Proctitis after external-beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer classified by Vienna Rectoscopy Score and correlated with EORTC/RTOG score for late rectal toxicity: Results of a prospective multicenter study of 166 patients

Late rectal toxicity after low-dose-rate brachytherapy: Incidence, predictors, and management of side effects

“…Seven of 9 patients with intermittent rectal bleeding had Vienna Rectoscopy Scores of 2e3, compared with 7 of 35 asymptomatic patients. Endoscopies were subsequently performed in 164 volunteers 12 and 24 months after EBRT for prostate cancer (52). The most frequent pathologic findings were telangiectasias (58% and 57% at 12 and 24 months after EBRT) and congested mucosa (39% and 40% at 12 and 24 months after EBRT).…”

Healing of Late Endoscopic Changes in the Rectum between 12 and 65 Months after External Beam Radiotherapy

“…Symptomatic patients often show mucosal alterations like congested mucosa and telangiectasia, whereas ulceration, strictures, or necrosis are rare in patients treated with 3D-CRT. Even in asymptomatic patients, morphological changes seem to be more frequent than originally reported [10,16]. Little is known about the development of these lesions.…”

Proctitis Following Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

“…In fact, many of the bleeds were acute and transient suggestive of acute anal irritation or hemorrhoid exacerbation due to bowel frequency [38]. Furthermore, the incidence of telangiectasia in patients who completed post-SBRT rectal endoscopy for the assessment of rectal bleeding or cancer screening was 11% which is significantly lower than the rates reported in prospective studies that looked at endoscopic outcomes after conventionally fractionated radiation therapy [17,46,47]. These findings are particularly significant given that rectal bleeding is one of the principle dose-limiting toxicities, and is thus a potential barrier to administering radiation at appropriately therapeutic levels.…”