Early use of phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDEIs) following brachytherapy is associated with improved erectile function compared with late use of the drugs.
Jonathan D. Schiff, MD, and his colleagues at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, studied 210 men with localized prostate cancer treated with brachytherapy, of whom 85 began using PDEIs within one year of seed implantation (early group) and 125 started using the drugs after one year (late group).
Continue Reading
The two groups had baseline Gleason scores, PSA levels, and Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) scores. Dr. Schiff’s team determined SHIM scores at six-month intervals following brachytherapy. The two groups had similar SHIM scores at one-year follow-up, but the scores were sig-nificantly improved in the early group compared with the late group 18-36 months after seed implan-tation, the investigators reported in BJU International (2006;98:1255-1258).
Dr. Schiff and his collaborators speculate that using oral PDEIs early after brachtherapy “helps to preserve the endothelium of the erectile tissue, and to preserve penile blood flow.”
