title: Long-term results of interstitial brachytherapy (LDR-Brachytherapy) in the treatment of patients with prostate cancer.
abstract: Permanent interstitial brachytherapy represents the most conformal form of radiation therapy of the prostate and the number of patients with prostate cancers treated with permanent radioactive implants is increasing world wide. In the meanwhile long-term data on tumor control and treatment morbidity become available. Biochemical and clinical tumor control appears to be as effective as after radical prostatectomy or external beam radiation therapy in early prostate cancer. The risk of postreatment urinary incontinence and bowel dysfunction is low and erectile function can be preserved in the majority of patients. However, prostate brachytherapy requires a careful selection of patients as pretreatment factors predict for long-term outcome. The need for combined modality approaches in intermediate and high-risk patients remains controversely discussed. The continous refinement of intraoperative planning techniques and the elucidation of the etiology of urinary, sexual, and bowel dysfunction should result in further improvements in biochemical outcomes and decreased morbidity. Improved and standardized postimplantation evaluation will make outcome data more reliable and comparable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Marien Krankenhaus Bergisch Gladbach gGmbH, Akademisches Lehrkrankenhaus der Universität Köln, Robert-Koch-Str.18, 51465, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. Stefan.Machtens@mkh-bgl.de
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Machtens
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baumann
authors.forename: Jörn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hagemann
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Warszawski
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Johann H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Karstens
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jonas
mesh_terms: D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome