Home | About Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy, derived from the Greek words brachys, meaning "short range", and therapeia, meaning "treatment", is a medical treatment that involves the placement of small radioactive sources near or inside the tumor tissue. One form of brachytherapy is the permanent interstitial implantation of sources. These sources, also called seeds or implants, are tiny titanium cylinders (4.5 mm long and 0.8 mm in diameter) which contain a radioactive isotope (palladium-103 or iodine-125). The benefit of placing sources near or inside the tumor is that they are able to deliver a cell-killing radiation dose to the tumor while sparing the healthy surrounding tissue.

In terms of efficiency, cost and maintaining the patient's quality of life, brachytherapy, particularly for prostate cancer, compares favorably to other treatment techniques.