Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis: Prostate Brachytherapy

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Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis

Prostate Brachytherapy

Cancer Services

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Daily Bread

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The Radiation Oncology Center at Baptist Center for Cancer Care-Memphis offers prostate brachytherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer in adult men. Brachytherapy can be used to treat prostate cancer when the cancer is confined to the prostate gland. The procedure involves nonsurgically implanting tiny radioactive pellets about the size of a grain of rice directly into the middle of the cancer, where they give off radiation for about one year. Using a rectal ultrasound, physicians implant the pellets into the prostate with guide needles.

The advantage of using brachytherapy are:

It eliminates diseases caused by surgical incision into the abdominal cavity, which is the traditional method of treatment for prostate cancer.
It is an outpatient procedure, so patients do not have to stay in the hospital.
Patients recover and can return to normal activity more quickly.
Allows for precise placement of the seeds and results in a more uniform seed distribution throughout the prostate
Minimal bleeding from procedure
Relatively low long-term morbidity
One-time procedure
More comfortable procedure for older patients in poor medical condition
Preserves sexual potency
Almost no patients experience urinary incontinence
Proven to be highly effective with few side effects

At the Radiation Oncology Center, we have performed more than 275 brachytherapy procedures since 1997. Our brachytherapy team comprises urologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists, medical dosimetrists and nursing staff and is involved with the patient from diagnosis through treatment and recovery. The Radiation Oncology Center is the only team in the West Tennessee area that provides real-time dosimetric planning using an ultrasound-guided technique.

For more information about prostate brachytherapy, consult your physician and/or the Radiation Oncology Center at (901) 226-0340.

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