A study conducted at the Kimmel Cancer Center has found that brachytherapy along with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) could prove helpful in reducing the mortality rate of prostate cancer patients.

The findings of the study have been published in the online version of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology. Brachytherapy is a treatment in which the radiation source is placed directly on the tumor.

Generally, the treatment is used over the patients with lower or middle stage of prostate cancer. However, now it is being proposed that the patients with advanced stage of prostate cancer should also be provided with the treatment.

The Co-author of the study, Timothy Showalter, was reported as saying, "The study contradicts traditional policies of using brachytherapy in just low and intermediate risk patients by suggesting there may instead be an improvement in prostate cancer survival for high-risk patients".

Prostate cancer is a deadly disease, which affects millions of men all over the world. For the study, the researchers examined the data of 12,745 prostate cancer patients who were diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1988-2002.

It was found that from 1988-2002 that only 7% of the patients were provided with brachytherapy. However, the majority of the patients i. e. 73.55 received EBRT alone. But, 19.1% of the patients were given both the therapies.

During the research, the researchers found that the patients who were given both the treatment had lower mortality rate as compared to those who were given either EBRT or brachytherapy. Therefore, the researchers are now asking to introduce both the treatment to the high-risk cancer patients so that their survival rate could be improved. It is hoped that the introduction of the combined treatment would enable many to live and enjoy longer.