Brachytherapy Program
Pacific Campus
2333 Buchanan, Level B
San Francisco, CA 94115
415-600-3600
Directions to our facilities.
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men today. There are three main treatment options currently available for prostate cancer patients: radical prostatectomy, external beam radiation therapy and radioactive seed implants, also referred to as brachytherapy.
Why Choose Prostate Brachytherapy?
California Pacific Medical Center's Prostate Brachytherapy Program offers an alternative treatment to radical prostatectomy for men with localized prostate cancer. The radioactive seeds, enclosed in titanium capsules as small as grains of rice, permanently placed inside the tumor result in a high dose of radiation that is confined to the prostate. This is a non-surgical treatment option for prostate cancer that improves medical outcomes, minimizes side effects and controls tumor growth.
This sophisticated technique of prostate radiation therapy allows a high concentration of radiation where it is needed most, to the prostate gland. The radiation exposure then rapidly lessens in strength as the distance from the seeds increases, thereby reducing the radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.
This avoids high doses of radiation to the bladder, rectum and urethra. It has been demonstrated that this technique of dose delivery translates to a higher chance of tumor control and a lower risk of side effects. Brachytherapy is performed on an outpatient basis in a same-day procedure, completed in approximately one hour under a spinal or general anesthesia. Hospital time is minimal, patients are able to leave the hospital within a few hours post-implant and, in many cases, resume their normal activities within a few days.
Prostate brachytherapy is a cost-effective, advanced technique of prostate radiation therapy, performed as a minimally invasive procedure.