A treatment option, known as prostate seed implantation, is available for men with localized prostate cancer. This minimally invasive procedure involves the implantation of tiny seeds—each about the size of a grain of rice—into the cancerous tissue of the prostate gland.

Studies have shown that prostate seed implantation may be as effective as radical surgery in treating early stage prostate cancer. And as an outpatient procedure, it offers a lower risk of lasting side effects, such as urinary incontinence and impotence, compared to radical surgery.

This service is provided through collaboration between Adult and Pediatric Urology of St. Cloud and Coborn Cancer Center.

There are a few, equally effective treatment options when it comes to prostate cancer. Each patient who receives that diagnosis deserves a multidisciplinary team approach to formulate the best individualized treatment plan.

Prostate cancer treatment options:

• Prostate seed implant is a same-day surgical procedure in which radioactive seeds are strategically placed in the prostate to give off radiation to the affected area over a period of time. Coborn Cancer Center will begin using advanced techniques including new state-of-the-art software which allows the radiation oncologists, urologists and physicists to see in “real-time” the area covered by the seeds’ radiation.
• External beam therapy is extended treatment with radiation therapy. Patients come in for daily treatment (Monday-Friday) for several weeks. Specially designed software creates digital images of the prostate and normal structures to pinpoint the exact location for the radiation. This treatment is recommended for high-risk patients who are diagnosed before the cancer has spread to other areas. Coborn Cancer Center’s new linear accelerator, the Elekta Synergy, provides even greater accuracy in pinpointing the exact location and boundaries of the cancer reducing potential damage to nearby organs or tissues.
• Da Vinci Surgical System provides robot-assisted surgery, where the surgeon can move the surgical instruments using ergonomic hand and foot controls. This is a less invasive alternative to traditional prostate cancer surgery.

Prostate-specific-antigen (PSA) screening