Prostate brachytherapy

What is prostate brachytherapy?

Brachytherapy is a treatment that places radioactive sources inside the patient temporarily or permanently to damage the DNA of cancer cells and destroy their growth. In this case, radioactive seeds are placed in the prostate gland to destroy prostate cancer cells.

Brachytherapy usually takes 30 minutes or more. Before the procedure is performed, the patient is given a sedative medication to make him/her feel no pain:

  • A sedative to induce sleep and anesthesia in the perineum (area between the anus and rectum).
  • Anesthesia, which can be spinal anesthesia (you will be sleepy but awake and anesthetized from the waist down) or general anesthesia (you will be completely asleep and pain-free).

Why is it performed?

Brachytherapy is applied in men with small prostate cancer that is diagnosed early and grows slowly. It is a beneficial treatment because it has fewer complications and side effects than conventional radiotherapy.

What does brachytherapy consist of?

Brachytherapy consists of two steps:

  1. The physician places an ultrasound probe inside the rectum to visualize the area. It is a tube with a camera. In addition, the patient may have a catheter placed in the bladder to eliminate urine.
  2. The physician will use the ultrasound or CT scan to plan and then place the seeds that will release radiation inside the prostate. The seeds are placed with needles through the perineum.

Also, for prostate cancer there are two different types of brachytherapy:

  • Low-dose radiation brachytherapyà This is the most common procedure. The seeds are inside the prostate and emit small amounts of radiation for a few months.
  • High-dose radiation brachytherapy is a procedure that lasts about 30 minutes. The physician inserts the radioactive seeds into the prostate using a computerized robot. The radioactive material is removed after the treatment is completed.
Read Now 👉  Diabetes

Preparation for brachytherapy

Before brachytherapy it is important for the doctor to know what medication the patient is taking. In addition, ultrasound, X-ray or CT scans may be performed before the procedure is performed. On the other hand, the patient may also be asked to stop taking medications that hinder blood clotting.

On the day of the procedure, the patient will be asked to fast for several hours before the procedure and to take certain medications.

Care after the operation

After prostate brachytherapy it is normal to feel slightly sore and sleepy. However, it is an outpatient procedure, so the patient returns home as soon as he/she wakes up from the anesthesia.

If you have received a low dose of radiation or a permanent implant, your doctor may recommend that you stay away from children and pregnant women for a few days after the procedure. However, after a few weeks the radiation wears off, and so does the risk of harm.