Advances in prostate-rectum spacer application for prostate cancer radiotherapy: a comprehensive review
10.3760/cma.j.cn112330-20250615-00248
- VernacularTitle:前列腺癌放疗中前列腺-直肠隔离装置应用的研究进展
- Author:
Qinghua PENG
1
;
Xin QI
1
;
Hongzhen LI
1
Author Information
1. 北京大学第一医院放射治疗科，北京 100034
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Prostate cancer;
Radiotherapy;
Radiation-induced rectal injury;
Biodegradable materials;
Biocompatibility
- From:
Chinese Journal of Urology
2025;46(10):796-800
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Globally，prostate cancer is the second most common malignant tumor in men. Radiotherapy is a radical treatment modality for prostate cancer，with efficacy comparable to radical prostatectomy. During radiotherapy delivery，as tumors in the peripheral zone of the prostate which are adjacent to the anterior rectal wall，delivering curative doses to the prostate inevitably results in irradiation of the anterior rectal wall. This carries a certain probability of causing related complications and adversely affecting patients' quality of life. The prostate-rectum spacer（or isolation device）is perineally implanted between the prostate and rectum to create a physical separation，increasing the distance between them. This reduces rectal radiation dose during radiotherapy and consequently lowers the incidence of rectal adverse reactions. Currently，commonly used prostate-rectum spacers include polyethylene glycol hydrogels，hyaluronic acid hydrogels，and balloon spacers. Substantial clinical evidence has confirmed the safety and efficacy of prostate-rectum spacers，strongly supporting their use in prostate cancer radiotherapy. However，existing technologies still face several challenges，including inadequate separation force provided by the spacer material，procedural complexity during implantation，compression-induced injuries to adjacent tissues，and suboptimal visualization under current imaging modalities. Future efforts must establish quality standards，optimize image-guided implantation，develop novel materials，evaluate long-term biocompatibility to enhance clinical deployment，and mitigate rectal complication risks.
