My physician said that radioactive implants were tried many years ago and proved ineffective. Is that true?
Over 20 years ago, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center pioneered prostate implants. Following that lead, many hospitals nationwide performed seed implants. In those days, however, the implants were performed using an “open” method, which involved surgery to expose the prostate gland. The open method required the urologist to feel the prostate gland with his fingers to determine where to place the seeds – an extremely imprecise method. Because it relied entirely on the doctor’s skill and experience, in most cases the placement of the seeds was poor by today’s standards. Poor placement of the seeds meant that there were areas where the seeds were too far apart creating “cold spots” in the prostate. Because these cold spots did not provide a high enough amount of radiation to kill the cancer cells, the cancer often returned over time. Although many patients who were treated with the open technique had recurrences of their cancer, scientific reviews have shown that patients who were tre
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- My physician said that radioactive implants were tried many years ago and proved ineffective. Is that true?
