Bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy, iridium 192 template, and external beam therapy for localized prostatic carcinoma: complications and results.

Thirty-five patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma were treated by bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy and temporary implantation of iridium 192 strands with adjuvant external beam radiotherapy. With the implant the prostate received between 3,200 and 3,500 gray (Gy) followed in two weeks by small-field external beam irradiation for an additional dose of approximately 3,400 Gy. Morbidity included an ileofemoral thrombosis in one patient, and transient radiation proctitis in four patients; one patient required transurethral prostatic resection for obstruction at one year. Local response of the primary tumor was dramatic in every case at three-month follow-up. In 11 of 15 patients (73%), biopsy at one year showed no evidence of disease.