Medscape Medical News reports on a study which compared the quality of life of prostate cancer patients who received Proton Beam radiation therapy (PBT) compared with patients who received 3D conformal
(3D-CRT) or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT).
The study found that quality of life (measured in terms of bowel funciton and urinary function) was better in men treated with PBT - but only in the first few months after treatment. When the patients' conditions were reviewed after 1 year and then after 2 years, it was found that the decrease in quality of life was the same, regardless of the form of radiation therapy received.
The study was led by Phillip J.
Gray, MD, from the Harvard radiation oncology program in Boston, Massachusetts and was presented at the American Society for
Radiation Oncology 54th Annual Meeting.
Read the full Medscape Medical News report here.
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