Quality of life after high-dose-rate brachytherapy monotherapy for prostate cancer

Abstract

Purpose There is little information in the literature on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) changes due to high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy monotherapy for prostate cancer.Materials and Methods We conducted a prospective study of HRQOL changes due to HDR brachytherapy monotherapy for low risk or favorable intermediate risk prostate cancer. Sixty-four of 84 (76%) patients who were treated between February 2011 and April 2013 completed 50 questions comprising the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) before treatment and 6 and/or 12 months after treatment.Results Six months after treatment, there was a significant decrease (p<0.05) in EPIC urinary, bowel, and sexual scores, including urinary overall, urinary function, urinary bother, urinary irritative, bowel overall, bowel bother, sexual overall, and sexual bother scores. By one year after treatment, EPIC urinary, bowel, and sexual scores had increased and only the bowel overall and bowel bother scores remained significantly below baseline values.Conclusions HDR brachytherapy monotherapy is well-tolerated in patients with low and favorable intermediate risk prostate cancer. EPIC urinary and sexual domain scores returned to close to baseline 12 months after HDR brachytherapy.

Comparison of four-year toxicities and local control of ultra-hypofractionated vs moderate-hypofractionated image guided prostate radiation with HDR brachytherapy boost: A phase I-II single institution trial

“…In both groups, scores at 48 months were similar to baseline for urinary incontinence, urinary irritative or obstructive symptoms, bowel and hormonal domains. Regarding sexual function, we observed a greater fall in sexual function at six months in the experimental arm followed by a partial recovery after one year, as is described in other brachytherapy series [19] , [20] . The difference was however statistically significant when compared to the 36 Gy in 12 fractions group (average score 33.3 (CI 25.8–40.8) vs 44.22 (CI 3.0–38.22) p = 0.03) at the 7–12 months interval p = 0,005, and the 19–24 months interval p = 0,049.…”

Health-Related Quality of Life and Toxicity After Definitive High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Among Veterans With Prostate Cancer

“…Contreras and colleagues also reported on treating civilian patients with HDRBT as monotherapy for PC. 17 They, too, found similar results as in our veteran study, with a rapid decline in GU, GI, and sexual hrQOL scores immediately after treatment. They also found a gradual return to baseline in the GU hrQOL scores.…”