UCH's results are constantly analyzed, published and made available for both physician and patient reviews. Meanwhile, hormones only provide temporary cessation of cancer growth. Dr. Koval and Dr. Friedland do have numerous promising protocols for patients who develop recurrence after radiation. Seeds are implanted through a needle which is inserted through the skin and into the prostate gland. The procedure is performed in a sterile environment and the patients typically go home within one day following the seed insertion.
Patients undergoing a seed implantation have a special ultrasound scan prior to the procedure.
This, coupled with the rest of the staging studies or tests, is utilized to determine a target volume. From this target volume a computer seed placement coordinate plan is generated, showing the exact position where each source is to be placed. This is then modified by the physicians intra-operatively to fit the exact prostate anatomy. Plans are formulated by physicists who are experts in the field of therapeutic radiation. The team at UCH is comprised of world-class physicists and brachytherapy dosimetrists who have extensive backgrounds and experience in the discipline of therapeutic radiation oncology.