Prostate Seed Implant (Brachytherapy)

Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive procedure where the doctor implants tiny permanent radioactive seeds (about the size of a grain of rice) into the prostate where they irradiate the cancer from inside the gland. The implanted seeds are small enough that they will not be felt by the patient. Depending on your circumstances, either radioactive Iodine (I -125) or palladium (Pd-103) will be used. Brachytherapy is also referred to as interstitial radiation therapy or seed implant therapy.

Before the seeds are implanted, the patient receives anesthesia. Needles containing the seeds are then inserted through the skin of the perineum (the area between the scrotum and anus) using ultrasound guidance. The seeds remain in the prostate, where the radioactive material gives off localized radiation for a number of months to destroy the prostate cancer.

Seed implantation is an effective treatment for men with localized prostate cancer. Seed implantation requires no surgical incision and offers men a short recovery time. Brachytherapy can be an outpatient procedure, and most men go home the same day as their treatment. Additionally, most men can return to their normal activities a few days after treatment.