[Combination external beam radiation and brachytherapy boost for prostate cancer]

Brachytherapy as sole treatment is standard of care for D'Amico classification low-risk prostate cancer. For intermediate and high-risk patients, brachytherapy can be associated to external beam radiation therapy to better take into account the risk of extracapsular effraction and/or seminal vesicle involvement. Three randomized studies have shown that this association increases freedom from relapse survival compared to exclusive external beam radiation therapy. This benefit is not shown for overall survival. The addition of a hormonal therapy to this association is most likely mandatory for high-risk patients, and needs to be confirmed for intermediate risk patients. Both high-dose rate and low-dose rate brachytherapy are suitable with similar biochemical disease free survival rates. High-dose rate brachytherapy seems to have a better genitourinary tolerance profile, while low-dose rate brachytherapy is an easier process and has a more widespread expertise.

Cancer radiotherapie : journal de la Societe francaise de radiotherapie oncologique. 2017 Aug 29 [Epub ahead of print]

O Chapet, A Bossi, S Horn, G Créhange

Service de radiothérapie oncologie, centre hospitalier Lyon-Sud, chemin du Grand-Revoyet, 69495 Pierre-Bénite cedex, France; EMR3738, faculté de médecine Charles-Mérieux, chemin du Grand-Revoyet, 69495 Pierre-Bénite cedex, France. Electronic address: ., Service de radiothérapie oncologie, institut Gustave-Roussy, 114, rue Édouard-Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif cedex, France., Service de radiothérapie oncologie, centre hospitalier Lyon-Sud, chemin du Grand-Revoyet, 69495 Pierre-Bénite cedex, France; EMR3738, faculté de médecine Charles-Mérieux, chemin du Grand-Revoyet, 69495 Pierre-Bénite cedex, France., Département de radiothérapie oncologie, centre Georges-François-Leclerc, 1, rue du Professeur-Marion, 21000 Dijon, France; Le2I, CNRS FR2005, UFR sciences et techniques, université de Bourgogne, allée Alain-Savary, 21000 Dijon, France.