Brachytherapy has given hope to cancer sufferers and even for people with arteries which were unplugged from angioplasty.

Episcleral plaque brachytherapy is a complex procedure and should only be undertaken in specialized medical centers with expertise in this sophisticated treatment program. It is not yet known whether interstitial (within the tissue) brachytherapy is more effective with or without external-beam radiation therapy in treating prostate cancer.

The most common uses of this form of treatment involves the planting of radioactive seeds through 18 gauge needles into the prostate via a perineal template with rectal ultrasound guidance. High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is one of the latest advances in brachytherapy treatment methods. HDR brachytherapy is highly effective for treatment of cervical cancer as an alternative to surgical removal of the cervix and uterus. Additionally, HDR brachytherapy is used to reduce the risk of recurrence of soft tissue sarcoma following surgery.

Permanent prostate brachytherapy is a form of LDR brachytherapy in which physicians implant between 60 and 120 rice-sized radioactive seeds into the prostate with guidance from ultrasound and X-rays. Low-dose rate brachytherapy is also used in the treatment of coronary artery disease to prevent restenosis after angioplasty. High-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is usually an outpatient procedure.

Breast brachytherapy is a more localized means of treatment than standard external beam radiotherapy, so there is a lower dose to healthy tissue of the breast, skin, ribs, muscle, lung, and heart. LDR brachytherapy is the most commonly used of the two. LDR Brachytherapy is performed under anesthesia, and radioactive "seeds" are each placed in needles that are inserted into the target through the perineum (the area between the legs, scrotum and anus). HDR Brachytherapy is performed under anesthesia, and catheters (hollow plastic tubes) are placed through the perineum to give access to the target areas.

LDR brachytherapy makes use of iodine-125 and palladium-103 stored in titanium cases usually referred to as the "seeds". A big advantage of HDR brachytherapy is that the final doses are known before any radiation treatment is given.

AT some clinics HDR brachytherapy is used for treating cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, cervix and nasopharynx. Endobronchial brachytherapy is an outpatient procedure again using radioactive sources placed within a bronchus (airway) to treat patients suffering from airway obstruction due to lung cancer and other tumors.

The utilization of brachytherapy is highly dependent on the experience of the physician and the available resources although, the flexibility of the HDR system allows it to be used for a wide range of malignancies.

HDR brachytherapy is most commonly used with cancers located near the outside of the body. With the MRI-based technique, in particular, it was possible to adjust the brachytherapy isodose distribution by adapting source dwell times and locations, to take into account tumour volume and topography as well as the topography of the organs at risk.

Page 1 of 2 :: First | Last :: Prev | 1 2 | Next