Treating prostate cancer with a single, high dose of radiation delivered precisely to the site of the tumour results in good quality of life and fewer trips to the hospital, with adverse side effects that are no worse than if the radiation treatment had been given in several lower doses, claims a recent study.
In fact, patients are very satisfied with this single outpatient treatment, which they find convenient and which allows them to return rapidly to normal activities. He added, “It is too early to say that this strategy can be used outside the trial setting, but it seems quite clear that the toxicity and impact on quality of live are very low. Longer follow-up for at least five years is needed to demonstrate definite cancer control.”
HDR brachytherapy involves the very precise positioning of catheters, with the aid of ultrasound, at the site of the tumour while the patient is under spinal or general anaesthetic. A radioactive source (iridium-192) is delivered via the catheters to the target, avoiding other structures such as the bladder and the bowel, so that they deliver the maximum dose precisely to the target. The treatment usually takes about 30 minutes. Though HDR brachytherapy has been considered for treating prostate cancer, until now there has been limited evidence of its safety and efficacy.
In this study, 45 consecutive patients received HDR brachytherapy at the Hospital de Cruces between January 2014 and July 2016. In terms of quality of life, the need to pass urine urgently declined significantly between the first and sixth month after treatment and had returned to normal after a year. There were no significant changes in bowel movements, sexual or hormonal functioning.
Sixty percent of patients who had normal sexual functioning before the treatment continued to function normally afterwards. Six months after the radiation therapy, 77 percent of patients said they were “extremely satisfied” with their treatment and quality of life and 23 percent were “very satisfied.” Gomez-Iturriaga said that these were excellent results in terms of patient satisfaction, quality of life, toxicity and tolerability and safety.
Source: ANI
Many people have a health problem that can not successfully treat classical medicine. Cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, allergies and so on. This is why these people often search for an alternative method on the Internet. However, this search contains many obstacles and also dangers. You can find in the Internet a lot of supposed alternative medics, alternative therapy providers and so on, which one can call as charlatans, because these providers only want your money. Therefore it is very difficult for the lay person to find serious and reliable therapies and alternative medics. For this reason, the AP Foundation was founded.
Independent scientists, physicians, cell biologists and special neuroscientists have joined forces to help the sick find the right therapies and treatment methods. We work independently and voluntarily. We look at the providers of alternative treatments and therapies very closely and publish the results here: http://ap-foundation.net
It is about choices for health and often it is also about life or death. We are therefore very aware of our responsibility. We would be pleased if you would also tell us your negative or positive experiences with treatment methods. Your name and email address will not be published.
Dr. biol. hom. Bill H. Chreslow