Rectal Spacers May Reduce Erectile Dysfunction After Prostate Radiotherapy
New research suggests that rectal spacers, commonly used to minimize rectal toxicity during prostate cancer radiotherapy, might also decrease the risk of developing erectile dysfunction (ED). The study, which analyzed a large dataset, opens a new avenue for understanding the comprehensive benefits of this procedure.
Study Overview
A team led by Ryan Hankins, MD, a urologist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, examined the potential of rectal spacers to improve erectile function following radiation treatment for prostate cancer. Rectal spacers are used to reduce the adverse effects of radiation therapy.
According to Hankins, “We use rectal spacers to help prevent [adverse events] from radiation therapy for prostate cancer…We are seeing now that there may be other benefits.”
Large-Scale Data Analysis
The researchers leveraged a substantial Medicare dataset encompassing 247,250 prostate cancer patients who underwent radiation therapy between 2015 and 2022. Instead of analyzing individual patient data, the study adopted a county-level approach to broaden its scope.
Hankins noted, “These are large data sets that are readily available, so this is based on diagnoses that are reported, or really government-reported diagnosis codes, and so we can dive into large data sets to see if we can find associations with improvement in these [adverse events].”
Key Findings
The study revealed that higher utilization rates of rectal spacers in counties were associated with lower rates of ED diagnoses among prostate cancer patients who received radiotherapy. While the data indicates an association, further studies are needed to establish a definitive cause-and-effect relationship. About 40% of men experience ED after prostate cancer treatment (American Cancer Society).
Reference
Hankins RA, Sato R, Mehta P, Bhattacharyya S, Ezekwekwu E, Collins S. Real-world U.S. county-level analysis of erectile dysfunction diagnosis following radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer: The impact of rectal spacer utilization. J Urol. 2025;213(5S):e1327. doi:10.1097/01.JU.0001110184.48142.9e.
