Nuclear Oncology

Brachytherapy is a type of radiation therapy used to treat cancer. Radiation therapy uses a type of energy called ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.

Unlike external beam therapy (EBT) in which beams of high energy X-rays generated by a machine are directed at the tumor from outside the body, brachytherapy involves placing radioactive material directly into or near the tumor.

Brachytherapy, also called internal radiation therapy allows the physician to use a higher total dose to treat a smaller area in less time than is possible with external radiation treatment.

Brachytherapy is used to treat cancers throughout the body, including to:

* Prostate
* Cervix
* Head and neck
* Skin
* Breast – see page “Breast Cancer”
* Gallbladder
* Uterus
* Vagina
* Lung
* Straight
* Eye

Brachytherapy may be temporary or permanent.

In temporary brachytherapy, radioactive material is placed in or near a tumor for a specific time and then removed. Temporary brachytherapy can be administered at low dose rate (LDR) or high dose rate (HDR).

In permanent brachytherapy, also called seed implantation, seeds or pellets are placed (about the size of a grain of rice) in or near the tumor, where they stay permanently. After several weeks or months the level radioactive decreases until it disappears. The seeds remain dormant in the body, with no lasting effect on the patient.