Brachytherapy Alone May Be Sufficient for More Risky PCa Cases

Brachytherapy (BT) alone may be sufficient for treating unfavorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer (PCa), according to study findings published online ahead of print in Urologic Oncology.

BT alone is a well-established treatment modality for favorable intermediate-risk(FIR) PCa, but trimodal therapy consisting of BT, androgen-deprivation therapy(ADT), and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) often is recommended forpatients with unfavorable intermediate-risk (UIR) PCa, Martin T. King, MD, fromDana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, andcolleagues explained. In a study of 3723 patients with FIR and UIR PCa whoreceived BT from 1997 to 2013, the FIR and UIR cohorts had median follow-upperiods of 7.7 and 7.8 years, respectively. In both cohorts, the investigators observedno difference in PCa-specific mortality between BT alone and BT plus ADT and/orEBRT supplemental therapy.