Are normal tissue and organ cells also killed?
Yes, normal cells of the tissues and organs that receive the radiation dose from the prostate seed implant are also injured. Some of the normal cells can repair the damage while others will die in a manner similar to that described above. Fortunately, however, one has many more normal cells than cancer cells in the area being treated, and it is by this mechanism that every last cancer cell can be destroyed while sparing enough normal cells for the normal body tissues and organs to recover. It is the damage to the normal body tissues and organs that causes the side effects of the treatment.
