LDR Brachytherapy in Community Practice: Expanding Access Through Collaborative Care

In a newly released Grand Rounds in Urology discussion, E. David Crawford, MD, spoke with Garrett D. Pohlman, MD, Daniel Decker, MD, and Steven M. Kurtzman, MD, about expanding access to low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy through collaboration between community urologists and radiation oncologists. The panel highlighted how bringing LDR brachytherapy into rural and community practices can provide patients with a convenient, single-procedure treatment option closer to home, reducing the travel, time, and logistical burdens often associated with longer treatment courses.

The speakers emphasized that partnerships with experienced radiation oncology teams, supported by telemedicine, coordinated treatment planning, and appropriate patient selection, are helping community urologists successfully integrate LDR brachytherapy into ambulatory surgery centers. Their conclusion: collaborative care models can play an important role in broadening awareness, access, and utilization of LDR brachytherapy, ensuring more men with localized prostate cancer have the opportunity to consider this established treatment option.