Pelvic complications after definitive treatment of prostate cancer by interstitial or external beam radiation.

Radiation complications, after definitive treatment of localized prostatic carcinoma by either external beam or interstitial implantation with Iodine-125 seeds, are reviewed. Late serious complications to immediately adjacent structures of the anterior rectal wall, prostatic urethra, bladder neck, and external sphincter occurred with similar frequency in both treatment groups. However, late serious complications of the remotely adjacent structures of the bladder, urethra, distal ureters, and circumferential rectal wall occurred more frequently in the external beam treatment series, a reflection of the fact that larger tissue volumes were irradiated. Rectal ulceration, while occurring in both treatment groups, was amenable to surgical correction or underwent spontaneous healing only in the 125I group. At this point in our experience, morbidity from late radiation complications has been less among those patients having interstitial implantation for definitive treatment of localized prostatic carcinoma.