{"id":3379,"date":"2022-11-08T14:34:28","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T14:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bxta.com\/?p=3379"},"modified":"2023-03-29T13:54:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T13:54:00","slug":"ldr-and-hdr-brachytherapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bxta.com\/uk\/ldr-and-hdr-brachytherapy\/","title":{"rendered":"The difference between LDR and HDR brachytherapy: Comparing Prostate Cancer Treatments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with about 1 in 8 men getting prostate cancer in their lifetime. On average, over 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Yet, if caught early, prostate cancer has a good survival rate – around 475,000 men in the UK are either living with, or after, prostate cancer. There are a number of treatment options available to men, from no intervention (active surveillance) to full removal of the prostate (radical prostatectomy). In between, there are also a range of less invasive treatments men may be offered, or may wish to seek out. Here, we explore two of those: low-dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy and high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy.

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What is Brachytherapy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brachytherapy is a form of internal radiotherapy, or radiation therapy, an effective form of treatment that kills prostate cancer cells by using high energy rays or particles.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brachytherapy treatment is a highly targeted, or focal, therapy that can be used to treat both early- to middle-stage prostate cancer, where the cancer is contained within the prostate gland and \/ or where it may have spread slightly beyond the prostate.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be used as a standalone treatment, or in conjunction with other treatments such as hormone deprivation and External Beam Radiotherapy<\/a> (EBRT). And it may be used to treat men with limited, slow-growth prostate cancer to reduce the size of the tumour and improve survival and overall quality of life.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more here for more information comparing EBRT to brachytherapy treatments [link to previous article].

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low-Dose Rate Brachytherapy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, there are two types of brachytherapy and it is important to understand the difference between LDR and HDR brachytherapy. With low-dose rate brachytherapy (also known as permanent brachytherapy), your consultant will insert a number of tiny seeds \u2013 about the size of a grain of sand \u2013 precisely around the cancer cells. Over a period of approximately six months, these seeds will slowly emit a dose of radiation to kill off the cancer cells. Because the radiation doesn\u2019t spread more than a millimetre or so from each seed, there is minimal damage to the surrounding healthy tissue, reducing the potential side effects compared with EBRT and other treatment options, including HDR-B. 

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low-dose rate brachytherapy is typically a same-day procedure, though depending on the time of the treatment an overnight stay may be necessary. Recovery is quick and men normally return to normal activities within a week.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on low-dose rate brachytherapy<\/a> and patient stories, click here<\/a>.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In high-dose rate brachytherapy (HDR-B or temporary brachytherapy), thin tubes are inserted into the prostate aligned to the location of the tumour. A source of radiation is passed through the tubes for a few minutes in high intensity (hence the name) to destroy the cells. The tubes are then removed, along with the source of radiation.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The total dose of radiation may be delivered as one treatment or – more commonly – divided over two or more treatments, called fractions. Typically, men are in hospital for one or two days for treatment; as with LDR-B recovery is quick so you can return to normal activities within a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More information can be found here<\/a>.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In both cases, LDR and HDR brachytheraphy, due to the fact that you are receiving surgery in a very sensitive part of the body, some men may experience side-effects such as urinary, bowel or erection problems. However, many men experience no long-term issues at all.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outcomes & Combined Treatments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While clinical evidence suggests minimal superiority of multi-fraction HDR or LDR brachytherapy with respect to tumour control or reduced toxicity, a recent study<\/a> has raised some concerns over one type of HDR-B treatment. Evidence suggests that single fraction HDR-B with a radiation dose of 19 Gy should not be used to treat low or intermediate-risk prostate cancer, with patterns of local relapse apparent.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, evidence<\/a> from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust indicates that LDR-B has a significantly better relapse and serious adverse event profile than HDR-B when combined with External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT).

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to consider the potential side effects and outcomes of any cancer treatment, and it is always advisable to speak with your consultant or specialist nurse to get a full picture of what is available to you. We encourage all men and their families to discuss all their treatment options before deciding, however difficult it may seem.

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with about 1 in 8 men getting prostate cancer in their lifetime. On average, over 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Yet, if caught early, prostate cancer has a good survival rate – around 475,000 men in the UK are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":119,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-old-blog.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe difference between LDR and HDR brachytherapy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are a number of treatment options available to men for prostate cancer. 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