Seed-Implantation - Indication and recovery rates

According to recent data from the Seattle Prostate Institute, the 10-year survival rate after seed implantation in patients with low risk is at 94 to 98 percent, in patients with moderate risk it is 89 to 97 percent. As the results of a long-term study of the West German Prostate Center* demonstrate, the biochemical recurrence-free rate after a follow-up of 71 months for patients with a low and medium risk profile is 97 and 94 percent. The results confirm long-term studies of major European and U.S. institutions. A similar result was obtained by Potters and his colleagues (Potters et al 2004.): Of 733 patients 84 percent showed after seven-year treatment a PSA of <0.5 ng / ml. Thus, the seed implantation for localized tumors has proven an equally effective method of prostatectomy (Kupelian et al., 2004) while is a much gentler treatment.

*Neubauer S, Derakhshani P., Weise C., Spira G.: Interstitial low-dose-rate mono-brachytherapy with I125-relapse-free survival and dosimetric outcome for localised prostate cancer in a single European institution

Suitable for whom?
Under the current guidelines of professional societies for urology and radiation therapy the seed implantation is suitable especially for low-risk patients with a PSA <10 (in some cases up to 15), a Gleason score <7b and a tumor stage of T1c or T2a, and a prostate volume recommended by <50 ml. It is not suitable for patients who had transurethral resection of the prostate performed within the last six months.