Declining Brachytherapy Utilization for High-risk Prostate Cancer - Can Clinical Pathways Reverse the Trend?

External beam radiation therapy plus a brachytherapy boost (BB) has been shown to offer a 20% improvement in biochemical-free survival compared to dose-escalated external beam radiation therapy for men with intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer, based on the recently published ASCENDE-RT trial. Nevertheless, a National Cancer Database analysis demonstrated a concerning decline in utilization of BB in this population between 2004 and 2013, despite an association with improved overall survival.

Source: Brachytherapy - June 23, 2018 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Diane C. Ling, Ryan P. Smith, Dwight E. Heron, Sushil Beriwal Source Type: research