High dose rate brachytherapy – long term results

Abstract

Introduction and objective: High-dose-rate brachytherapy with a temporary implant is one of the alternative methods for the treatment of localised prostate carcinoma, along with radical prostatectomy and external beam radiation therapy. The objective of this study is to analyze the long-term treatment results after definitive high-dose-rate brachytherapy for localised prostate carcinoma in USBALO. Material and methods: For the period from January 2011 to January 2019, 90 patients were treated with HDR-brachytherapy (with a temporary implant) in the Radiotherapy Department of USBALO. The average age is 66.5 years (53÷78 years). Patients are divided into low risk group – 54 (60%) and intermediate risk due to the presence of 1 negative factor – 36 (40%) patients. Follow-up ranged from 16 to 129 months (mean 84 months or 7 years). For the area of ​​the prostate and the base of the seminal vesicles, 20 (22.2%) patients received 3 fractions of 10.5 Gy over 14 days, and 70 (77.8%) received a dose of 3 x 11 Gy. Results: During the follow-up period, biochemical control was established in 78 patients (86.7%). Five-year biochemical control for all patients was 90%, and the 10-year biochemical control – 86.7%. Long-term follow-up of patients shows 5- and 10-year biochemical progression-free survival of 87.9% and 79.7%, respectively. Conclusions: Definitive high-dose-rate brachytherapy provides excellent long-term outcomes in low-risk and favorable intermediate-risk patients with localised prostate cancer in our data compared with those reported to date.