Radioterapia externa en el tratamiento del cáncer de la próstata: experiencia personal 1993-2015

Background

In this work the changes in and evolution of radiotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer in the last decades are described. This includes the application of advanced technology that incorporates imaging and computer systems into the new linear accelerators designed to apply high doses of radiation to the prostate, significantly diminishing the toxicity to the surrounding tissues.

Aims

Results found in the international literature are analyzed that consider increasing the radiation doses with the 3D-CRT and IMRT techniques, and in this manner improve biochemical failure-free survival and overall survival, especially in intermediate and high-risk patients with clinically localized prostate cancer, as well as adding radiotherapy and neoadjuvant, concomitant, and adjuvant hormone therapy.

Materials and methods

Presented herein is the personal experience that included 38 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated in private practice with external beam radiotherapy and hormone therapy as primary treatment, as well as the experience including 46 patients with pT3 disease after radical prostatectomy that received adjuvant treatments of radiotherapy and hormone therapy.

Results

Even though this clinical study includes a small number of patients, to the best of our knowledge it is the first and only report in the national literature on the use and benefits of the combined treatment of external beam radiotherapy and hormone therapy as primary treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer and as combined adjuvant treatment in patients with pT3 disease after radical prostatectomy.