Brachytherapy allows to apply a high dose of radiation to the prostate with excellent oncologic results

hospital stay after the application of the technique does not exceed 24 hours

-thanks to this technique, the side effects, such as sexual impotence or incontinence, are much smaller than with other modes of treatment.

– is a treatment’s efficacy demonstrated in prostate tumors of low and intermediate risk.

Madrid, February 2012. The effectiveness of brachytherapy as a therapeutic option to combat prostate cancer is due, among other things, that allows to implement a high dose of radiation in a single application with respect to other treatments. Performed by introducing guided ecográficamente of small radioactive seeds (iodine-125) of smaller than the tip of a pen directly inside the prostate. These seeds will release its activity, for a year, on an ongoing basis. In this way, the concentrated radiation that receives the gland is greater and more focused, with other procedures such as, for example, external radiotherapy.

In addition, seeds can be placed strategically within the gland, so that his action focuses directly on the location of the tumor. Thus, reduces the incidence on the adjacent healthy organs (rectum and bladder) and, therefore, the usual side effects are minimized in dealing with this type of cancer, such as sexual impotence or incontinence, maintaining an optimal quality of life of the patient.

Another advantage of prostate brachytherapy is that the procedure of implant is outpatient, with a duration of approximately one hour and anesthesia epidural. Likewise, no need make surgical incision, which is why there is no give points nor is any kind of scar. Thereby, the hospital stay after its application is limited to 24 hours, so the patient can resume his normal activity level in a few days.

Importance of early diagnosis

Currently prostate brachytherapy is applied to treat tumors of low and intermediate risk, provided they are located in the interior of the gland, and have not spread to adjacent organs.

For this reason, it is essential to detect your presence when it is in its initial stages through an early diagnosis. Considering that prostate cancer is asymptomatic, i.e. that no symptoms until that is very advanced, is of utmost importance that males undergo urological revisions each year to see what the State of your prostate.

The age from which should do so is age 50 or 45, where there is a family history of breast cancer. In addition, with an early diagnosis of the disease, causes in Spain of the death of 5,800 men a year, chances of healing increase by 90%. The total number of cases diagnosed annually in our country is 18.800.