Ultrasound-Guided Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer

Brachytherapy is a form of internal radiation therapy. In this treatment, a radioactive substance is administered directly into a tumour, for example in a cancerous prostate. The radiation destroys the cancer cells over time. When combined with external radiotherapy for patients with intermediate or advanced prostate cancer, brachytherapy has been found to greatly increase the effectiveness of those treatments.

A brachytherapy treatment is a process that can last from 4 to 6 hours! In fact, as part of the preparation for a brachytherapy treatment, medical personnel insert catheters through which radiation is transmitted to the target area. Currently, at the CISSS de l’Outaouais, these catheters are inserted in the ultrasound rooms and patients are then transported to the treatment rooms. After this patient transfer, specialists must verify that the catheters have not moved in order to ensure an effective treatment. If the catheters have shifted, the patient must return to the ultrasound room, have their catheters adjusted and then return once more to the treatment room, enduring this back and forth until the positioning is satisfactory.

We want to avoid these patient transfers and install the equipment needed for the ultrasound preparation process directly in the treatment room.

The simple fact of adding this equipment to the treatment room will reduce treatment times by more than 50% ! from a current duration of 4 to 6 hours to a mere 90–150 minutes!

In addition to significantly reducing patient discomfort, this new process would free up treatment rooms and specialists for other patients, thereby reducing waiting times.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of solid cancer in men. In Canada, it is the third most common cancer killer in men.

Contribution from the Gatineau Health Foundation : 60 000 $