Conservative treatment of local radiation-induced injuries caused by combined brachitherapy and external radiation therapy for prostate cancer
The paper presents treatment outcomes of 36 with radiation-induced pelvic injuries caused by brachitherapy (9 patients) and combination treatment including brachitherapy and external beam radiation therapy (27 patients) for prostate cancer. Radiation-induced rectitis was revealed in 27 patients and complications of the urinary tract after radiation treatment were noted in 12 patients. Potency failure was observed in 97 % of cases. All patients received conservative treatment and 18 of these patients underwent surgery after inefficient conservative treatment. The frequency of post-radiation complications was found to be less after brachitherapy than after combination treatment using brachitherapy and external beam radiation.