Cancer Research Lab

Interstitial brachytherapy and radical prostatectomy are effective treatments for localized prostate cancer with similar cost profiles, but different long-term side effects, according to the results of a multicenter study in France.

“This study is exciting because it’s the first time we have a comparative study to assess the costs in a given country and see if the side effects are different for patients who received surgery or brachytherapy,” study co-author Dr. Jean-Marc Cosset, from the Institut Curie in Paris, said in a statement.

The study involved 435 men with localized disease who were treated with brachytherapy or prostatectomy and completed quality-of-life and symptom questionnaires immediately after treatment and at 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. A comparative cost analysis, which covered initial therapy, hospital follow-up, outpatient and production loss costs, was also performed.

The researchers’ findings appear in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.

The drop in health-related quality of life immediately after treatment was less pronounced in the brachytherapy group compared with the prostatectomy group (p < 0.0001). However, from 6 to 24 months, prostatectomy was associated with a better quality of life (p < 0.05).

Impotence and urinary incontinence were more likely with prostatectomy, whereas urinary frequency, urgency, and pain were more common with brachytherapy.

As noted, the costs of each treatment were comparable at 24 months — 8019 euros for brachytherapy and 8715 euros for prostatectomy.

These “findings may be used to tailor localized prostate cancer treatments to suit individual patients’ needs,” the researchers conclude.