Information for patients and families
print Bookmark and Share

What is brachytherapy?


Brachytherapy is a type of radiotherapy

Brachytherapy is a type of radiotherapy that can be used to treat many types of cancer.

  • It is sometimes known as ‘internal radiotherapy’, or when used in the treatment of prostate cancer, ‘seed therapy’.
  • Radiotherapy is an important method of treating cancer.  It works by destroying cancer cells by targeting them with radiation and stopping them dividing and growing.
  • About 4 out of 10 people with cancer have some type of radiotherapy as part of their treatment.1


Types of radiotherapy

There are two basic types of radiotherapy:

  • External beam radiotherapy (EBRT)
  • Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy works by precisely targeting the cancerous tumor from inside the body. The source of radiation is placed directly inside or next to the tumor.2 This tailored approach reduces the risk of any unnecessary damage to healthy tissue and organs that are close to the tumor, therefore reducing potential side effects.2

In contrast, EBRT delivers radiation from outside the body. The radiation has to travel through healthy tissue to reach the tumor.  As the technique is less targeted and precise than brachytherapy, more healthy tissues and organs can be exposed to harmful levels of radiation.3

Brachytherapy is commonly used as an effective treatment for cervical, prostate, breast and skin cancer and can also be used to treat tumors in many other sites of the body. Brachytherapy can be used to treat cancer on its own or in combination with other treatment methods, such as surgery, external beam radiotherapy or chemotherapy.2 The exact treatment(s) will depend on a number of factors, such as the location, shape and size of the tumor, and individual patient preferences.


Watch the video to learn more about brachytherapy.





Overview of common cancer treatments

Surgery
Operation to remove the tumor.
Radiotherapy
External beam radiotherapy
Radiation delivered from the outside of the body to stop the tumor growing or to shrink it.

External beam radiotherapy works from 'the outside, in.'
Brachytherapy
Radiation delivered from inside the body to stop the tumor growing or to shrink it.

Brachytherapy works from 'the inside, out.'
Chemotherapy
Drug treatment to stop the tumor growing or to shrink it.

cancer treatments

References

  1. Cancer Research UK. Available at: http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/about-cancer/treatment/radiotherapy/about/what-radiotherapy-is. Accessed 2 February 2011.
  2. Patel RR and Arthur DW. Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America 2006;20(1):97–118.
  3. National Cancer Institute. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/radiation. Accessed 2 February 2011.
Page last updated on 13 September 2011.

Find a

brachytherapy

clinic near you!

 

Enter your location to find your

nearest brachytherapy clinic.

 

Refine your search by choosing

a cancer type.

Regions covered: Europe and USA. Disclaimer.

 

 

Cancer types

 



    This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
    verify here.