Prostate Seed Therapy Could Be Twice as Good as Other Options
Posted by Lascolinascancercenter on May 29th, 2015
Men who are facing a prostate cancer diagnosis are likely to find a number of treatment options available to them, depending on the stage of the disease. When brachytherapy is presented as an option, men will find this less invasive alternative to traditional treatments delivers results.
The latest proof of the effectiveness of prostate seed implant therapy comes out of Canada where researchers compared the use of prostate seed implants with a dose-escalated form of external beam radiotherapy. At the conclusion of the study, which involved 398 men, researchers found brachytherapy to be incredibly effective. Men who received prostate seed implants were twice as likely to be found cancer-free at five years than their counterparts who underwent external beam radiation.
Prostate seed implants are tiny radioactive seeds that are injected directly into the prostate itself. They fight cancer cells at their source and the procedure is often performed on an outpatient basis, which means men can return to their normal routines faster while still receiving treatment. Brachytherapy draws on a lower dose of radiation, which can also offer benefits in that it helps protect outlying, healthy tissue. In addition, since the seeds dissolve over time, surgical removal is not required. They simply go away on their own after they’ve served their purpose.
While brachytherapy is considered a favored treatment for prostate cancer, like all treatments it isn’t without some risks. Men who undergo seed implant therapy may suffer from erectile dysfunction and urinary-related concerns. Overall, however, the number of potential side effects presented by this form of treatment is reduced greatly over other options, such as radical prostatectomy.
Men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer should carefully discuss their treatment options with their physicians. Brachytherapy is not indicated in every case of the disease. When it is, however, this less intense treatment can deliver the results men and their doctors seek while increasing the odds of remaining cancer-free years down the road.
About the author:
The Las Colinas Cancer Center is located on the service road of HWY 161 and Las Colinas Boulevard near the Regions Bank. We are located just across the Highway from the Las Colinas Medical Center. We designed the Las Colinas Cancer Center with our patients in mind. Our experienced and trained medical staffs is attentive to detail and our center offers the most advanced cancer fighting technology available in North Texas including on-site PET & CT Scanning. The physicians on staff at our Las Colinas location are Dr. Gregory Echt, Dr. Neeraja Dasari, Dr. James Mackey, and Dr. Kiran Kancharla. Visit lascolinascancercenter.com to know more.
