The cancer journal
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
I-125 versus Pd-103 for low-risk prostate cancer: long-term morbidity outcomes from a prospective randomized multicenter controlled trial.
We tested the hypothesis that the shorter half-life of Pd-103 versus I-125 results in different late radiation-related morbidities following prostate brachytherapy. ⋯ Patients treated with Pd-103 had more intense radiation prostatitis in the first month after implantation, but they recovered from their radiation-related symptoms sooner than I-125 patients, consistent with palladium's shorter half-life. The trend toward more proctitis in the I-125 patient group likely reflects their higher R100 values due to less rapid dose fall-off that can be overcome with judicious treatment planning and implant execution.