Younger brachytherapy patients likely to maintain long-term erectile function
Prostate cancer patients younger than 60 years who had healthy erectile function (EF) prior to low doses of brachytherapy have a strong likelihood of sustaining long-term EF, according to a study by radiation oncologists and urologists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
Prostate cancer patients younger than 60 years who had healthy erectile function (EF) prior to low doses of brachytherapy have a strong likelihood of sustaining long-term EF, according to a study by radiation oncologists and urologists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
From November 1990 to March 1998, a total of 223 patients with T1b to T3a prostate cancer (age range, 50 to 82 years) received a permanent seed implantation and were subsequently followed for an average of 8.2 years.
Overall, 59% of the men had optimal EF prior to brachytherapy; of that group, at final follow-up, 40% of the men were taking a phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor (86%), yohimbine (4%), or alprostadil ([Caverject, MUSE] 10%). The age of the patient when the implantation was placed appeared to strongly impact current EF; 92% of men age 50 to 59 years had current EF scores of >2, and men age 60 to 69 and age 70 to 78 had EF scores of >2 in 64% and 58% of instances, respectively, reported the authors, led by Jamie A. Cesaretti, MD.
Results were reported in BJU International (2007; 100:362-7).
