Acute bowel morbidity after prostate brachytherapy with cesium-131.
OBJECTIVE
The present study evaluates the severity and time to resolution of bowel symptoms in men undergoing prostate brachytherapy (PB) with cesium-131 ((131)Cs).


METHODS
A longitudinal, prospective study of patients who had undergone PB with (131)Cs at a single institution was performed. All patients were asked to complete the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite preoperatively and at 2 weeks and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Outcomes were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Student's t test.


RESULTS
The first 142 patients to have undergone PB with (131)Cs at our institution were included in the study. The mean Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite bowel summary score at baseline was 90.1±11.0 compared with 71.5±22.8 (p=0.000), 70.1±20.7, 87.1±13.8 (p=0.01), and 90.7±9.2 (p=0.70) at 2 weeks and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
In men undergoing PB as monotherapy with (131)Cs, bowel symptoms returned to baseline by 3 months after the procedure. For patients undergoing PB with (131)Cs as part of combination therapy, bowel symptoms return to their post-external beam radiotherapy, pre-PB baseline by 3 months after the procedure.
Jacobs
Bruce L
BL
Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3471 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3232, USA. brucejacobs107@gmail.com
Gibbons
Erin P
EP
Smith
Ryan P
RP
Beriwal
Sushil
S
Benoit
Ronald M
RM
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology
D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes