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Radiotherapy generalized or beam

User
Posted 29 Jul 2024 at 14:11

I am recieving hormone treatment in Spain, when it comes to radiotherapy Spain do blanket radiotherapy 'treat the entire prostate' whereas NHS do pinpoint radiotherapy 

Which is better and why ?

I can have treatment in either country 

 

User
Posted 30 Jul 2024 at 01:56

Andy,

radiotherapy has advanced enormously in recent years and maybe the biggest improvement is accuracy and the ability to target small areas, with minimal radiation spread outside the target zone. LINAC machines are now quite common and they do a sort of orbit around your body sending beams in from different positions on the 360 run. This gives them a very good "view" of the target cancer and the ability to attack it from different directions. There's an extra benefit in that because they're so narrow beam, the level of radiation used can be higher [without spread] and thus more effective.

I don't know how blanket the blanket RT would be as it's always been a goal not to spray radiation in places where it would serve no purpose but as to your question, I'd say if you've got a choice to go somewhere that uses the latest LINAC type RT, take it.

Jules

User
Posted 30 Jul 2024 at 12:23

There is no focal radiotherapy in the UK as far as I know (treating just part of the prostate). It does exist elsewhere, but not widely used. It could be a challenge to go back and treat any other part of the prostate later.

Sometimes, radiotherapy can dose-escalate a tumour (particularly brachytherapy), but the whole prostate is treated in any case.

 
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