A study of a pretreatment method to predict the number of I-125 seeds required for prostate brachytherapy

Prediction of the number of iodine seeds (I-125) required for prostate implantation is an important tool to reduce the number of unused seeds for brachytherapy. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between the number of seeds implanted vs. prostate volume. This can produce a tool to accurately estimate the number of seeds required for a given target volume. In addition, total cost of treatment, personal radiation risks during storage and handling, and errors in accounting for seeds can be reduced.

Data from two groups of patients who had I-125 seed prostate implants (Oncura/Amersham RAPIDStrand model 6711 I-125) have been separately analyzed: (A) The relationship between prostate volume vs. number of seeds implanted was based on 401 patients treated between 1999 and 2002 who were implanted with seeds of air kerma strength (AKS) of 0.459 microGy h(-1) @ 1 m per seed. (B) The relationship between prostate volume vs. total seed AKS was analyzed. This was based on 628 patients treated between 1999 and 2002 who were implanted with a range of seed strengths from 0.381 to 0.521 U. Both patient groups were subdivided into integer prostate volume bins. For each bin, the mean and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the implanted number of seeds or total AKS implanted were calculated. The upper 95% CI was used to investigate the relationship between the number of seeds implanted and total AKS implanted vs. prostate volume.

The new method of predicting the number of seeds shows valid and accurate results. The required number of seeds can be predicted, which helps to reduce the number of leftover seeds to 3% of the total number of seeds ordered.

The number of I-125 seeds or the total activity that is required to deliver the prescribed dose for the target volume can be predicted. This could reduce the overall treatment cost by accurate seed ordering before implantation.