New seeds of life!

Aug 24 2007 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

TINY radioactive seeds are saving the lives of cancer patients through a pioneering new treatment at a Birmingham hospital.

Surgeons "plant" the iodine-125 seeds into the cancerous prostate gland and then wait for their radioactive powers to slowly kill the disease.

The 'Prostate Brachytherapy' treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston, is growing in popularity and 31 patients have been saved by the treatment.

One of the first cancer patients to get the "all clear" is 67-year-old Bill Crouch, from Kingswinford, who underwent the procedure last year.

The former Rover factory worker, who grew up in Winson Green, said: "Having my teeth out was worse than having these seeds put in."

"When I first found out I had cancer, I thought how long have I got?" added widow Bill, a father-of-two.

"Men act like brave souls, but inside we turn to jelly when it comes to our health.

"It is a fear of the unknown but I was amazed at what doctors can do. I was up and running within a day."

Each seed is half the size of a grain of rice and has a very low level of radioactivity - just 0.35 of a micro curie each.

Medics wear protective shielding during an hour-long procedure, using an ultrasound machine and X-Ray to guide them to the exactly to the cancer. Then between 80 and 100 seeds are placed at the spot through a needle.

After treatment the patient remains in isolation for a few hours until they are safe to go.

Dr Ahmed El-Modir said: "Once the seeds are inside the patient, the level of radioactivity is safe and protected within the body.

"Low level radiation is continously emitted and it works as well as surgery.

"All the patients we have treated have had successful results so far - patients like Bill, who has now been cured.

"Not everyone can choose this treatment, it is for those in the early stages of the disease who want this rather than a full scale operation or radiotherapy."

The QE is the only hospital in the Midlands carrying out Prostate Brachytherapy.