Skip to main content

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

EBRT icon.

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 icon.

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

or

Gleason score is 7

or

Clinical stage is T2b

High risk

PSA greater than 20

or

Gleason score is 8 to 10

or

Clinical stage is T2c to T3c

Related articles


References

  1. American Cancer Society. Prostate Cancer Survival Rates. Accessed March 2025. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/survival-rates.html 
  2. 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.

All images are the property of Boston Scientific.