Brachytherapy of prostate cancer

Brachytherapy of prostate cancer has become attractive in recent years in G ermany. There are several radioactive sources available, which are physical ly different. Some of them are used as permanent or temporary implants. The permanent sources most frequently used are iodine 125, palladium 103, and gold 198.Iridium is a temporary implant. The techniques used in Germany are low-dose rate (LDR) and high-dose rate b rachytherapy, which differ in dose distribution and patient population. The success of prostate cancer brachytherapy depends on patient selection a nd choosing the right source for the technique used. Best suited for LDR mo notherapy is the low-risk patient with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) le vel below 10 ng/ml, maximal tumor stage T2b, and a Gleason score of less th an 7.