Combining external beam radiotherapy with prostate brachytherapy: issues and rationale

The optimal treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer is controversial. For low risk prostate cancer patients (T1c/T2a, Gleason score <7, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≤10.0 ng/mL), monotherapy with either radical prostatectomy, three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), or prostate brachytherapy, result in similar biochemical relapse-free survival.1-3 Patient and physician preference usually influence treatment selection, based on critical assessment of relative side effect profiles, and quality of life evaluations.