Radiation Implants Work for Young Men Too

A U.S. researcher says brachytherapy — radiation seed implants — should be considered a treatment option for prostate cancer in men under age 60.

Lead study author Dr. Alice Ho of New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center said she found brachytherapy — mainly used in older men less tolerant of surgery — just as effectively cured prostate cancer in young men.

Ho examined the outcomes of more than 1,700 men with prostate cancer, who were treated with brachytherapy from 1990 to 2005 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. The researchers report the younger men had the same excellent outcomes after undergoing brachytherapy as older patients.

These results suggest that brachytherapy is extremely effective in curing localized prostate cancer for men aged 60 and younger, Ho said in a statement. When younger men are diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, they should be presented with all viable treatment options, including brachytherapy.

The findings are scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Los Angeles.