A hospital in Townsville, Australia has treated its 400th patient with low dose rate brachytherapy, 10 years after its first brachytherapy patient was successfully treated for prostate cancer.

Brachytherapy, where tiny radioactive seeds are implanted into the prostate, provides a minimally invasive, targeted treatment for prostate cancer with positive outcomes for patients’ long-term survival.

Mater Hospital’s 400th patient Mr Patterson chose to have brachytherapy rather than surgical removal as he thought it offered him better quality of life, having witnessed friends suffer side effects including incontinence and impotence following prostate surgery. A couple of hours after the procedure Mr Patterson was up, walking about and feeling no pain.

Prostate cancer is the most common cause of cancer in Australian men, with 17,250 new cases diagnosed last year. It can develop without any pain or symptoms and the hospital’s 400th patient is now encouraging all men over 40 to have regular prostate checks to help detect the disease in its early stages. With regular checks and early detection, men can expect good outcomes from treatments such as LDR brachytherapy.

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