Clinical outcomes of radiation therapy

Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but prostate cancer has a 97% relative survival rate at five years when combining all stages of diagnosis.¹ If you’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you and your physician may consider radiation therapy with SpaceOAR™ Hydrogel to help minimize potential side effects. Learn more about the clinical outcomes of radiation therapy and work with your physician to find the treatment that’s right for you.

Common types of radiation therapy

External beam radiation therapy (EBRT)

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)
Proton beam therapy

EBRT has an overall survival rate of <99% at the five year mark.¹

Internal radiation (or brachytherapy)

Brachytherapy is another option for radiation therapy. In one clinical study, using a combination of EBRT and high-dose rate brachytherapy, patients had a 95% relapse-free survival rate seven years after treatment.²

While these are common types of radiation therapy for prostate cancer, they may not be available everywhere or best for every patient. Research all of your options on the American Cancer Society website at cancer.org, and choose the best treatment option based on the guidance of your healthcare provider.

Understanding your risk group

Your risk group is based on three factors: your Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) score, your Gleason score, and the clinical stage of your prostate cancer.

Your physician will evaluate your scores and determine your risk category and course of treatment.

Low risk

PSA less than 10

and

Gleason score less than 7

and

Clinical stage is T1c to T2a

Intermediate risk

PSA greater than 10 less than 20

Gleason score is 7

Clinical stage is T2b

High risk

PSA greater than 20

Gleason score is 8 to 10

Clinical stage is T2c to T3c

Tips for lowering PSA levels

Understanding prostate cancer: diagnosing, grading, and staging

References

American Cancer Society. Prostate Cancer Survival Rates. Accessed March 2025. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/survival-rates.html
Kotecha R, Yamada Y, Pei X, et al. Clinical outcomes of high-dose-rate brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy in the management of clinically localized prostate cancer. Brachytherapy. Jan–Feb 2013;12(1):44–9.

Caution: U.S. Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.

Results from case studies are not necessarily predictive of results in other cases. Results in other cases may vary.

SpaceOAR Hydrogel is intended to temporarily move the rectal wall away from the prostate during the course of radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer, and in creating this space it is the intent of SpaceOAR Hydrogel to reduce the radiation dose affecting the rectum.

SpaceOAR Hydrogel contains polyethylene glycol (PEG). As with any medical treatment, there are some risks involved with the use of SpaceOAR Hydrogel. Potential complications associated with SpaceOAR Hydrogel include, but are not limited to: pain associated with injection, pain or discomfort from the hydrogel, site inflammation, infection (including abscess), inability to urinate, urgent need to urinate, constipation, rectal muscle spasm, damage to lining of rectum, ulcers, fistula (a hole between rectum and bladder, urethra, or skin below the scrotum), perforation (hole in prostate, bladder, urethra, rectum), necrosis (dead tissue), allergic reaction (local reaction or more severe reaction, such as anaphylaxis), embolism (blood vessel blockage is possible and may happen outside of the pelvis, potentially impacting vital organs or legs), fainting, and bleeding. Please talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits related to using SpaceOAR Hydrogel. If one or more of these complications occur, you may need medical treatment or surgery.

All images are the property of Boston Scientific.