SAN FRANCISCO—Brachytherapy use for favorable-risk prostate cancer (PCa) continues to decrease even though it offers better survival than dose-escalated external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), data presented at the 2019 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium suggest.
In a study of 134,713 men who received brachytherapy or dose-escalated EBRT alone for favorable-risk PCa, Kevin A. Nguyen, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues found that brachytherapy use declined significantly from 59.3% of cases in 2004 to 34.7% in 2014. Brachytherapy was consistently used more frequently at community centers (63% in 200 and 61% in 2014) than academic centers.
On multivariable analysis, black men and Asian men were 32% and 13% less likely to receive brachytherapy than whites, respectively. Men receiving care at a community center were 33% more likely receive brachytherapy that those treated at an academic center.
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Men with Medicare or private insurance were more than twice as likely as those with Medicaid coverage to receive brachytherapy.
The 10-year overall survival rate was significantly higher for brachytherapy than dose-escalated EBRT (74.5% vs 68.2%).
Reference
Nguyen KA, Patel SA, Lee AK, et al. Brachytherapy use for favorable-risk prostate cancer continues to decline in both academic and community centers despite superior survival compared to dose-escalated external beam radiation therapy. Data presented at the 2019 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium held in San Francisco, February 14-16. Abstract 105.
