High–dose rate brachytherapy in the treatment of penile carcinoma—First experience

Penile brachytherapy—Retrospective review of a single institution

“…Fibrosis is usually confined to the area of the implant, thus conserving the patient's ability to maintain erectile function. A higher probability of nonhealing ulcers is associated with doses O65 Gy, treatment volume O22 cm 3 , and dose rates O0.6 Gy/h (10). Meatal stenosis is related to the proximity of distal sources to the meatus, with a 9% rate reported by Crook Sexual outcome was not recorded in our patient records, and although PC and its treatment can have a negative impact on sexual function, this effect has little been studied in the available literature.…”

“…However, the limited data that are available suggest that RT is superior to surgery in maintaining sexual function. Petera et al (10) reported 10 patients treated with HDR BT, in which 90% preserved their sexual function at the end of a 20-month followup. Opjordsmoen et al (15) also found that patients treated by RT reported better posttreatment sexual function than those treated surgically.…”

“…High-dose-rate (HDR) BT has also been used to treat PC, although only a few studies have been reported (9,10). Although solid evidence exists to support the use of LDR and PDR BT for PC, only approximately 20 studies have been performed, and all but two of those included fewer than 80 patients (11).…”

High-dose rate brachytherapy in localized penile cancer: short-term clinical outcome analysis

“…The median dose per fraction was 4 Gy [3.5 - 4.5] with a median number of fractions of 9 [7-10] (Table 1). The median total delivered dose was 38.5 Gy [34–43] corresponding to a EQD2αβ10 of 46 Gy [41–54] and EQDαβ3 of 57.5 Gy [47–68].…”

“…Compliance with brachytherapy indication for penile cancer determines the oncological and functional results. In fact, tumor size > 4 cm and stage ≥ T3 (invasion of the urethra) significantly increases the risk of relapse [10-13] and skin necrosis [13,14] after brachytherapy. In addition, the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) and the Groupe Européen de Curiethérapie of the European Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (GEC-ESTRO) recommended performing between 3 and 6 procedures per year to be able to offer this treatment modality implying the notion of expert center [11].…”