Learn why brachytherapy is the best form of treatment for some cancers.
What is Brachytherapy?
For some types of cancer, the best form of treatment is brachytherapy. (bray-key-THER-uh-pee)
In this approach, a source of radiation is placed in or near a tumor.
This radiation damages the DNA of cancer cells, causing them to die.
Brachytherapy can be used to treat several types of cancer including skin, throat, breast, cervical and prostate cancer.
There are two types of brachytherapy for prostate cancer.
In low-dose-rate brachytherapy, metal seeds containing radiation are implanted in the prostate with a fine needle.
Over time, the seeds emit radiation and killing the surrounding cancer cells.
The seeds stay in the body and eventually stop giving off radiation.
In high-dose-rate brachytherapy, thin tubes are inserted into the tumor.
Radioactive pallets are sent through tubes.
After 15 minutes, the tubes are removed.
The form of brachytherapy you receive will depend on how aggressive the cancer is.
The goal of brachytherapy is to target the radiation precisely to the tumor, while sparing healthy tissues.
At Memorial Sloan Kettering, we use real-time CT scans to guide brachytherapy treatments, greatly improving results.
With brachytherapy, more than 90% of prostate cancers can be successfully treated or cured.