Brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy, a new trial for high-risk disease

Combination of low-dose-rate brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy, a new trial for high-risk disease.

Professor Stricker and radiotherapists (Izard, Fogarty and Jagavkar) are heading up a New South Wales based trial looking at the safety and outcomes of patients who have high-risk prostate cancer treated by combination of low dose rate brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy. Ethics approval has now been granted and approval for the 20 patients will begin immediately. Professor Stricker said that this is an further option for patients with high-risk disease and gives the further possibility of truly personalised care for locally advanced prostate cancer. Radiotherapy with IMRT alone seems to be inadequate in this group of people. As with all these new treatments, that are being tested, the critical aspect according to Professor Stricker is the need to tailor the treatment to the patient.