Modern 3-D computed tomography (CT) is an effective method for locating the prostatic apex for radiation therapy treatment planning in prostate cancer patients because it eliminates the need for an invasive procedure and the related side effects, according to a study in the May 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics.
Retrograde urethrography, which involves inserting a catheter into the male urethra to inject contrast, is the standard method used to identify the area of the prostate to be treated with radiation. However, this method is invasive and uncomfortable for patients and comes with risks of side effects, such as urethral injury and infection, as well as additional costs.
Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio departments of Radiation Oncology and Urology conducted this study to determine if knowledge of the anatomic relationships of the prostatic base and the prostatic apex along with modern 3-D CT planning, could be used as a substitute for retrograde urethrography.
Fifteen patients underwent a CT simulation both with and without bladder, urethral and rectal contrast. The prostatic base and apex were identified easily and consistently on both scans by taking a side view of the patient and drawing a line from the pubic bone straight down to the floor of the pelvis. The process was repeated and confirmed in another 57 patients, leading researchers to determine that it is not necessary to subject a patient to a urinary catheter for contrast delivery.
“By using CT scans to find the prostatic apex, patients are happier and we have the same results,” said Gregory Swanson, M.D., associate professor of radiation oncology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and one of the study’s authors. “I stopped doing contrast in 1995 or 1996 when I realized that I knew where the prostate was without using invasive methods. I have been successful in using CT since then.”
Source: American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
Related stories:
Scientists design a PSA-activated protoxin that kills prostate cancer
Scientists have found a way of using a protein made by prostate cancer to target and kill the cancer cells themselves. In preliminary studies the new therapy affected only the prostate, without causing damage to other healthy tissues, and now it is being tested in a phase I clinical trial.
You can be replaced: Immune cells compensate for defective DNA repair factor
A new mouse model has provided some surprising insight into XLF, a molecule that helps to repair lethal DNA damage. The research, published by Cell Press in the September 5th issue of the journal
Molecular Cell, suggests that although XLF shares many properties with well known DNA repair factors, certain cells of the immune system possess an unexpected compensatory mechanism that that can take over for nonfunctional XLF.
International team reveals first prognosticator of survival in aggressive cancer
The tumor suppressor gene pRb2/p130 may provide the first independent prognostic biomarker in cases of soft tissue sarcoma (STS), according to an international collaboration of researchers, including scientists at the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine at the College of Science and Technology at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, the Department of Human Pathology and Oncology, University of Siena and the Center of Oncological Research of Mercogliano (CROM) in Avellino, Italy.
NC State first university in nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants
Dogs suffering from lymphoma will be able to receive the same type of medical treatment as their human counterparts, as North Carolina State University becomes the first university in the nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants in a clinical setting.
Study: New way to spot breast cancer shows promise
(AP) -- A radioactive tracer that "lights up" cancer hiding inside dense breasts showed promise in its first big test against mammograms, revealing more tumors and giving fewer false alarms, doctors reported Wednesday. The experimental method - molecular breast imaging, or MBI - would not replace mammograms for women at average risk of the disease.
Cardiac ultrasound imaging goes to handheld
Non-invasive imaging has revolutionized the diagnosis of the most common cardiac diseases such as valve problems and coronary heart disease. In addition, imaging techniques are developing rapidly and we anticipate that non-invasive imaging will gain further importance in the treatment of cardiac patients.
Researchers discover atomic bomb effect results in adult-onset thyroid cancer
Radiation from the atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, likely rearranged chromosomes in some survivors who later developed papillary thyroid cancer as adults, according to Japanese researchers.
Researchers identify a new approach to detect the early progression of brain tumors
Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center recently participated in a pilot study with the Montreal Neurological Institute that suggests a certain type of MRI scanning can detect when a patient is failing brain tumor treatment before symptoms appear. The results of the study pave the way for a proactive treatment approach.