Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is radiation therapy for localized cancer where a radiation source is placed directly at the site of cancerous tissue requiring treatment.

In brachytherapy, radiation is delivered by small short-range radioactive sources, or 'seeds', that are enclosed in capsules. The capsules can be precisely placed to limit radiation to small areas of tissue, minimizing exposure to healthy surrounding tissue and preventing the radiation source from being dissolved in to body fluids.

Brachytherapy is ideally suited to treating localized cancers such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer and skin cancer. It is also used to treat cancers in other parts of the body.

Brachytherapy is typically performed by a radiation oncologist.