Treatment of localised prostate cancer by implantation of radioactive iodine

The controversy that surrounds the clinical management of localized prostatic carcinoma is mainly due to its variable natural history and to its multiple therapeutic modalities. Radioactive iodine implantation aims at controlling the tumor locally while minimizing side effects. The experience of the past 15 years has confirmed the therapeutic value of this approach, and criteria for patient selection and implantation techniques have improved. A programme of iodine-125 implantation has been started at l'Hotel-Dieu de Quebec in March 1984. We review the principles, technical modalities, and current results which support the clinical application of this technique