Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for prostate cancer is cost effective and improves therapeutic ratio

Abstract

Radiation therapy is one of the standard treatment options for many prostate cancer patients. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) allows for more conformal dose distributions that can reduce normal tissue toxicity compared with older external beam techniques. There has been a rapid adoption of IMRT between 2001 and 2007 for prostate cancer patients regardless of the patients’ race, socioeconomic status or disease risk classification. IMRT is more expensive than older radiation techniques and has an impact on healthcare spending for prostate cancer.

Keywords::

• 3D conformal radiation therapy
• 3D-CRT
• IMRT
• intensity-modulated radiation therapy
• prostate cancer

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.