How you prepare

To prepare for prostate brachytherapy, you will:

• Meet with a doctor who treats cancer with radiation (radiation oncologist). The radiation oncologist will explain the available procedures and the possible risks and benefits of each. Together you can decide whether prostate brachytherapy is the best treatment for you.
• Have tests to prepare for anesthesia. To help your doctors prepare for your treatment, you may have blood tests and heart tests to make sure your body is healthy enough for the medicine that puts you in a sleep-like state during the procedure.
• Undergo scans to plan for treatment. Imaging scans of your prostate, such as ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), help your radiation oncologist and other members of the treatment planning team decide the dose and positioning of the radiation. These tests can be done before your procedure or at the beginning of your procedure.