Radioactive Beads for Prostate Cancer: What to Know

This approach is commonly called internal radiotherapy or brachytherapy. The beads, also called seeds, are positioned using a treatment plan based on the size and shape of the prostate and the cancer. They are not the same as a medicine that travels through the bloodstream to find cancer cells.

A specialist uses imaging to guide thin needles through the area between the scrotum and anus. The beads are then placed in planned positions while you receive anaesthesia or sedation suited to the procedure. Some beads remain in the prostate and release radiation gradually; in other treatment plans, radioactive sources are placed temporarily and removed. Your team will tell you which form is being considered.

Suitability depends on details such as the cancer's extent, urinary function, prostate anatomy, and any previous treatment. Brachytherapy may be used alone for selected disease or combined with external-beam radiotherapy. Difficulty passing urine can affect planning, so mention urinary symptoms before treatment.

Before the procedure, give the team a complete list of medicines, including blood thinners, and tell them about allergies, previous anaesthesia problems, and urinary symptoms. Follow the instructions about eating, drinking, bowel preparation, and arranging transport home.

Afterward, you may notice soreness, urinary frequency, a weaker stream, or a small amount of blood in the urine or semen. Take medicines exactly as prescribed and drink fluids if your clinician advises this. Keep follow-up appointments so symptoms, prostate-specific blood tests, and treatment response can be reviewed over time. Ask for written guidance about close contact, travel, and handling bodily fluids if beads remain in place.

Contact your treatment team promptly if you cannot pass urine, develop worsening pelvic pain, have fever or chills, or see bleeding that does not settle. Seek emergency help for severe weakness, confusion, heavy bleeding, or breathing difficulty. Sudden inability to urinate after prostate treatment needs prompt assessment because swelling can obstruct the urinary passage.

Ask which type of brachytherapy is recommended, why it fits your cancer and urinary health, whether external radiotherapy or surgery is an alternative, and how treatment will be planned. Also ask how long urinary and bowel changes may last, when sexual side effects may appear, what follow-up tests are needed, and which symptoms require immediate contact.