinical outcomes. Prior data have suggested that brachytherapy tends to be focused at high-volume centers. Medicare reimbursement data can provide an understanding of the distribution of brachytherapy cases among billing providers...
July 18, 2018
High-dose-rate interstitial brachytherapy as monotherapy in one fraction of 20.5 Gy for the treatment of localized prostate cancer: Toxicity and 6-year biochemical results
Purpose: To evaluate acute and late genitourinary toxicity, the gastrointestinal toxicity, and the long-term biochemical control after high-dose-rate (HDR) monotherapy in one fraction (20.5 Gy)...
June 30, 2018
Hypofractionated external beam radiation therapy in combination with HDR boost for localized prostate cancer: patient reported quality of life outcomes
Purpose: There is limited data to support the use of hypofractionated external beam radiation (HypoF) in combination with high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR). We report our quality of life (QOL) outcomes when treating intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer patients with external beam radiation (EBRT) plus HDR...
June 30, 2018
UK & Ireland Prostate Brachytherapy Practice Survey 2014-2016
Purpose: To document the current prostate brachytherapy practice across the UK and Ireland and compare with previously published audit results...
June 30, 2018
Low-dose-rate brachytherapy for prostate cancer in renal transplant recipients
Purpose: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy among men and one of the most common neoplasms affecting renal transplant recipients (RTRs). The available treatments for localized PCa among the general population (GP), surgery and external beam radiotherapy, carry a risk of damage to the transplanted kidney, the ureters, and the bladder and therefore tend to be avoided by most groups...
June 22, 2018
Nationwide Japanese Prostate Cancer Outcome Study of Permanent Iodine-125 Seed Implantation (J-POPS): first analysis on survival
Background: Investigating oncological outcomes in patients registered in the Japanese Prostate Cancer Outcome Study of Permanent Iodine-125 Seed Implantation (J-POPS) in terms of biochemical relapse-free survival (bRFS) by the Phoenix and the newly developed J-POPS definitions, exploration of predictive factors for bRFS, and preliminary verification of pitfalls of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure definitions...
May 08, 2018
The role of salvage brachytherapy for local relapse after external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most prevalent cancer amongst men. For localized disease, there currently exist several reliable treatment modalities including surgery, radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Our growing understanding of this disease indicates that local control plays a very important role in prevention of subsequent dissemination...
April 30, 2018
A single institution analysis of low-dose-rate brachytherapy: 5-year reported survival and late toxicity outcomes
Purpose: Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy has been used in Australia since 1998 as curative treatment, either as a boost to external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or monotherapy in the management of non-metastatic prostate cancer. More recently, the use of Iodine-125 for permanent LDR brachytherapy implants...
March 30, 2018
Radiation Therapy Research: A Global Analysis 2001-2015
Radiation therapy is a core modality of cancer treatment; however, concerns have been expressed regarding its underutilization and its lack of prioritization as a research domain relative to other cancer treatment modalities, despite its rapid technical evolution...
March 27, 2018
Prostate segmentation in transrectal ultrasound using magnetic resonance imaging priors
Purpose: In the current standard of care, real-time transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) is commonly used for prostate brachytherapy guidance. As TRUS provides limited soft tissue contrast, segmenting the prostate gland in TRUS images is often challenging and subject to inter-observer and intra-observer variability, especially at the base and apex where the gland boundary is hard to define...
March 21, 2018
Prostate irradiation with focal dose escalation to the intraprostatic dominant nodule: a systematic review
Radiation therapy (RT) is a curative treatment option for localized prostate cancer. Prostate irradiation with focal dose escalation to the intraprostatic dominant nodule (IDN) is an emerging treatment option that involves the prophylactic irradiation of the whole prostate while increasing RT doses to the visible prostatic tumor...
March 06, 2018
Radical Prostatectomy, External Beam Radiotherapy, or External Beam Radiotherapy With Brachytherapy Boost and Disease Progression and Mortality in Patients With Gleason Score 9-10 Prostate Cancer
Question: Is there a difference in prostate cancer–specific mortality and distant metastasis associated with extremely dose-escalated radiotherapy, external beam radiotherapy, or radical prostatectomy in patients with Gleason score 9-10 prostate cancer?
February 28, 2018
A comparative assessment of inhomogeneity and finite patient dimension effects in 60Co and 192Ir high-dose-rate brachytherapy
Purpose: To perform a comparative study of heterogeneities and finite patient dimension effects in 60Co and 192Ir high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy...
February 20, 2018
NCCN releases updated guidelines on management of prostate cancer
As it does at least once a year, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has just released version 1.2018 of its guidelines for physicians on the management of prostate cancer...
January 18, 2018
Quality of training in radiation oncology in Germany: where do we stand?
Purpose: To evaluate the current situation of young radiation oncologists in Germany with regard to the contents and quality of training and level of knowledge, as well as their working conditions and professional satisfaction...
December 12, 2017
Low dose rate prostate brachytherapy
Low dose rate (LDR) prostate brachytherapy is an evidence based radiation technique with excellent oncologic outcomes. By utilizing direct image guidance for radioactive source placement, LDR brachytherapy provides superior radiation dose escalation and conformality compared to external beam radiation therapy (EBRT)...
October 30, 2017
Does supplemental external beam radiation therapy impact urinary, bowel, and erectile function following permanent prostate brachytherapy?: results of two prospective randomized trials
Purpose: To evaluate the impact of supplemental external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) prior to permanent prostate brachytherapy on long term urinary, bowel, and erectile function...
October 30, 2017
Radiation treatment of prostate cancers – the contemporary role of modern brachytherapy techniques
Life expectancy is rising and the population is ageing in most countries [1]. Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second commonest diagnosed malignancy and it is the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality in men, representing a public health burden worldwide. Furthermore, the majority of PCa (around 62%) is diagnosed in men over 65 years [2]...
October 30, 2017
What pelvic radiation disease symptoms are experienced by patients receiving external beam radiotherapy and a high-dose-rate brachytherapy boost for prostate cancer?
Purpose: Research describing proctitis or pelvic radiation disease symptoms of prostate cancer patients one year after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) plus high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy is limited. This study aimed to assess prostate cancer patients’ pelvic radiation disease symptoms from baseline to 12 months post-radiotherapy...
August 30, 2017
Prostate cancer-specific death in brachytherapy treated high-risk patients stratified by pre-treatment PSA
Purpose: To evaluate prostate-cancer specific mortality (PCSM) in a cohort of high-risk patients treated with a permanent prostate brachytherapy approach, stratified by pre-treatment PSA...
August 30, 2017
Focal therapy for prostate cancer: the technical challenges
Focal therapy for prostate cancer has been proposed as an alternative treatment to whole gland therapy, offering the opportunity for tumor dose escalation and/or reduced toxicity. Brachytherapy, either low-dose-rate or high-dose-rate, provides an ideal approach, offering both precision in dose delivery and opportunity for a highly conformal, non-uniform dose distribution...
August 02, 2017
Long-term oncological outcomes and toxicity in 597 men aged ≤60 years at time of low-dose-rate brachytherapy for localised prostate cancer
Objectives: To report oncological and functional outcomes of men treated with low-dose-rate (LDR) prostate brachytherapy aged ≤60 years at time of treatment...
July 28, 2017
Brachytherapy patient safety events in an academic radiation medicine program
Purpose: To describe the incidence and type of brachytherapy patient safety events over 10 years in an academic brachytherapy program...
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GEC-ESTRO Handbook of Brachytherapy:
ABS Brachytherapy Guidelines and Consensus Statements:
