title: Eight years experience of local prostate cancer treatment with permanent I125 seed brachytherapy--morbidity and outcome results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There are only a limited number of reports of treatment of prostate cancer with permanent prostate seed I(125) brachytherapy (PPB) in Europe. We describe results from one Finnish institution having treated 444 patients with a follow-up of eight years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Morbidity was evaluated by International Prostate Symptom Score and International Index of Erectile Function questionnaires. Urine flow, residual urine volume and the PSA values were measured pre-treatment and during follow-up. Any additional treatments were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PPB was well tolerated. Median IPSS increased from 8 at baseline to 18 at three months post-therapy and returned to baseline score within 12 months. Median urine flow decreased from 15.2 ml/s at baseline to 10.2 ml/s at three months and returned to baseline value within two years. Acute urinary retention, potency preservation and severe proctitis were observed in 11%, 86% and 2% of patients, respectively. The PSA bounce was observed in 13% and PSA nadir < or =0.5 microg/l was reached by 81% of patients. Disease-free survival (DFS) was 90.2%. In the Cox regression analysis, the independent predictors of DFS were risk group and PSA nadir < or =0.5 microg/l (p<0.0001 for both). PC-specific survival was 98.5% and overall survival was 94.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results are in concordance and comparable with other reports on PPB.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland. sirpa.aaltomaa@kuh.fi
authors.forename: Sirpa H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Aaltomaa
authors.forename: Vesa V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Kataja
authors.forename: Tapani
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lahtinen
authors.forename: Jan-Erik
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Palmgren
authors.forename: Tapio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Forsell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen