Treatment of prostate cancer with prostate seed implants

Posted by CancerInformation on November 26th, 2013

There are limitations to the traditional treatments of prostate cancer with the help of chemotherapy, external radiation therapy and surgery. These limitations are decreased to quite an extent with the method involving prostate seed implants. A larger numbers of doctors all over the world are getting specialized training in the application of this procedure as an effective treatment for prostate cancer. There are many benefits of this treatment by implanting radiation seeds in the prostate gland in order to cure cancer.

• In early stages of cancer, this method has proven to be more effective than radical surgery or external radiation or chemotherapy. Also the complications caused by this method are less than traditional treatments.

• For people who are terminally ill it may be suggested to have permanent prostate seed implants which are still being studied. This therapy can show great success when combined with a moderate dose of external radiation. There are still debates in the medical community regarding the suitability of permanent seed implants in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

The technique of implanting radioactive seeds in the cancerous prostate gland uses about 40 injections at regular intervals to implant about 150 radioactive seeds. This method of treatment is also known as brachytherapy. Due to the fact that these seeds are small in size, the area that they affect is also small. A large number of seeds are required to be implanted for effective treatment. The radiation emanating from these seeds only affects the cells that are in close proximity to the place where the seeds are implanted. The spread of the disease in the prostate gland has to be studied and an exact determination made regarding the exact location of the cancerous cells for an effective treatment. The radioactive prostate seed implants are then deposited within these areas so that they are able to have an effect on the cancerous cells directly.

About Author
Dr. Echt and his team at the Prostate Seed Institute offer the most highly sophisticated methods of radiation therapy available in the United States, equal to that found in major medical centers and academic settings. These include prostate seed implantation, high dose radiation implants, and external beam radiation with image-guided and intensity-modulated (IGRT and IMRT) capabilities.