Newer Radiation Treatments May Be Preferred to Seed Implants for Early Prostate Cancer

An advanced radiation therapy called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) appears to cause fewer side effects in men with early prostate cancer. With IMRT, multiple radiation beams target the prostate from many directions, while doctors adjust the strength and intensity of the beams. Sensitive surrounding organs such as the bladder and rectum are less likely to be affected using the newer technology.

A study at a Philadelphia Cancer Center compared results in 216 men who received IMRT to 158 men who received the more traditional radiation seed implant therapy. Before treatment, all had a cancer at low risk of spreading beyond the prostate.


Viagra In radiation seed implant therapy, or brachytherapy, tiny radioactive seeds are implanted by surgeons into the prostate glad where high-dose radiation is delivered for a specified length of time.

Both treatments are effective and safe. The side effects and quality of life are important factors in choosing a therapy. In general, men with enlarged prostates or who have poor urinary function or diabetes do better with IMRT than radiation seed implants.

Men treated with the newer method of therapy were less likely to need catheters to help them urinate, researchers determined. After three months, only 0.5% of men on IMRT compared to 4% with radioactive seeds still needed a urinary catheter.

In another comparison, 97% of those receiving IMRT were cancer-free four years later, compared to 86% of men who had radioactive seeds. These results were measured by blood tests for prostate specific antigen (PSA), in which rising levels can signal a recurrence of cancer. The PSA levels in the second group were negligible or not significant.

Both IMRT and seed implant therapy offer excellent outcomes with low toxicity, according to a lead researcher at the Cancer Center.

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