HYPOFRACTIONATED RADIOTHERAPY
for Prostate Cancer in Latin America

With hypofractionated radiotherapy (HRT), the total dose of radiation necessary for course completion is divided into larger doses, which then is delivered for each session. Compared with conventional radiotherapy, HRT can shorten treatment by weeks, thereby reducing short-term side effects and improving the patient’s quality of life. For example, hypofractionated SBRT can take 5 fewer weeks in patients receiving radiotherapy for lung cancer and more than 6 fewer weeks in patients receiving radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

In addition to more favorable patient health outcomes, HRT technology is immensely effective for improving how clinics operate. Because of the shorter treatment sessions and shorter duration of the complete course of treatment, clinics can treat more patients in established time slots. LINACs that can deliver HRT the treatment of a wider array of cancers and clinical cases. These capabilities lead to more efficient operations regarding planning, delivery, and workflow, which is a very important issue all through Latin America.

In September 2021, AHF convened a meeting of Latin American experts on HRT via Zoom to develop recommendations for increasing the HRT adoption and implementation in the Region.

The manuscript entitled “HRT as a Solution to Radiotherapy Access in Latin America: Expert Perspective” has been published at Via Medica Journals. Click here to read the full article.