Press Release
21 JANUARY 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New studies confirm brachytherapy’s
importance in prostate cancer battle.
Two recent studies confirm brachytherapy as a highly effective treatment in curing prostate
cancer. The treatment, which involves the permanent implantation of tiny radioactive seeds
directly into the prostate gland, has been practiced in its current form for 20 years. Clinical studies
from Canada and the United Kingdom show Low Dose Rate Brachytherapy (LDR) provides
“exceptional cure rates” for both low-risk and selected intermediate-risk cancers. The release of
this data confirms brachytherapy as a leading prostate cancer treatment option.
The Canadian authors stated, “We are confident that brachytherapy provides superior cancer
control in men with a low and selected intermediate risk of treatment failure.” The study followed
278 men who had received brachytherapy or external beam radiotherapy, matched for
pretreatment clinical parameters. At 5 years follow up, 95% of the brachytherapy patients
remained recurrence free, compared to 85% in the external beam radiotherapy group.
This was also reflected in the UK paper, which followed 1298 prostate brachytherapy patients
over a 10 year period. The authors from Leeds found that “brachytherapy alone achieved
excellent rates of medium-term biochemical control in both low- and selected intermediate-risk
localised prostate cancer patients'.
Suitable patients for brachytherapy are men of any age in good health, whose cancer is still
confined to the prostate gland. This is the same patient profile for prostate surgery, a procedure
with the same cure rates as brachytherapy. Prostate surgery is more widely known by the general
public and so more often chosen by patients unaware of the benefits of brachytherapy.
Dr James MacKean, a Radiation Oncologist at Premion at the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane and
Chair of the Australasian Brachytherapy Group said, “Increasing numbers of Australian men are
choosing brachytherapy as curative treatment for localised prostate cancer, and high quality
brachytherapy is available in leading cancer centres in all Australian state capitals and many
large regional centres.”
LDR brachytherapy started in Australia 15 years ago and there are increasing numbers of
urologists and radiation oncologists offering this treatment to their patients. Attendance numbers
at the Australasian Brachytherapy Group meeting in Melbourne in April 8th -10th this year are
expected to again be up on previous years, reflecting this trend.
“These large overseas studies from Canada and the UK confirm the long term effectiveness of
prostate brachytherapy, which is a well tolerated alternative to surgery or external beam
radiotherapy,” said Dr MacKean.
For more information, interview availability with Dr. MacKean or patient stories please contact:
Travers Purton Ph: (03) 9912 6839 Mob: 0431 433 130 Email: travers@mwcmedia.com.au
The mission of the Australasian Brachytherapy Group is to advance the practice of
brachytherapy within the Australasian region. It aims to develop, promote and maintain the
highest standards of brachytherapy practice and ethics.
QUOTED PAPERS
Brachytherapy Or Conformal External Radiotherapy For Prostate Cancer: A Single-
Institution Matched-Pair Analysis.
Tom Pickles, M.D., Mira Keyes, M.D., and W. James Morris, M.D., On Behalf Of The Prostate
Outcomes And Provincial Prostate Brachytherapy Program Prostate Outcomes And Provincial
Prostate Brachytherapy Program, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, BC, Canada Int. J. Radiation
Oncology Biol. Phys., Vol. 76,No. 1, pp. 43-49, Jan 2010
Outcomes Following Iodine-125 Monotherapy For Localized Prostate Cancer: The Results
Of Leeds 10-Year Single-Center Brachytherapy Experience.
Ann H. Henry, M.D.,* Bashar Al-Qaisieh, Ph.D.,Y Kathy Gould, R.G.N.,* Peter Bownes,
M.Sc.,Jonathan Smith, F.R.C.R.,Z Brendan Carey, F.R.C.R.,Z David Bottomley, F.R.C.R.,* And
Dan Ash, F.R.C.R.*Departments Of *Clinical Oncology, Ymedical Physics, And Z Clinical
Radiology, St. James’s Institute Of Oncology, St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds, United
Kingdom Int. J. Radiation Oncology Biol. Phys., Vol. 76,No. 1, pp. 50-56, Jan 2010
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