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.

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).