Late rectal morbidity after three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) of prostate cancer: volume effects

An important goal of 3D-CRT is to improve local control by increasing the radiation dose to the target tissue, without significantly increasing treatment related morbidity. A potentially dose-limiting normal tissue complication in radiation therapy of prostate cancer is late rectal (i.e. Gastrointestinal [GI]) toxicity. Benefit for the patient could result from the identification of factors that correlate with and ideally predict for late rectal toxicity. In the present study, treatment plans were reconstructed for 19 patients of carcinoma of prostate treated with 3D-CRT. Geometric, dosimetric, clinical variables were examined to identify significant correlates with late rectal morbidity after 3D-CRT