Prostate Brachytherapy at Rex Cancer Center
Prostate brachytherapy - also known as seed implementation, interstitial radiation therapy or seed implant therapy - is a minimally invasive procedure where tiny radioactive seeds (about the size of a grain of rice) are implanted into the prostate. This method is used when the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate gland.
The patient cannot feel the implanted seeds (they remain in the prostate). There, the radioactive material gives off small doses of localized radiation for a number of months to destroy the prostate cancer. There are two types, or isotopes, of seeds that are commonly used: iodine and palladium.
Prostate brachytherapy is usually done on an outpatient basis and offers a short recovery time. Additionally, most men can return to their normal activities a few days after treatment. Further advances in brachytherapy, such as the introduction of stranded seeds, allow for increased precision in the placement of seeds. Stranded brachytherapy products enable the seeds to more securely remain where they are placed and effectively deliver radiation as planned by the physician.