Prostate Seed Implantation (PSI)

Prostate cancer is currently the second most common cancer diagnosed in American men (following skin cancer) and the second leading cause of cancer death of American men. During their lifetime, approximately one in six American men will develop prostate cancer.

There is plenty of room for optimism, however. When caught early, prostate cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer. And fortunately, with the advent of a simple blood test known as Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), most prostate cancers can be diagnosed in the earliest stages when cure rates are extremely high.

There's also a minimally invasive treatment for prostate cancer patients, which became available at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in September 2004. Prostate Seed Implantation, or PSI, is now offered as a treatment option for prostate cancer patients by Shady Grove Adventist Hospital's urologists and the radiation oncologists at Maryland Regional Cancer Care.

Prostate Seed Implantation is much as it sounds. Tiny radioactive seeds are injected into the prostate gland. According to Dr. Donald Bridges, the radiation oncologist involved in the start-up of PSI at Shady Grove, the one-time procedure is minimally invasive. It takes approximately one hour to complete, and can be performed as a same-day outpatient procedure.

Patients who undergo the procedure in the morning are usually discharged to go home in the late morning or early afternoon, and may return to work and to other activities within 24 to 48 hours. PSI is also a nearly painless procedure. While patients are sent home with pain medications, most recipients never need to use them.

At Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, the team of physicians who conduct this procedure has significant experience in Prostate Seed Implantation, having already performed over 500 PSI procedures at other institutions. For more information about PSI treatment, contact Dr. Donald Bridges at the Shady Grove Adventist Radiation Oncology Center at 301-309-6765.