According to an unpublished study presented at the 2012 Multidisciplinary Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, most prostate cancer patients aged 65 or older receive external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), but this is the most toxic and the most expensive of the treatment options.
EBRT was found to have the highest 16 year cumulative risk of serious
gastrointestinal and genitourinary problems when compared to brachytherapy and surgery. Additionally, it is twice as expensive as either other option.
This retrospective study, carried out by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, included 137,427 prostate cancer patients who had been treated with one of the three therapies between 2001 and 2007. Researchers used the government's SEER database.
Ciezki JP, et al "Long-term toxicity and associated cost of initial treatment and subsequent toxicity-related intervention for patients treated with prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy, or brachytherapy: A SEER/Medicare database study" GUCS 2012; Abstract 4.
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