Rapid HDR Prostate Brachytherapy Treatment for Prostate Cancer Requires only Several Minutes of Radiation Exposure

A new innovative radiation treatment for prostate cancer called High Dose Rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy can deliver a precise radiation dose within several minutes, and is then removed immediately afterwards, minimizing potential side effects and damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

The HDR brachytherapy treatment is a one-hour long outpatient procedure that includes a preliminary Computed Tomography (CT) scan, in-depth radiation treatment planning, and a personalized radiation dose delivered by a robotic system. The procedure is performed by a radiation oncologist together with an urologist. HDR brachytherapy can be combined a short course of external beam radiation, for more aggressive prostate cancers, so that a higher radiation dose can be delivered to the prostate gland.

The Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood, IL, USA) offers the new HDR procedure as well as radical prostatectomy, proton therapy, Image-Guided Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), and LDR brachytherapy. While each of the treatment methods has its advantages and disadvantages, and has been shown to be safe and effective, HDR brachytherapy is a cutting-edge treatment that is convenient, reliable, and customizable.

Loyola radiation oncologist Abhishek Solanki, MD, said, “What sets HDR brachytherapy apart is the ability to sculpt the radiation dose to reliably avoid healthy organs, such as the bladder, rectum and urethra. Since the radiation source is removed immediately after completion of treatment, patients do not have to take radiation precautions after they leave the hospital.”

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Loyola University Medical Center