Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a form of internal radiotherapy in which sealed radioactive sources are implanted directly into or adjacent to a tumour, delivering a high radiation dose to the cancer while minimising exposure to healthy tissue. It is widely used for prostate, cervical, breast and other cancers, as either a permanent low-dose-rate seed implant or a temporary high-dose-rate treatment. Because the radiation is highly localised, treatment courses are often shorter than external-beam radiotherapy. It can be used alone or combined with other treatments.