IMRT-BRACHYTHERAPY combined treatment offers the best long-term results in the treatment of intermediate- as well as high-risk prostate cancer.

Since several years ago, is well known that higher doses of radiation to the prostate produces better long-term disease control. A report appeared in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics presents the long-term reasuts of this kind of treatment. The study reflects the Seattle’s experience using the combined modality of treatment. Patients with intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer were included with T1-T3 tumors or PSA higher than 10 ng/ml. Historically, these patients are at great risk of local relapse as well as of distant metastases. In the hands of the best well-known urological-surgeons, 10-year survival is achieved by less than 40 % of the patients. With the IMRT-Brachytherapy combined modality 16-year relapse-free survival is better than 90%. “These data are simply espectacular”, afirmed Dr. John Blasko, head of the Department of Urology at Seattle prostate Institute and author of the study. “With surgery we had never dreamed about such a nice results” concluded.

The treatment technique is very complex and only can be done in highly specialized centers. After treatment, quality of life of patients not only is not worsened if not it is even better than base-line control, Blasko added.

The IMOR Foundation, Medical Institute for Radiotherapy and Oncology from Barcelona (Spain), applies this combined treatment since 1999. It was the first center in Spain and one of the pioneers all over Europe in cooperation with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre of Houston (Tx). Since then more than 550 patients have treated. The results confirm data from Dr. Blasko’s study, with a 7-year relapse-free survival better than 98%, as a result of the better technology used.

“To obtain such results meanwhile the complications-rate are maintained extremely low, it is necessary to use the highest technology available, combining Image guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) with Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and real-time Brachytherapy”, declared Dr. Benjamin Guix, Director of The IMOR Foundation, Medical Institute for Radiotherapy and Oncology from Barcelona, pioneer of these treatments in Europe.

The IMOR Foundation, Medical Institute for Radiotherapy and Oncology applies the combined treatment since 1.999. Since then more than 550 patients have been treated, with excellent results. To do all treatment adequately, the IMOR Foundation, Medical Institute for Radiotherapy and Oncology, radiotherapy is done with Intensity modulation (IMRT) using a micromultileaf collimator and an Ultrasonography Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) repositioning system (US-IGRT). Brachytherapy is done using a real-time treatment-planning equipment, in order to have the highest precision at the time of performing dose distribution calculations as well as at the time of treatment delivering. PROSTATA_TRAT_COMB_2006\BLASKO_COMBINED-IJROBP 2006.pdf