Since 1991, the radioactive seed implant procedure for the prostate has been offered at the Mannheim Clinic in cooperation with the Radiation Therapy and Urology Clinics, and has been carried out on ca. 500 patients to date. Currently, this treatment is performed on an average of around 100 patients each year.

 
During prostate brachytherapy small radiation sources (seeds) - usually iodine 125 or palladium 128 - are inserted into the prostate. While the patient is under full or partial narcosis, a needle is used to place the seeds in the prostate tissue with millimeter accuracy with the help of an ultrasound image. The small seeds deliver a high radiation dosage directly to the tumor from the inside. The dosage is absorbed predominantly by the prostate, avoiding to a large extent unnecessary dosage to neighboring organs (rectum and bladder). The insertion and positioning of the needles is carried out using an on-line planning program and carefully calculated as a dosage plan directly during the procedure using a computer simulation.

¹²⁵J-Seed Implantation

Under certain conditions, this treatment is an alternative to complete removal of the prostate (radical prostatectomy). The significant advantages are:

• Less men suffer from impotence after the procedure

• Low incontinence rate

The implantation can be performed as either an in-patient or out-patient procedure. Whether this method is right for an individual patient can only be determined in a doctor-patient consultation. For further information mail to Radiation Therapy.

Zurück