Secondary rectal malignancy risk reduction with IMRT and rectal balloon placement during radiation therapy.

e15162 Background: The risk of secondary rectal malignancies (SRMs) is a significant concern following radiation therapy for prostate cancer patients. Modern prostate radiotherapy techniques include the use of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and rectal balloons to decrease treatment related toxicity. These technologies may also lower the likelihood of radiation-induced SRMs. In this study, a novel biologically-based carcinogenesis model was used to quantify and to compare the predicted risks of SRMs in men treated with or without a rectal balloon in place using either standard 3-D conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) or IMRT radiotherapy. Methods: Treatment plans were developed for ten clinically localized prostate cancer patients using CT scans obtained both with and without a rectal balloon in place. Target and normal structures were contoured, and dose-volume histograms (DVHs) for these organs were determined with a planned 3D-CRT dose of 75.6 Gy or with a planned IMRT dose of 81 Gy. A biologically-based mathematical model of spontaneous and radiation-induced carcinogenesis was used to determine the excess absolute risk of SRMs for each plan. These risks were then compared to one another and to the baseline population. Results: Treatment with IMRT and a rectal balloon in place resulted in a significantly lower mean rectal wall dose in all patients compared with treatment with 3D-CRT without a rectal balloon. The average mean rectal wall dose with IMRT and a rectal balloon in place was 31.0 Gy versus 40.1 Gy with 3D-CRT without the rectal balloon (p < 0.001). A significantly higher risk of SRMs was predicted for patients treated with 3-D CRT without rectal balloons when compared with patients treated with IMRT with balloons in place (p < 0.001, relative risk 1.30; 95% confidence interval 1.16-1.44). Conclusions: For prostate cancer patients treated with definitive radiotherapy, the use of IMRT and rectal balloons during radiation, when compared to treatment with 3-D conformal radiotherapy, is associated with a significant reduction in the predicted risk of secondary rectal malignancies.