Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of treatment techniques including intensity-modulated radiation therapy and image-guided radiation therapy in external-beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer in Japan.
Methods: A national survey on the current status of external-beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer was performed in 2010. We sent questionnaires to 139 major radiotherapy facilities in Japan, of which 115 (82.7%) were returned.
Results: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy was conducted at 67 facilities (58.3%), while image-guided radiation therapy was conducted at 70 facilities (60.9%). Simulations and treatments were performed in the supine position at most facilities. In two-thirds of the facilities, a filling bladder was requested. Approximately 80% of the facilities inserted a tube or encouraged defecation when the rectum was dilated. Some kind of fixation method was used at 102 facilities (88.7%). Magnetic resonance imaging was routinely performed for treatment planning at 32 facilities (27.8%). The median total dose was 76 Gy with intensity-modulated radiation therapy and 70 Gy with three-dimensional radiation therapy. The doses were prescribed at the isocenter at the facilities that conducted three-dimensional radiation therapy. In contrast, the dose prescription varied at the facilities that conducted intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Of the 70 facilities that could perform image-guided radiation therapy, 33 (47.1%) conducted bone matching, 28 (40.0%) conducted prostate matching and 9 (12.9%) used metal markers. Prostate or metal marker matching tended to produce a smaller margin than bone matching.
Conclusions: The results of the survey identified current patterns in the treatment planning and delivery processes of external-beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer in Japan.