E. David Crawford, MD; Mira Keyes, MD, FRCPC; Steven M. Kurtzman, MD, presented “Expert Discussion on LDR Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer” on January 16, 2025.
How to cite: Crawford, David E; Keyes, Mira; Kurtzman, Steven M. “Expert Discussion on LDR Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer.” February 5, 2025. Accessed Feb 2025. https://grandroundsinurology.com/expert-discussion-on-ldr-brachytherapy-for-prostate-cancer/
Expert Discussion on LDR Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer
LDR Brachytherapy for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer
Drs. Crawford, Keyes, and Kurtzman discuss low-dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy as a treatment for prostate cancer.
Benefits of LDR Brachytherapy
Dr. Keyes describes that LDR brachytherapy involves placing radioactive seeds directly into the prostate tissue. Dr. Keyes asserts that LDR is convenient, a simple procedure, and only takes 15-20 minutes in the operating room one time. For these reasons, she finds patients to like the procedure.
Side Effects and Outcomes
LDR brachytherapy has a durable PSA response and patients are often cured 10-15 years after the implant. In terms of toxicity, patients do very well with LDR monotherapy. These patients have a positive quality of life and usually retain sexual function, do not experience incontinence or recovery time.
LDR Brachytherapy in the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Setting
Because LDR brachytherapy is efficient and provides no capital costs or shielding, Dr. Kurtzman believes it is suited well to ASCs. LDR brachytherapy in the ASC fosters collaboration between urologists and radiation oncologists.
To hear the full discussion from these Experts click here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Researcher-physician E. David Crawford, MD, Jack A. Vickers Director of Prostate Research and Professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego, has devoted his career in medicine to educating the public about men's health issues and finding effective techniques and procedures to address prostate cancer, the most common malignancy affecting men in the United States.
Mira Keyes, MD, FRCPC, FABS, is a Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and a radiation oncologist at the Vancouver Centre of the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA). Dr. Keyes has a wide range of research interests, including Prostate Brachytherapy, Genito-Urinary Oncology, Breast Cancer, Postgraduate Medical Education, and Patient Communication.
Dr. Keyes received her MD at the University of Novi Sad in Yugoslavia, Serbia. Dr. Keyes then received her FRCPC Radiation Oncology from the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. Dr. Keyes completed her fellowship at the Royal College of Physicians of Canada for Radiation Oncology, in the Vancouver Cancer Center.
Dr. Kurtzman received a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University, New York, and received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. He completed his residency at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and joined WRO in 1998. Dr. Kurtzman is nationally renowned for his expertise in ‘real-time’ intraoperatively planned prostate brachytherapy. He has presented at multiple national meetings and has taught physicians on this advanced technique from around the globe.He is notable for performing implants all throughout the United States and has treated over 6000 patients over the past twenty years. He also serves on the medical advisory board of several medical device companies, helping to inform the development of new treatment techniques. He is the Director of Prostate Brachytherapy for Western Radiation Oncology.
