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Low dose brachytherapy long term side effect risk
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Apr 28 9:05am | Replies (21)Comment receiving replies
@heavyphil
That's a good question. I honestly want to ask you the same question as it relates HDR, as all of my friends and family have only been offered the low dose Brachytherapy. I am Intermediate risk BIG 7 on one sample with negative encroachment on the walls. This probably isn't enough info to answer your question, but I accepted the LD Brachytherapy after IMRT as being the norm. So I am somewhat surprised by your question. Maybe someone else in this group can enlighten us as to when HDR is recommended over LDR with patient receiving IMRT, Brachytherapy and ADT.
Thank you for the question, Phil
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@majortee I am certainly no expert but brachytherapy is usually given as a ‘boost’ targeting a single area of aggressive disease in a sea of less aggressive cells.
The idea is to really hit that area hard (with an high dose isotope that usually only stays in for less than an hour) and then treat the test of the gland with IMRT or SBRT.
LDR brachytherapy is usually a stand alone treatment: seeds implanted and left in the gland permanently to kill the cancer…period. No other radiation involved.
However, you seem to have had BOTH stand alone treatments -multiple sessions of IMRT - and seeds permanently implanted. You need to know how much total radiation you received (as opposed to what was planned for in your treatment) to ascertain whether or not you received too much radiation.
I’m not saying you did, but have you spoken to your RO about his/her treatment? Perhaps a consult with a different RO at another hospital, who can request your medical record, will get to the bottom of your dilemma. Best,
Phil