What are the chances the patient will be affected by prostatitis after seeding?
All patients have some inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis) after seeding, which typically resolves as the seeds lose their energy. The presence of prostatitis prior to seeding is always a concern because the prostatitis may be exacerbated by the radiation. Surprisingly, this has not occurred in the patients we have treated. This is not to say that prostatitis symptoms went away after implantation, but that the implant did seem not to have significantly worsened them. Caution is urged with these patients. This is an area that needs closer study.
Prostate brachytherapy delivers a high dose of radiation to the prostate and periprostatic tissue. The major treatment related symptoms are urinary, due to radiation prostatitis. Nearly all patients develop some degree of dysuria, daytime urinary frequency and increased nocturia which typically resolves as the seeds lose their energy, over a period of months.
Related Questions
- How will sharing information about a patient between health care practitioners to directly improve that patients care be affected by the Ethical Force recommendations?
- What are the chances the patient will be affected by prostatitis after seeding?
- Is the effectiveness of the NORPLANT SYSTEM affected by any patient variables?
