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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new study reveals some exciting news for men with prostate cancer. Investigators say 74 percent of men treated with a combination of radiation seed implants and external beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer are cured of their disease 15 years later.
Seed implants are also known at brachytherapy. The seeds are small radioactive pellets inserted into the prostate. External beam radiation consists of 25 daily treatments of high-energy radiation beams directed into the body to kill cancer cells.
For the study, doctors from the Seattle Prostate Institute wanted to know the survival rates of men with early stage prostate cancer who underwent a treatment of a combination of seed implants and external beam radiation. The researchers followed the progress of more than 200 men. Researchers report 74 percent of these men were disease free 15 years later.
"This study is exciting because it shows that the combination of brachytherapy and external beam therapy are successful long-term at curing men of their prostate cancer," reports John E. Sylvester, M.D., lead author of the study and the director of the Seattle Prostate Institute. "This is good news for men with prostate cancer, since radiation therapy is less invasive, spares healthy tissue, and helps patients return to regular activities sooner than surgery."
SOURCE: International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, 2007;67:57-64
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
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