Experience with interstitial implantation of iodine 125 in the treatment of prostatic carcinoma.

Overview

Between February 1970 and April 1977 300 patients with localized prostatic carcinoma were treated with I-125 implantation and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). 68% had clinical Stage B (T-1 and T-2) and 32% had Stage C (T-3) neoplasms. Pelvic lymph nodes were histologically positive in 38% of the patients. Five-year survival for all patients was 73%. Five-year survival for Stage B disease was 100% and Stage C 65%. Lymph node metastases implied a poor prognosis. While 92% of patients with negative nodes survived five years, only 46% of the patients with positive nodes did so. Supplemental external radiation to pelvic and periaortic region in 28 patients with positive nodes did not improve survival or disease free interval or reduce distal or local recurrence but rather increased the incidence of radiation morbidity. The complications and morbidity as a consequence of I-125 implantation are minimal. The ultimate role of I-125 implantation in the management of localized prostatic cancer is yet to be determined. The early experience with this technique, however, suggests that it may be as effective as alternative modalities for comparable stages in terms of patient survival and may prove superior in terms of the quality of survival.