For sufferers with low- to intermediate-risk localized prostate most cancers, five-fraction stereotactic physique radiotherapy (SBRT) may very well be a extra handy radiation possibility in contrast with conventional radiation remedy strategies, an knowledgeable mentioned.
Conventional radiation strategies embody exterior beam radiation and brachytherapy, defined Dr. Jonathan E. Leeman. Exterior beam radiation is when radiotherapy is delivered from a machine to focus on the prostate straight, he mentioned. Brachytherapy is the supply of inner radiation by implanting radioactive seeds within the prostate or by way of small catheters inserted into the prostate, Leeman additionally defined.
Glossary:
Catheters: a skinny and versatile tube that’s inserted into the physique to assist ship therapies.
Leeman is a radiation oncologist and director of the MR Linac and Adaptive Radiation Oncology Program and is main analysis in SBRT prostate most cancers at Dana-Faber Most cancers Institute and the Dana-Farber Brigham Most cancers Heart, each in Boston.
READ MORE: SBRT Might Be Efficient in Managing Intermediate-Threat Prostate Most cancers
Nonetheless, these conventional radiation strategies might require “a number of weeks with every day therapies,” Leeman famous. 5-fraction SBRT as a substitute requires 5 periods of radiation remedy, which could be considerably extra handy for sufferers.
Leeman sat down with CURE® to match five-fraction SBRT with conventional radiation strategies for prostate most cancers and what the benefits are.
Transcript:
At face worth, doing five-fraction SBRT in contrast with doing, you realize, 20 or 28 or 44 radiation therapies is clearly rather more handy for folks going by way of most cancers remedy. It is more cost effective. Additionally, it is only a a lot much less disruptive remedy to sufferers’ lives. You’ll be able to think about, needing to return in for remedy every single day over the course of two months, folks making an attempt to work on the identical time, folks generally have to maneuver or commute lengthy distances for his or her therapies. It is actually disruptive.
So if we will shorten the remedy to one thing like 5 periods, it makes it a lot simpler for sufferers. It’ll permit many extra sufferers to be successfully handled. After which there are additionally some form of theoretical the explanation why doing a shorter and extra condensed radiation remedy like 5 fraction SBRT may very well be simpler biologically. So, I believe there are a number of potential benefits of a five-fraction SBRT routine in contrast with conventional radiation.
Transcript was edited for readability and conciseness.
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