Radiological Protection in I-125 prostate implants

Permanent implant with I-125 radioactive seeds is a treatment technique for early stage prostate cancer nowadays performed by means of transperineal inserted needles, ultrasound guided. At the Centro Oncologico de Galicia this treatment modality is being performed since July 2001,with more than 60 implanted patients. Because of the very low energy of I-125, the level of radiological risk is much lower than the risk concerned to other radioisotopes commonly used in Radiotherapy. One of the most important problems deals with the great number of small seeds and the possibility of in adverted loss of some of them. In this paper it is described the procedures and the necessary equipment to assure the radiological protection of workers, and the importance of a estrictic control in the number of implanted and non-implanted seeds, last ones treated as radioactive waste. In the same way, mention will be done to recommendations give to patient and his/her relatives in order to minimise the radiological risk. (Author)