What is Brachytherapy?
Brachytherapy is a targeted radiation therapy for various cancers like prostate, breast, neck, and head. It involves placing radioactive pellets near the tumor to destroy cancer cells. These implants emit radiation for a short period, shrinking or eliminating tumors. Brachytherapy can be temporary or permanent, administered alone or in combination with other treatments.
When compared to other radiation therapies, the advantages of brachytherapy include accuracy, targeted therapy, quick recovery, preserving the nearby organs, shorter hospitalizations, and quick recovery.
Types of brachytherapy Treatment
Brachytherapy is mainly classified based on the location of the implant and the dose-delivery (source loading).
Based on the location of the implant:
Based on the location of the implant, brachytherapy is categorized into interstitial brachytherapy (placed inside the tumors or within the tissues), intracavitary brachytherapy (placed inside the cavity), intraluminal brachytherapy (placed within the organ or passage), and surface brachytherapy, also called mold brachytherapy (placed on the surface of the body).
Based on the dose-delivery (source loading):
Based on the dose delivery, the brachytherapy is categorized into HDR brachytherapy (high-dose rate brachytherapy), LDR brachytherapy (low-dose rate brachytherapy), and PDR brachytherapy (pulsed-dose rate brachytherapy).
| Procedure Name | Brachytherapy |
|---|---|
| Type of Surgery | Radiation therapy |
| Type of Anesthesia | General or local anesthesia |
| Procedure Duration | Minutes to an hour per session |
| Recovery Duration | Few days to weeks |













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