Technology
Brachytherapy (internal radiation) is a form of radiotherapy; it is subdivided into seeds and the afterloading therapy. Brachytherapy with seeds is a minimally invasive procedure during which tiny capsules with radioactive substances, so-called “seeds” (approximately the size of a grain of rice), are inserted into the area to be treated by means of a thin needle. They radiate the cancer internally in a very targeted manner. The inserted seeds are so small that the patient does not feel them. Depending on the circumstances, either radioactive iodine (I-125) or palladium (PD-103) is used.
Loaded applicators for the afterloading procedure. The radiation destroys the tumour, while the healthy tissue remains unaffected.
Advantages
The advantage of this method is that the radiation works directly within the malignant tissue. Due to the proximity of the area to be treated to the radiation source, the fall-off of the radiation dose in the surrounding tissue is much higher than with teletherapy. That’s why a higher radiation dose can be applied in a very short amount of time with brachytherapy. The entire duration of the treatment is generally reduced from six weeks to approximately one week.
A further advantage is the significantly lower radiation exposure for the patient compared with other radiotherapies. Even with an advanced tumour or with the recurrence of a tumour following normal radiotherapy, brachytherapy on its own or in connection with normal radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy has considerable advantages.
