What parameters: PSA, Gleason score or other, should a man have in order to be a candidate for seed implantation?
In general, patients with PSA less than 10 and Gleason score of six or less are good candidates for implant alone. Most men will be candidates for seed implantation (S.I.). S.I. is performed either alone or in combination with external beam radiation. The challenge for physicians is deciding which patient needs external beam radiation. We use the Partin tables more often now to help us decide which patients need the combined external beam and implant approach. Patients with a high risk of disease outside the gland generally receive a short course of external beam radiation (5 weeks) prior to seed implantation. Some men will have a large gland, unusual anatomy or TURP defect, which technically prevents a good implant – but this occurs rarely.
