What are the long-term results for brachytherapy?
The long-term survival rates for patients who have completed brachytherapy or combination therapy including brachytherapy under the care of a skilled radiation oncologist, are as good or better (typically greater than 90%, depending on the PSA, stage and grade) than those who have had surgical removal of the prostate. The biggest difference is in the quality of life after treatment, with far fewer incidents of erectile dysfunction while incontinence is virtually unheard of following brachytherapy (a skilled radiation oncologist will have completed not hundreds of cases, but thousands, and will have personal statistics supporting successful treatments for many years). So here we have a treatment that not only provides higher quality of life but even greater quantity! Explain where and how the seeds are implanted. Each case is different. Depending on the size and contour of the prostate, and the size, number and location of the tumor(s), a precise seeding map is designed for the patient.
