Brachytherapy for clinically localized prostate cancer: optimal patient selection

The objective of this review is to present an overview of each modality and delineate how to best select patients who are optimal candidates for these treatment approaches. Prostate brachytherapy as a curative modality for clinically localized prostate cancer has become increasingly utilized over the past decade; 25% of all early cancers are now treated this way in the United States (1). The popularity of this treatment strategy lies in the highly conformal nature of radiation dose, low morbidity, patient convenience, and high efficacy rates. Prostate brachytherapy can be delivered by either a permanent interstitial radioactive seed implantation (low dose rate [LDR]) or a temporary interstitial insertion of iridium-192 (Ir192) afterloading catheters. The objective of both of these techniques is to deliver a high dose of radiation to the prostate gland while exposing normal surrounding tissues to minimal radiation dose. Brachytherapy techniques are ideal to achieve this goal given the close proximity of the radiation source to tumor and sharp fall off of the radiation dose cloud proximate to the source. Brachytherapy provides a powerful means of delivering dose escalation above and beyond that achievable with intensity-modulated external beam radiotherapy alone. Careful selection of appropriate patients for these therapies, however, is critical for optimizing both disease-related outcomes and treatment-related toxicity.