Iodine-125 brachytherapy for clinically localized prostate cancer: a 5-year follow-up of outcome and complications.

Abstract

Thirty-seven patients with clinically localized prostate cancer of all grades were treated by suprapubic digitally guided implantation of 125I seeds. The median age at the time of diagnosis was 68 years. The mean follow-up period was 62 +/- 19 months. At last follow-up 18 patients were clinically free of disease; 11 deaths occurred: 9 from prostate cancer and 2 from another disease. Complications occurred in 24 patients most commonly urgency and proctitis, attributable to the treatment. Four patients had severe late rectal complications, and 2 patients died of sepsis secondary to rectal fistulae. Digitally directed retropubic implantation of 125I appears inferior to other treatments of clinically confined prostate cancer both regarding outcome as well as complication rate.