Radiation seeds effectively cure prostate cancer in young menOctober 30, 2007Procedure less invasive than surgery and preferred by many men Radiation seed implants (brachytherapy) are just as effective at curing prostate cancer in younger men (aged 60 and younger) as they are in older men, according to a study presented at a scientific session on October 31, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive procedure where a radiation oncologist places small radioactive seeds into the prostate in order to kill the cancer cells. It is an attractive treatment option for patients with prostate cancer because it has a much shorter recovery time than surgery and studies have shown brachytherapy to be just as effective as surgery. However, surgeons have usually advised younger men to undergo surgery to remove all or part of the prostate (prostatectomy) over other treatments like seed implants because they believed younger men could physically tolerate surgery, plus they believed surgery was more effective than brachytherapy at curing prostate cancer long term. This meant that many younger men would undergo surgery without ever learning about other treatment options, like brachytherapy or external beam radiation therapy. "These results suggest that brachytherapy is extremely effective in curing localized prostate cancer for men aged 60 and younger. When younger men are diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, they should be presented with all viable treatment options, including brachytherapy," said Alice Ho, M.D., the lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. "Every man with prostate cancer, regardless of his age, should have access to the treatment that is best for his cancer and lifestyle." The large, retrospective study examined the outcomes of more than 1,700 men with localized prostate cancer who were treated with brachytherapy between 1990 and 2005 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. Results show that younger men had the same excellent outcomes after undergoing brachytherapy as older patients. American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Brachytherapy Current Events and Brachytherapy News Articles Task force develops new radiation guidelines for brachytherapy Radiation dose delivered to the prostate and nearby organs in every brachytherapy procedure should be carefully analyzed using post-implant CT or MRI and uniformly documented in every patient. Hormone therapy for prostate cancer patients with heart conditions linked to increased death risk Men with coronary artery disease-induced congestive heart failure or heart attack who receive hormone therapy before or along with radiation therapy for treatment of prostate cancer have an associated increased risk of death. Study shows seed implants a suitable prostate cancer treatment option for men of all ages Men diagnosed with prostate cancer have a number of treatments to choose from, but it's a daunting task to figure out the right mix of therapies for an individual patient. Prostate cancer patients disease free after 5 years likely to be disease free after 10 years Prostate cancer patients who receive brachytherapy and remain free of disease for five years or greater are unlikely to have a recurrence at 10 years. External beam partial breast irradiation most cost-effective treatment External beam partial breast irradiation (EB-PBI) is the most cost-effective method for treating postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer based on utilities, recurrence risks and costs when compared to whole breast radiotherapy (WBRT) and brachytherapy partial breast irradiation (brachy-PBI). Long-term study shows low oxygen levels in prostate tumors can predict recurrence Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have discovered that low-oxygen regions in prostate tumors can be used to predict a rise in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, a marker of tumor recurrence in prostate cancer. Radiation device in the breast reduces complications for early stage breast cancer patients A new study shows that the SAVI⢠applicator, a small, expandable device inserted inside the breast to deliver partial breast irradiation, carries a low infection risk, a potential complication of such devices. Agent Orange exposure increases veterans' risk of aggressive recurrence of prostate cancer Veterans exposed to Agent Orange are at increased risk of aggressive recurrence of prostate cancer, researchers report. High dosage brachytherapy obtains excellent results in head and neck tumors High-dosage perioperative brachytherapy (applied within the surgical process) obtains excellent results in the treatment of head and neck tumours, at the same time as reducing the period of radiation. Early results favorable for 5-day radiation treatment of early stage prostate cancer Preliminary results show that a shortened course of radiation therapy for prostate cancer called stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) provides good PSA response for early-stage prostate cancer and has the same side effects as other treatments. More Brachytherapy Current Events and Brachytherapy News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||