What is brachytherapy?

Short acting radiat: Brachytherapy (brachy = short acting) refers to a type of radiation where the radioactive sources are placed either directly in and around tissues or into cavities. This allows the radiation treatment to be given from inside out as opposed to with external beam radiation therapy which is given from outside in. It is most commonly used for prostate, gynecologic, and breast cancers.

Close radiation : This is where radioactive substances are place directly into a cancer and nearby tissues. Catheters or tubes can also be inserted and then the radioactivity within. Short distances is all the radiation has to traverse and thus higher more intense doses can be used and thus protect healthy tissues.

The Most Targeted RT: 'Brachy' literally means "arm's length" which represents the short distance that the radiation travels, This is typically achieved with radioactive or electronic sources that are either permanently placed into the tumor region (i.,e prostate) and give radiation slowly (low-dose rate) or temporarily placed within catheters in tumor regions (i.e breast ) and deliver high-dose rate RT.