TY  - EJOU
AU  - Taussky, Daniel 
AU  - Liu, Aihua 
AU  - Abrahamowicz, Michal 
AU  - Léger-Bélanger, Eve 
AU  - Bahary, Jean-Paul 
AU  - Beauchemin, Marie-Claude 
AU  - Nguyen, Thu Van 
AU  - Donath, David 
AU  - Saad, Fred 

TI  - Factors infl uencing treatment decisions in patients with low risk prostate cancer referred to a brachytherapy clinic
T2  - Canadian Journal of Urology

PY  - 2008
VL  - 15
IS  - 6
SN  - 1488-5581

AB  - <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).
KW  - prostate cancer
KW  -  treatment
KW  -  decision making
KW  -  permanent seed brachytherapy (PB)

DO  -