Learning Objective: After completing Module 1: Long-Term Outcomes with Prostate Brachytherapy, the audience will have gained knowledge of long-term outcomes with prostate brachytherapy in the treatment of prostate cancer. Topic areas include: long-term results in low-, intermediate-, and high-risk disease; PSA-based definition of cure with brachytherapy; socioeconomic aspects; and training. The course will help dispel several myths around brachytherapy and will also present the current state of randomized clinical trials in this area. 

Course Description: Brachytherapy refers to radiation treatment where radioactive material is placed adjacent to, or directly into, the tumor tissue. This is a surgical procedure usually performed by clinicians in the radiation oncology field, and it requires additional training and expertise. Many tumor sites are treated with brachytherapy, including gynecologic cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, breast cancer, ocular melanoma, sarcoma, and penile cancer, as well as prostate cancer. Unlike in Europe and Canada, the utilization of brachytherapy in the United States has decreased in recent years. The reasons for this may include development of new technologies that do not require procedural expertise (e.g., stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT), nor the same level of training and remuneration. Yet the American Brachytherapy Society argues that brachytherapy is the most effective form of radiation treatment for prostate cancer. In this series, we include presentations from the leading experts in the field of brachytherapy in order to discuss long-term disease outcomes, toxicity, socioeconomic issues related to the use of brachytherapy, training, and new developments in the field.

Learning Objective: After completing Module 2: Prostate Brachytherapy Toxicity Outcomes, the audience will have gained knowledge of long-term toxicity outcomes with prostate brachytherapy. Topic areas include: long-term quality of life; sexual and urinary function outcomes; and the most feared complication, rectal ulcers and fistulas. We will review current techniques that have contributed to marked reduction in toxicity, as well as the current state of randomized trials in prostate brachytherapy. 

Course Description: Brachytherapy refers to radiation treatment where radioactive material is placed adjacent to or directly into the tumor tissue. This is a surgical procedure usually performed by clinicians in the radiation oncology field, and it requires additional training and expertise. Many tumor sites are treated with brachytherapy, including gynecologic cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, breast cancer, ocular melanoma, sarcoma, and penile cancer, as well as prostate cancer. Unlike in Europe and Canada, the utilization of brachytherapy in the United States has decreased in recent years. The reasons for this may include development of new technologies that do not require procedural expertise (e.g., stereotactic body radiation therapy, or SBRT), nor the same level of training. In addition, remuneration changes have played a significant role in disincentivizing brachytherapy use in the US. The American Brachytherapy Society argues that brachytherapy is the most effective form of radiation treatment for prostate cancer. In this series, we include presentations from the leading experts in the field of brachytherapy in order to discuss long-term disease outcomes, toxicity, socioeconomic issues related to the use of brachytherapy, training, and new developments in the field.