A group of leading healthcare professionals – The Prostate Brachytherapy Advisory Group - has called for the eradication of the “postcode lottery system” for prostate cancer patients seeking a form of treatment known as low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy.
Currently, 1 in 6 patients are denied access to this proven therapy, despite the fact that the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved LDR brachytherapy and the Department of Health has issued advice supporting increased usage. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and accounts for more than 10,000 deaths each year, yet men with prostate cancer report having a significantly worse experience of treatment and care than patients with other cancers.
LDR brachytherapy (seed implantation) is a form of targeted radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer. Unlike surgery, it is minimally invasive and involves implanting tiny radioactive seeds through fine needles into the prostate to destroy the cancer cells. The procedure normally takes less than an hour to perform under anaesthia and most patients can go home the next day.
The 10-year cancer free rates following LDR brachytherapy is similar to that with conventional beam radiotherapy and surgery (radical prostatectomy), but there is a lower risk of the complications associated with surgery and conventional beam radiotherapy.
Stephen Langley, Professor of Urology at St Luke’s Cancer Centre, Guildford, is Chair of the Group and a leading expert in the field. “There is a clear disparity in the provision of LDR brachytherapy for prostate patients across the UK,” says Professor Langley. “We are calling on healthcare purchasers and providers to improve access to LDR brachytherapy by four-fold in line with Government expectations and patient choice; to create a better understanding of LDR brachytherapy amongst healthcare commissioners; and to empower patients to make an informed choice.”
To help the commissioning of LDR brachytherapy services, The Prostate Brachytherapy Advisory Group has launched a new website www.prostatebrachytherapyinfo.net which provides current information on LDR brachytherapy and practical resources to help decision-making.
