Replies to @dekestet I am not sure why, but here in Ontario Canada, they don’t use rectal spacers? | Mayo Clinic Connect

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Prostate Cancer | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (354)

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@johnnyz

@dekestet I am not sure why, but here in Ontario Canada, they don’t use rectal spacers?

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Replies to "@dekestet I am not sure why, but here in Ontario Canada, they don’t use rectal spacers?"

wheel1 | @wheel1 | Sep 3 9:26am

@johnnyz
Costs more money

jim18 | @jim18 | Sep 3 9:37am

@johnnyz Why? Canada's evaluation of cost vs. effective. These are not cheap ($5K+) and IF (big if) all the radiation is delivered on target they do not have much impact on any lasting rectal effects. More important for Proton where a miss of the Bragg peak will deliver a large dose to the rectum. Is Proton even used for prostate cancer in Canada?

dekestet | @dekestet | Sep 3 10:18pm

@johnnyz
Perhaps it has something to do with previous law suits that have been resolved for years. Spacers were required with SBRT due to the high intensity radiation and optional for traditional multi-week radiation. It was also standard practice at the clinic for representatives from Boston Scientific Corp to monitor/supervise the procedure.