Dr. Ankur K. Patel, MD

A group of doctors, including a radiation oncologist, will determine the details of a patient's treatment plan, such as length of treatment and whether they will receive low dose rate or high dose rate brachytherapy. Low dose rate brachytherapy may be temporary or permanent. If temporary, patients will remain in the hospital for several days while the radiation is delivered to their prostate gland through catheters or needles. In contrast, high dose rate brachytherapy delivers a high amount of radiation over a period of about thirty minutes, after which the radioactive materials are removed from the prostate. High dose rate brachytherapy is always temporary. Patients may receive a single treatment session, or treatment may continue in multiple sessions. Sessions can occur either in a single day or across several days, during which patients remain in the hospital.

Typically, patients can return home within hours following treatment, although an overnight hospital stay may be required. Side effects from prostate brachytherapy are temporary and may include erectile dysfunction, pelvic pain, fatigue, and urinary incontinence. If a patient feels pain or swelling where the needles or catheters were inserted, it may help them to avoid activities such as bike riding. Normal activity can be resumed within days of the procedure.