Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the cause of approximately 29,000 deaths a year. Currently, the most common treatments for prostate cancer include radical prostatectomy (RP) and prostate brachytherapy using transrectal ultrasonography which delivers 100 percent of the radiation dosage to the entire prostate gland, thereby potentially compromising the health of surrounding tissue (rectum) and interposed tissue (urethra). Through a five-year study period, these researchers determined that MRI Guided Prostate Brachytherapy, which precisely delivers high-dose radiation to the prostate gland where the cancer arises, produces similar PSA control rates as those achieved with RP and other techniques.
"This study is part of a larger effort to cure prostate cancer using minimally invasive techniques that preserve quality of life for our patients," stated the study's lead author, Anthony D'Amico, MD, PhD of BWH and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and associate professor of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School. "Intraoperative magnetic resonance image guided brachytherapy delivers high-dose radiation to the prostate peripheral zone which enables care givers to preserve surrounding tissue and focus solely on addressing the cancer. With this unique treatment, we can help cure our patients while at the same time offer them an opportunity to preserve a high quality of life, even during treatment."
In this study, D'Amico and his colleagues analyzed data from 406 surgical patients and 207 brachytherapy patients. Overall, the analysis showed that the patients who received the less-intrusive brachytherapy treatments produced similar PSA control rates as did RP.
"Prostate cancer can be cured without severely compromising the patient's quality of life," said D'Amico. "Brachytherapy allows us to deliver 100 percent of the radiation to the appropriate areas of the prostate gland and holds promise to help the medical community better localize the cancer and provide a cure."