When all you have is a hammer.

Rad oncs love to evaluate trends in brachytherapy use. A review out of Canada demonstrates the use of brachytherapy as a boost following external beam radiation for the definitive management of prostate cancer has seen a remarkable relative increase annually of 24% in the decade from 2006-2017. Brachy as monotherapy for prostate cancer saw a more modest but still significant annual increase of 3% over the same time period. Perhaps not surprisingly, by far the biggest determinant of receiving brachy as a component of radiation was whether the initial consulting rad onc performed brachy. When they did, a patient was nearly 3x more likely to receive a brachy boost and nearly 6x more likely to receive brachy monotherapy. TBL: Prostate brachytherapy is on the rise in Canada, with the decision for use largely determined by whether the consulting rad onc had the capability to offer brachy his or herself. | Corkum, Radiother Oncol 2020