This is the second go round for my husband. First time we chose seeds implanted, that didn't work because the cancer is back. Does anyone knowanything besides what the booklets tell you about cryo? Also wondering why the doc cannot take the whole thing out now? We are worried about the side effects also. Thanks for any help!

My doctor brought cryotherapy to the local university setting, though I have chosen another treatment. He commented that he preferred cryotherapy because he felt it had equivalent results to seeds, because it was less invasive, and could be repeated. He was rather dismissive of brachytherapy, stating that many who used it had a proprietary interest in the company producting the seeds. I do not know whether that is fact or just the type of statement one would expect from a surgeon who must be decisive. One reason for surgery as an initial option is that it cannot be performed after radiation or seeds. Those treatments affect the prostate ("Mush," my doctor said), and surgery is only performed to deal with complications rather than to remove the prostate.