Factors associated with urinary symptoms following prostate brachytherapy

This research was designed to investigate associations between treatment factors and urinary symptoms that affect quality of life in Caucasian men following prostate Brachytherapy for early-stage prostate cancer. This study involved an analysis of the prostate cancer-related medical records of 184 Caucasian men treated at one regional hospital in Indiana between 1997 and 2006. The type of isotope, Palladium-103 (Pd-103) or iodine-125 (I-125), the use of external beam radiation therapy versus implant alone and the number of implant seeds were all found to have a significant effect on American Urological Association (AUA) symptom score measured 1 and 6 months following prostate brachytherapy.;The mean AUA symptom score change from preimplant to 1 month following implant was 14.4 for I-125, and 6.8 for Pd-103 (p<0.001). From preimplant to 6 months postimplant, the mean AUA symptom score change was 7.64 for I-125 and 3.08 for Pd-103 (p=0.001). The mean AUA symptom score change at 1 month posttherapy related to external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) was significant at 11.9 for those receiving implant alone versus 8.4 for those receiving EBRT with implant (p=0.017). The number of seeds used during the implant positively correlated with the AUA symptom score change at 1 month following therapy r = 0.163 (p=0.014).;The factors of patient age, number of implant needles, prostate volume and smoking were found to have no significant effects on AUA symptom scores at either 1 month or 6 months following implantation.