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Prostate Cancer Treatment Options:
Prostate Cancer Treatment Options
Interstitial Seed Placement (or Brachytherapy)
Interstitial seed placement is also known as brachytherapy, coming from the Greek word “brachy”, meaning near. During brachytherapy small rice sized pieces of radioactive metal (often called radioactive “seeds”) are placed inside the prostate. Over several weeks the amount of radiation from the seeds decreases to essentially nothing. By the time the seeds become inactive, the emitted radiation has treated the prostate. Having the source of radiation “near” (or in this case actually within) the prostate, there is less damage to surrounding tissue when done by an experienced physician. The placement of brachytherapy seeds usually takes between 1 and 2 hours and the patient can return home the same day. Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive procedure considering the prostate is not removed, allowing rapid return to normal daily life.
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