Prostate disease and the pharmaceutical industry

Prostate Cancer

Surgery and external beam radiotherapy

No detailed discussion of surgery or external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) will be given here. However, it is important to note that there are two forms of EBRT. In the standard method, the X-rays cut through the prostate from all angles as the narrow beam rotates round the patient. This reduces damage to surrounding healthy tissue while giving the maximum dose to the tumour. Damage may be reduced further by using lead shielding. Conformal radiotherapy uses machines whose movement is computer-controlled so that the beam exactly follows the outline of the prostate, which will have been determined beforehand through MRI or CT scans. Higher doses can be given with this method and it is claimed that better results are obtained. There is evidence that conformal radiotherapy leads to fewer side effects than conventional treatment, offering the possibility that higher doses of radiation could improve the chances of cure. Clinical trials exploring this are in progress.