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Advancing the treatment of localized prostate cancer with MR-guided radiotherapy

Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases volume 26, pages 50–52 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is an important cornerstone in the treatment of localized prostate cancer. Current image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) techniques allow for more accurate and precise delivery of radiation treatment by the use of imaging before each fraction. Magnetic resonance guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) is the next step in IGRT with hybrid systems combining linear accelerators with MRI-scanners. With MRgRT, it is possible to visualize pelvic anatomy in great detail and subsequently perform replanning of the radiation dose distribution before each radiotherapy fraction. This technique has the potential to increase the therapeutic window of EBRT, by improved normal tissue sparing due to margin reduction and more accurate target dose delivery. This is particularly promising for prostate cancer, with its biology lending itself to ultra-hypofractionation, reducing radiotherapy treatment to as little as five fractions. Also, recent studies have shown that focal dose escalation to the intraprostatic tumor to high ablative doses can substantially increase disease-free survival. In this article, we discuss these unique opportunities as well as the potential future benefits of MRgRT in prostate cancer treatment.

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Fig. 1: Image-guided radiotherapy work flows.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Casper Reijnen, Ellen J. L. Brunenberg & Linda G. W. Kerkmeijer

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  1. Casper Reijnen
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  2. Ellen J. L. Brunenberg
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  3. Linda G. W. Kerkmeijer
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All authors contributed to the manuscript. CR and LGWK contributed to the conceptualization. CR, EJLB and LGWK contributed to writing and revision of the manuscript, have read and have approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Casper Reijnen.

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Reijnen, C., Brunenberg, E.J.L. & Kerkmeijer, L.G.W. Advancing the treatment of localized prostate cancer with MR-guided radiotherapy. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 26, 50–52 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41391-022-00632-4

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