Efficacy of a hydrogel spacer for improving quality of life in patients with prostate cancer undergoing low-dose-rate brachytherapy alone or in combination with intensity-modulated radiotherapy: An observational study using propensity score matching.

A hydrogel spacer may not improve impaired urinary, bowel, or sexual QOL in patients undergoing LDR-BT alone. However, in patients undergoing LDR-BT in combination with IMRT, a hydrogel spacer can improve impaired bowel QOL but not sexual or urinary QOL.