• Song K Kang, Rachel H Chou, Richard K Dodge, Robert W Clough, Hi-Sung L Kang, Carol A Hahn, Arthur W Whitehurst, Niall J Buckley, Jay H Kim, Raymond E Joyner, Gustavo S Montana, Sally S Ingram, and Mitchell S Anscher.
• Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3085, Durham, NC 27710, USA. kang@radonc.duke.edu
• Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 2002 May 1; 53 (1): 99-103.

PurposeTo characterize the severity and time course of rectal toxicity following transperineal prostate brachytherapy using prospectively recorded data, and to determine factors associated with toxicity.Methods And MaterialsOne hundred thirty-four patients with prostate cancer treated with transperineal brachytherapy from 1997 to 1999 had rectal toxicity data available for analysis. Patients with Gleason score (GS) > 6, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) > 6, or stage > T2a were treated initially with external beam radiation therapy followed by brachytherapy boost; patients with none of these features were treated with brachytherapy alone. Both iodine-125 and palladium-103 sources were used, and loaded according to a modified Quimby distribution. At each follow-up, toxicity was recorded according to a modified RTOG gastrointestinal scale.ResultsThirty-nine percent of patients experienced gastrointestinal toxicity, mostly Grade 1. Median duration of symptoms was 6 months. Two patients experienced Grade 3 toxicity, both of whom had minimal symptoms until their 12-month follow-up. There was no Grade 4 or 5 toxicity. The addition of external beam radiation therapy (p = 0.003), higher clinical stage (p = 0.006), and Caucasian race (p = 0.01) were associated with increased incidence of toxicity.ConclusionMost patients with rectal toxicity have very mild symptoms. There is a small risk of severe late toxicity. External beam radiation, higher stage, and race are associated with toxicity.

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