General

Groves, A: Taking on Prostate Cancer, Fortune 1996 May 13:54-72
A well written article about his own fight with prostate cancer by the founder of Intel.

Recent Scientific Articles About Brachytherapy

1. Stock RG, Caholon O, Kollmeier MA, et. al.
   Combined modality treatment in the management of high-risk prostate cancer
   Int J Radiation Oncology Biol Phys 2004 Aug 1:59(5):1352-9
   
   A study of 132 high risk prostate cancer patients treated with combined hormone suppressive therapy, brachytherapy, and external beam radiation.
   
2. Flam TA, Peyromaure M, Chauveinc L, et. al.
   Post-brachytherapy transurethral resection of the prostate in patients with localized prostate cancer.
   J Urol 2004 Jul;172(1):108-11
   
   Although transurethral resection (TURP) is rarely necessary (only 3.1% in this series) after brachytherapy this report shows it can be done safely starting six months after the seed implants.
   
3. Barrett  WL, Kassing WM, Shirazi R
   Efficacy of brachytherapy for prostate cancer in African-Americans compared with Caucasians
   Brachytherapy 2004;3(1):30-3
   
   African-Americans have in general been reported to have worse prognosis compared with Caucasians. This series suggests similar outcomes for patients treated with brachytherapy for prostate cancer.
   
4. Potters L, Huang D, Fearn P, et. al.
   The effect of isotope selection on the prostate-specific antigen response in patients treated with permanent prostate brachytherapy.
   Brachytherapy 2003;2(1):26-31
   
   When measured by PSA results there was no significant difference between patients treated with Pd(103) and I(125) containing seeds.
    
5. Beyer DC, Hilbe J, Swenson V
   Brachytherapy 2003;(2):77-84
   Relative influence of gleason score and pretreatment PSA in predicting survival following brachytherapy for prostate cancer.
   
   In this series of 1266 patients treated with brachytherapy both the pre-treatment PSA and the Gleason score were strong predictors of outcome. For example patients with Gleason score 2-4 or PSA 4 or less had 10 year cause specific (includes death from prostate cancer only) survival of 91 and 98% respectively. For Gleason score 7-10 or PSA 10 or more the figures are 66 and 69%. Worst outcomes were in patients with both high Gleason score and PSA.
   
6. Kupelian PA, Potters L, Khuntia D, et. al.
   Radical prostatectomy, external beam radiotherapy <72Gy, external beam radiotherapy > or =72 Gy, permanent seed implantation, or combined seeds/external beam radiotherapy for stage T1-T2 prostate cancer.
   Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2004 Jan 1;58(1):25-33
   
   A complex comparison of 2991 patients treated at the Cleveland Clinic and memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centers. Using rising PSA as an indicator of treatment failure radial prostatectomy, brachytherapy, high dose external radiation, and combined external/brachytherapy all had roughly similar success rates. Low dose external beam radiation was significantly worse than the other therapies.
   
7. Horowitz EM, Uzzo RG, Miller N, et. al
   Brachytherapy for prostate cancer: follow-up and management of treatment failures.
   Urol Clin North Am. 2003 Nov;30(4)737-50
   
   A review of follow-up care for brachytherapy patients and a good discussion of managing patients with recurrent cancer.
   
8. Woolsey J, Miller N, Theodorescu D
   Permanent interstitial brachytherapy for prostate cancer: a current review.
   World J Urol 2003 Sept;21(4):209-19
   
   Describes the history and current techniques for prostate brachytherapy. Discusses both cancer outcomes and quality of life.
   
9. Merrick GS, Butler WM, Wallner KE, et. al.
   Long-term urinary quality of life after permanent prostate brachytherapy.
   Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2003 Jun 1;56(2):454-61
   
   Long term follow-up of 225 patient treated with brachytherapy showed no significant difference in urinary quality of life between treated patients and patients surveyed prior to therapy.