About Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy (Seed Implants)
Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive (non-surgical) treatment option that administers radioactive seeds (the size of a grain of rice – please see illustration below) directly into the prostate. Radiation Oncologists use ultrasound to guide them to place the seeds in the location where they are needed.

Brachytherapy is not a new medical procedure; in fact, development of inserting radioactive 'seeds' in the prostate to kill the cancer has dated back to the early 1900’s. However, the last 20 years the medical community transformed prostate brachytherapy into a mainstream treatment option due to technological improvements such as sophisticated ultrasound machines and advanced treatment planning systems. Prior to seed implantation, patients receive anesthesia. Then, needles containing the radioactive seeds are inserted through the perineum (between the scrotum and anus) into the prostate.

Brachytherapy is an outpatient procedure lasting 45 minutes to one hour. Recovery time is short and most men can return to their normal activities within days. Survival studies have shown that Brachytherapy is more effective than external beam radiation and equal to radical prostatectomy. Side effects are minimal when compared with prostatectomy. Studies have reported a 60% impotence rate with prostatectomy compared with a 6% rate after prostate brachytherapy.

Brachytherapy offers:

• Equal success rates when compared with other mainstream treatment options such as radical prostatectomy
• Lower side-effect profile when compared with other Modalities
• A non-surgical option that involves just one single Treatment