Role of brachytherapy in patients with stage T1c, T2a adenocarcinoma of the prostate

The precise role of brachytherapy in treating patients with adenocarcinoma of the prostate remains unclear, Recent literature suggests that the long-t erm disease-free survival of patients with well-differentiated and localize d tumors who receive brachytherapy is comparable to that of patients with s imilar tumors who are treated with radical prostatectomy or external-beam r adiation. Advances in imaging technology, treatment planning software, and delivery apparatus have resulted in a technique that is accurate and reprod ucible. We explore the development of contemporary brachytherapy and examin e the current published data relating to its emergence as a medically succe ssful, cost-effective, and low-morbidity therapeutic modality for patients with stage T-1c, T-2a prostate cancer.