Prostate Seed Implant Dangers

Also known as brachytherapy, prostate seed implantation involves placing radioactive "seeds" in the prostate, which deliver radiation to the area. Once implanted, the seeds--which are about the size of a grain of rice--give off radiation, which slowly decays over time and becomes inactive inside the body. Because the radiation dose can be delivered at close range to the prostate tissues, the amount of radiation delivered can be lower than radiation performed outside the body.

Who Is a Candidate?

• Should the cancer be advanced enough to require treatment, a radiation oncologist will evaluate treatment options. Patients who may be a good candidate for brachytherapy include those whose cancer has not spread beyond the prostate and those who are found to be at a lower risk for urinary obstruction, which is a common complication following brachytherapy implant surgery.

  It is important to discuss any and all possible complications and dangers associated with brachytherapy with your physician. These can include side effects a patient experiences immediately after surgery and those that can proceed as the radiation therapy begins to kill cancerous cells.

Immediately Following

• The implantation of the prostate seeds requires the insertion of an ultrasound probe into the rectum using needles to implant between 50 and 100 seeds into the prostate, according to the American Brachytherapy Society. While the needles are very thin and small, there are side effects that can occur immediately, such as tenderness or soreness in the prostate area. Bruising and swelling are also normal; however, if these continue beyond a week's time or appear to be getting worse, these can be the signs that surgical complications, such as rejection of the radiation or implantation has occurred.

Two Chief Dangers

• Because the prostate helps to control both urine flow and erectile function, implanting the seeds has the potential for serious long-term side effects. The first is permanent urinary incontinence, which means difficulty controlling urine function, or even urinary obstruction, which is the complete lack of ability to urinate via normal means. Because brachytherapy causes swelling and inflammation in the prostate, these effects can potentially be for the short term or can even be permanent. According to Donald B. Fuller, MD, writing for the Radiation Medical Group, Inc., the risk of experiencing these dangers increases depending upon the age of the patient. For example, a 70-year-old patient is more likely to experience permanent incontinence than a 50-year-old patient.

Impotence

• Although the surgical alternative to brachytherapy results in greater impairment of sexual function, impotence can also be a danger of undergoing the brachytherapy procedure. Researchers theorize that the radiation can damage the nerves that help to create an erection, according to the Prostate Cancer Treatment Guide. Because brachytherapy delivers a more localized radiation dosage, results can range from no loss of sexual function to some impairment to complete impotence. For this reason, it is important for men who may wish to have children to bank sperm prior to undergoing treatment.

Radiation Dangers

• Radioactive substances help to kill or alter cancerous cells, but this radiation can also harm healthy cells. Because the seeds are implanted inside the prostate, the dangers associated with brachytherapy may differ from other radiation therapies. For example, it is possible to pass one of the radioactive seeds via urination, which affects not only the patient but also those around him who are exposed to the seed. If men would like to consider having a child in the next year and a half, it is a good idea to bank sperm in order to prevent passing along radiation to an unborn child.