@Article{,
AUTHOR = {Daniel Taussky, Aihua Liu, Michal Abrahamowicz, Eve Léger-Bélanger, Jean-Paul Bahary, Marie-Claude Beauchemin, Thu Van Nguyen, David Donath, Fred Saad},
TITLE = {Factors infl uencing treatment decisions in patients with low risk prostate cancer referred to a brachytherapy clinic},
JOURNAL = {Canadian Journal of Urology},
VOLUME = {15},
YEAR = {2008},
NUMBER = {6},
PAGES = {4415--4420},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/CJU/v15n6/62242},
ISSN = {1488-5581},
ABSTRACT = {<b>Objective:</b> The present study aimed to analyze factors influencing treatment decisions in patients diagnosed with low risk prostate cancer who were referred to a brachytherapy clinic and had to choose from four treatment options: expectant management (watchful waiting), radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy, and permanent seed brachytherapy.<br/>
<b>Methods:</b> We analyzed factors that influenced the treatment decisions of 110 consecutive patients with low risk prostate cancer who were referred to a brachytherapy clinic in a hospital in Montreal, Canada. These factors included patient age, marital status, and profession, as well as referral source (a urologist or a radiation oncologist), and distance and driving time from the patient's home to the medical center. Cost was not a factor as the procedure is covered under the Canadian healthcare system.<br/>
<b>Results:</b> Of the 110 patients, 53 patients (48.2%) chose permanent seed brachytherapy, 33 patients (31.8%) chose expectant management, 12 patients (10.9%) chose external beam radiation therapy, and 10 patients (9.1%) chose radical prostatectomy. Patients who chose brachytherapy were significantly younger than those who chose external beam radiation therapy (p = 0.011). Patients living further away from the hospital than the median distance of 19.85 miles were more likely to choose brachytherapy than expectant management (p = 0.017).},
DOI = {}
}