Stereotactic body radiotherapy for prostate cancer: ready for prime time?

Abstract

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) delivers a few high doses of radiation to a target in the body with extreme accuracy and conformality. Prostate cancer's great sensitivity to dose per fraction allows SBRT's hypofractionated delivery the opportunity to increase the biological equivalent dose delivered to the prostate while relatively decreasing the dose to the normal bladder and rectal tissues. In recent years, clinical outcomes supporting the safety and increasingly longer-term efficacy of SBRT have been published. This review examines the basis of hypofractionation, current SBRT delivery mechanisms, and the growing body of clinical outcomes of SBRT for prostate cancer. In addition, given the increased interest in SBRT for prostate cancer, clinical issues in the treatment of prostate cancer with SBRT and a look into the future of SBRT for prostate cancer are examined. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.