Radioactive Seed Implant
Synopsis
Ultrasound-guided permanent seed prostate brachytherapy is an effective outpatient surgical procedure for prostate cancer, in which therapeutic radiation is placed directly within the prostate gland, through the ultrasound-guided delivery of encapsulated radioactive seeds. This is a very convenient and well-tolerated treatment option in appropriately selected prostate cancer patients, with cure rates that appear to rival those of any other treatment modality.
Radiation Medical Group was the first practice in San Diego to perform permanent prostate seed brachytherapy, and has since performed more cases than any other practice in the San Diego region, accumulating one of the largest prostate brachytherapy experiences in the State of California.
The physicians at RMG continue to apply and develop the brachytherapy technique in a substantial number of prostate cancer patients, including some leading edge applications. For example, RMG physicians performed the first Palladium strand prostate brachytherapy procedure in the United States in August 2001, and continue to investigate the advantages of this new source delivery system. Implantation under local anesthesia and conscious sedation was instituted at RMG in 2002 and has now become our standard method. This has allowed us to move the procedure from the hospital setting to the office setting. CT-ultrasound interactive brachytherapy, a real-time dosimetry method in which the implant is analyzed by CT scan and appropriately modified before the patient is discharged, was developed at RMG in 2002 (8). This is now our preferred brachytherapy method.
