What To Know
About Brachytherapy (A Type of Internal Radiation Therapy)
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To order free copies of this fact sheet, please call
1-800-422-6237 (1-800-4-CANCER).
About the treatment:
- Brachytherapy uses radiation to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors.
- The radiation source, which looks like seeds, ribbons, or wires, is put into your body.
Before treatment starts:
Here is what happens at most meetings.
You will:
- Talk about your health and medical history.
- Get a checkup (physical exam). You may also have tests to take pictures of the cancer.
- Learn how brachytherapy can help you.
- Learn about any side effects you may have. These differ depending on where the radiation is placed.
- Ask and get answers to all your questions before starting treatment.
During treatment:
- Your doctor will place a small holder, such as a thin tube called a catheter, into your body. It is placed in or near the cancer cells. Sometimes an applicator or a balloon attached to a thin tube is used.
- Then the seeds, ribbons, or wires are put inside the small holder so that the radiation can reach and destroy cancer cells.
- Depending on the type of implant you receive, the radiation source may stay in place for minutes, hours, or days. Or if you receive a permanent implant, it will not be taken out.
- See below to learn more about the type of brachytherapy that you will be getting.
Types of brachytherapy:
Low-dose rate (LDR) implants | High-dose rate (HDR) implants | Permanent implants |
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Be sure to follow all special instructions from your doctor or nurse after these treatments.
Ask your doctor or nurse about side effects from this treatment. The side effects you may have depend on the part of your body being treated. There are fact sheets to help you learn how to manage side effects. |