Brachytherapy

What is brachytherapy?

Brachytherapy is radiation treatment inside the patient, as close to the cancer as possible. The radiation is delivered inside the body with isotopes (chemical elements), such as wires, seeds, or rods.

Brachytherapy is often used in the treatment of cervical, uterine, vaginal, or rectal cancer, as well as eye and certain head and neck cancers. However, the therapy may also used to treat many other cancers.

How does brachytherapy work?

There are two types of brachytherapy:

• intracavitary treatment - containers that hold radioactive sources are put in or near the tumor through body cavities such as the vagina, uterus, or windpipe.

• interstitial treatment - the radioactive sources alone are put into the tumor and may stay in the patient permanently.

General anesthesia may be used during the insertion of brachytherapy sources.

Sometimes, brachytherapy is done in combination with external beam therapy to help destroy the main mass of tumor cells.