Association Between Rectal Spacer Use and Erectile Dysfunction Diagnosis Among Men Receiving Prostate Radiotherapy: <scp>US</scp> County‐Level Analysis
This is the first large-scale real-world analysis to demonstrate an association between rectal spacer use and ED prevalence among PCa patients undergoing RT. County-level analysis suggests that increased use of rectal spacing among PCa patients receiving RT is associated with a significantly lower prevalence of ED, with benefits emerging after a 4-5-year time lag. These findings support the long-term benefit of rectal spacer use in preserving sexual function in PCa patients undergoing prostate RT. Future research should evaluate the etiology of the delayed benefit observed in this study.
Authors
- Parthiv Mehta
- Daniel A. Hamstra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6291-3444)
- Ryoko Sato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7040-317X)
- Ryan Andrew Hankins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5586-0102)
- Sean P. Collins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2305-9836)
- Emmanuel Ezekekwu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3080-9463)
- Samir Bhattacharyya
Institutions
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- Georgetown University (US)
- University of South Florida (US)
- MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (US)
- Boston Scientific (United States) (US)
- Glenbrook Hospital (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cancer Medicine
- Published
- 2025-12-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.71362
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.52
Funders
- Boston Scientific Corporation