Brachytherapy

The spectrum of therapies for prostate cancer was greatly extended during recent years, and particularly in the area of radiation therapy, substantial advances were made. A new form of the treatment for patients with prostate cancer in the early stages is available with the brachytherapy. There are two fundamental techniques of the brachytherapy:

- Seed Implantation (LDR Brachytherapy)
- Afterloading Therapy (HDR Brachytherapy)

Brachytherapy has gradually been gaining wide acceptance in the US over the last 20 years. Parallel to the surgical total removal of the prostate, the technique has become a standard treatment. The number of cases in the US treated with brachytherapy has increased from 5,000 to almost 80,000 per year during the last six years.

An exceptionally minimally invasive procedure

For you as the patient, this method offers substantial advantages:

• minimally invasive, meaning it is well tolerated and involves no incisions or sutures
• can be performed during a short-term hospital stay
• evidences a lesser rate of complications and results in a higher rate of potency in comparison to surgical removal of the prostate.

At the West German Prostate Center, brachytherapy is one of the central treatment methods. Patients are cared for by urologists and radiology therapists, who closely collaborate with each other in the procedure. This surgical cooperation has already been a proven success in more than 4500 treatments