title: Whitmore, Henschke, and Hilaris: The reorientation of prostate brachytherapy (1970-1987).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Urologists had performed prostate brachytherapy for decades before New York's Memorial Hospital retropubic program. This paper explores the contribution of Willet Whitmore, Ulrich Henschke, Basil Hilaris, and Memorial's physicists to the evolution of the procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature review and interviews with program participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 1000 retropubic implants were performed at Memorial between 1970 and 1987. Unlike previous efforts, Memorial's program benefited from the participation of three disciplines in its conception and execution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Memorial's retropubic program was a collaboration of urologists, radiation therapists, and physicists. Their approach focused greater attention on dosimetry and radiation safety, and served as a template for subsequent prostate brachytherapy programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA. aronowitz@radium-therapy.com
authors.forename: Jesse N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Aronowitz
mesh_terms: D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000266:history / Q000532:radiotherapy*