Medicina Nuclear e Radioterapia

High dose rate brachytherapy for prostate cancer: rationale, current applications and clinical outcome

Abstract

Iosif Strouthos

High-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR BRT) has been enjoying rapid acceptance as a treatment modality offered to selected prostate cancer patients devoid of risk group, employed either alone or in combination with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and is currently one of the most active clinical research areas. This review explores the rationale of HDR BRT as a highly conformal dose delivery method enabling safe dose-escalation to the prostate, its current clinical indication spectrum backed up by valid long-term data in regard to the encouraging oncologic outcomes and favourable toxicity profile, as well as emerging applications and how it will feature alongside stereotactic radiosurgery.