Brachytherapy for prostate cancer further supported

The study, carried out at St. Luke’s Cancer Centre in Guildford, prospectively followed 300 patients treated with low dose brachytherapy between March 1999 and April 2003. The results showed a survival rate of 93% after five years for early-stage prostate cancer which compared favourably to other treatment options such as surgery and hormone therapy. In addition, brachytherapy treatment was well tolerated and two thirds of patients with normal erectile function at the start of treatment maintained function at two years.

Brachytherapy involves inserting approximately 100 tiny radioactive seeds into the prostate gland to kill the cancer cells. This is typically done under a general anaesthetic either as a day case or an overnight stay, thereby reducing patient time in hospital and avoiding many of the side effects often associated with surgery.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines has previously stated that current evidence on the safety and efficacy of brachytherapy for localised prostate cancer is adequate to support the use of this procedure, provided that the normal arrangements are in place for consent, audit and clinical governance. However, according to Professor Stephen Langley from St. Luke’s Cancer Centre, who led this study, patients are still being denied this treatment.

“Although brachytherapy is a proven therapy for early stage prostate cancer, many PCTs are still not funding this procedure,” Professor Langley said. “This has resulted in a postcode lottery which denies patients access to an effective therapy option with a low side effect profile.”