About Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is one type of radiation therapy used to treat cancers in the prostate, rectum, uterus, vagina, cervix, gallbladder, lung, esophagus, breast, skin, eye, head and neck. This method of cancer treatment has now been used for more than a century, according to the American Brachytherapy Society. Brachytherapy experiences can greatly vary from one person to another.

Radiation Therapy

• According to the National Cancer Institution, about half of all people with cancer receive radiation therapy, either alone or in combination with other types of treatment. Radiation therapy uses the radiation's energy to destroy cancer and shrink tumors. Though it is effective in damaging cancerous cells, it is unfortunately harmful to healthy cells as well. The radioactive waves emitted with brachytherapy travel very short distances. Applied in densely populated cancerous cell locations, this therapy provides a lower risk of damage to healthy cells than some alternative options.

Features

• Brachytherapy uses tiny radioactive pellets, or "seeds", to attack cancer. Each seed is roughly equivalent to the size of a grain of rice. Depending on the type and condition of the cancer requiring treatment, implants containing 50 to 100 pellets are capable of emitting various degrees of radiation. Other terms for brachytherapy include implant radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy.

Procedures

• One of two methods, interstitial or intracavitary radiation therapy, delivers brachytherapy. Interstitial is the insertion of the implant into the tissue at or near the tumor, used to treat cancer in the prostate, cervix, head and neck, breast and ovary. Treating uterine cancer, intracavitary, or intraluminal radiation therapy, uses an application, such as a tube or cylinder, for insertion. Use of a CT scanner or ultrasound machine may assist with placing the implant in the most beneficial location. Hollow needles and catheters often provide the method of transferring the radioactive sources in either procedure.

Types

• Normally an outpatient procedure, high-dose brachytherapy is repeated once or twice daily over the course of several days or weeks. Each session, lasting about 5 to 20 minutes, begins with the insertion of an implant to provide an aggressive dose of radiation and ends with its removal. With low-dose brachytherapy, an implant continuously releasing limited levels of radiation remains in place for hours or days. Often, patients receive anesthesia prior to treatment. During this type of therapy, a patient remains in the hospital overnight. In some cases, permanent placement of pellets release low doses of treatment until they eventually become empty.

Side Effects

• Common side effects include swelling and tenderness in the treatment area, with the occasional accompaniment of minor bruising. Depending on the location and type of treatment received, patients may experience diarrhea, discomfort during urination, trouble swallowing, mouth sores, hair loss, impotence, incontinence or nausea and vomiting. About six months after the completion of therapy, late side effects including infertility, joint problems, lymphedema and secondary cancer may occur.