Introduction: Radical prostatectomy and brachytherapy with sources of different powers are included in the standard guidelines for the treatment of patients with localized prostate cancer (LPC). Due to the improvement of early diagnosis, LPC is increasingly diagnosed in young patients, for whom preservation of erectile function (EF) is an important criterion of quality of life and satisfaction with the results of prostate cancer treatment.

Purpos: To estimate the effect ofradical prostatectomy and brachytherapy by sources of different dose rates in patients with LPC on EF.

Materials and methods: The work was based on the analysis of data from 176 patients with LPC who received treatment in the amount of low-power and high-power brachytherapy (192Ir or 125I) and radical prostatectomy. Indicators of EF before and after treatment were assessed by the IIEF-5 questionnaires.

Results: Regardless of the type of radical treatment, a statistically significant deterioration of EF indices after treatment was revealed (p <0.05). At the same time, the indicators of the questionnaires in patients treated in the amount of radical prostatectomy were significantly worse than in patients after brachytherapy (p <0.001). Indicators of the IIEF-5 questionnaires in patients after brachytherapy with 125I micro sources were better than in patients who underwent brachytherapy with a source of 192Ir (p <0.05).

Conclusions: Considering the low number of complications from the reproductive system, brachytherapy can be considered as a method of choice in patients with LPC interested in preserving EF postoperative period.

Authors declare lack of the possible conflicts of interests