Low-dose-rate brachytherapy in low-risk prostate cancer- treatment results, radiation toxicity and quality of life-dissertation project with literature review

Low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) is a an internal radiation therapy method for the treatment of localized prostate cancer The treatment modality has been known for several decades. The choice of the treatment modality for prostate cancer patients depends mainly on the stage of the disease and the prognostic factors. Brachytherapy monotherapy is a well-tolerated procedure compared to alternative treatments. Based on a literature review, we have considered a prospective study on the treatment efficiency after LDR-BT with a permanent iodine-125 (I-125) implant, compared to that of hypo-fractionated external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) alone. The working thesis is to present the advantages and disadvantages of LDR-BT for low-risk prostate carcinoma, compared to a similar group of patients treated with definitive intensity-modulated hypo-fractionated radiotherapy (IMHRT)