Radical prostatectomy with adjuvant radioactive gold for prostatic cancer: a preliminary report

A total of 71 patients with prostatic carcinoma underwent radical prostatectomy combined with instillation of radioactive gold seeds between January 1, 1977 and July 1, 1982. Gold seeds were implanted intraoperatively into the region of the prostatic vascular pedicles and surrounding fibrolymphatic tissue after removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles. Of the patients with disease confined to the prostate clinically 46.7 per cent had microscopic extraprostatic local tumor extension. We believe that patients with extraprostatic local tumor derive therapeutic benefit from the addition of adjuvant radioactive gold seeds at prostatectomy. Because of the inaccuracy of clinical staging by rectal examination, we have elected to use radioactive gold seeds in all of our patients at prostatectomy. To date, local recurrence has been noted in 5.6 per cent of our patients and systemic progression in 14.1 per cent.