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Prostate cancer brachytherapy: Can I pass radiation to others?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prostate-cancer-brachytherapy/AN01629
- With Mayo Clinic urologist
Erik P. Castle, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Erik P. Castle, M.D.
Erik P. Castle, M.D.
Dr. Erik Castle is a board-certified urologist who joined the Mayo Clinic staff in Arizona in 2007.
Dr. Castle is an associate professor of urology at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and a senior associate consultant in the Department of Urology, where he also is assistant residency coordinator.
He was an assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Tulane University in New Orleans from 2004 to 2006 after serving as a clinical instructor/fellow at Mayo Clinic in Arizona for one year.
Dr. Castle's research interests include prostate cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer. He is the director of the Desert Mountain Prostate Cancer Research Fund and is the principal investigator of Castle labs housed at the Samuel C. Johnson Medical Research Building at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. His basic science research is focused on novel secondary hormonal therapies of prostate cancer as well as genomics of prostate and bladder cancers.
His surgical expertise includes laparoscopic urology, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with nerve sparing, robot-assisted radical cystectomy with neobladder, robot-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, robot-assisted partial nephrectomy and other robotic urologic oncology procedures. He has performed many of these procedures as demonstrations internationally. He is a member of the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society, and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. He is past president of the international Society of Urologic Robotic Surgery. He is also the director of the international laparoscopic nephrectomy courses throughout Mexico on behalf of the American Urologic Association.
Risk factors (2)
- Vasectomy: Does it increase my risk of prostate cancer?
- Flaxseed: Does it affect risk of prostate cancer?
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Prostate cancer: Does PSA level affect prognosis?
Complications (1)
- Prostate cancer metastasis: Where does prostate cancer spread?
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Prostate cancer brachytherapy: Can I pass radiation to others?
- Prostate cancer treatment: Does initial treatment preclude others later?
- Ginger for nausea: Does it work?
Alternative medicine (1)
- Pomegranate juice: A cure for prostate cancer?
Prevention (1)
- Frequent sex: Does it protect against prostate cancer?
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Question
Prostate cancer brachytherapy: Can I pass radiation to others?
My prostate cancer is being treated with radioactive seeds (brachytherapy). What precautions should I take during and after prostate cancer brachytherapy?
Answer
from Erik P. Castle, M.D.
You may need to take some precautions, but it depends on the type of prostate cancer brachytherapy you receive. Prostate cancer brachytherapy is designed to treat prostate cancer by delivering radiation treatment to only the prostate. This is done by implanting radioactive "seeds" containing your treatment inside your prostate gland.
Prostate cancer brachytherapy can be done with different types of radioactive seeds. The amount of radiation released by the seeds and the duration of treatment depend on the type of seeds used. The lifetime radiation exposure to family members of men receiving prostate cancer brachytherapy is very low and doesn't exceed the annual limit set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Although the seeds remain in the prostate for the rest of your life, the amount of radiation released by them decreases with time and eventually becomes negligible.
Your radiation oncologist can provide detailed information about the specific treatment used. Recommendations for the first two months after seed implantation may include:
- Avoiding sexual intercourse for two weeks
- Using a condom during sexual intercourse in case a seed is passed during ejaculation
- Limiting close contact with children and pregnant women
- Not allowing children to sit on your lap for extended periods of time
If you travel to foreign countries, you may encounter radiation detectors at some border security checkpoints. Consider carrying a card from your radiation oncologist indicating that you have had a prostate seed implant.
Next questionProstate cancer treatment: Does initial treatment preclude others later?
- What is brachytherapy? American Brachytherapy Society. http://www.americanbrachytherapy.org/aboutBrachytherapy/brachy.cfm. Accessed June 17, 2011.
- Roach M, et al. Brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 17, 2011.
- NRC regulatory guides — Occupational health (Division 8). United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/reg-guides/occupational-health/rg/. Accessed June 17, 2011.
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