A dosimetric analysis of unstranded seeds versus customized stranded seeds in transperineal interstitial permanent prostate seed brachytherapy

Is scintigraphy necessary to detect migration of 125I seeds after brachytherapy for early prostate cancer?

“…Fagundes et al reported an improvement in V100 from 88.4 to 92.5 % (P < 0.005) using stranded seeds [17]. On the other hand, Heysek et al reported that stranded seeds yielded essentially the same dosimetry as loose seeds, with an average D90 of 101.9 % (stranded seeds) versus 99.3 % (loose seeds) [18]. Ngyuen reported that seed migration does not cause significant changes in radiation planning for the gland because of the relatively small occurrence of this event [5].…”

Modern Brachytherapy for Treatment of Prostate Cancer

“…In December 2006, investigators at Moffitt Cancer Center published our experience involving 272 consecutively treated patients utilizing a customized stranded product in which radioactive 125 I or radioactive palladium 103 ( 103 Pd) seeds are embedded in a polymer strand of glycolide, lactide, and polydioxanone spaced from 5 mm to over 50 mm apart and placed inside an 18-gauge needle (Vari-Strand, BrachySciences, Oxford, Conn). 16 This was the largest study to date evaluating this customized stranded technique. Previous studies used equal spacing of seeds of 10 mm and consisted of radioactive 125 I.…”

Analysis of Seed Loss and Pulmonary Seed Migration in Patients Treated With Virtual Needle Guidance and Robotic Seed Delivery

“…[3][4][5][6][7] In addition, seed loss could result in inadequate dosimetry and potential treatment failure although this point remains controversial. [8][9][10][11] The brachytherapy technique itself could also have an influence on seed loss. Most data about seed loss come from the ''classic'' preplanning technique with manual delivery of the seeds.…”