What Is Brachytherapy?

Brachytherapy uses radiation sources on or in a tumor to kill cancer cells. We often use brachytherapy with other types of cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy or targeted therapy.

Expert Treatment

We treat people with complex or recurring cancers. We are known for our precision and expertise in radiation therapy.

What Does Brachytherapy Treat?

Brachytherapy targets specific parts of your body. We may use it to treat the following:

• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Skin cancer
• Uterine cancers

What to Expect

Before treatment, you meet with your radiation oncologist to discuss treatment. Your radiation oncologist is part of a cancer care team that includes a surgical oncologist and a medical oncologist. Your specialist gives you information about the benefits and potential side effects of treatment and ways to care for yourself after treatment.

We often administer brachytherapy through a catheter (small, hollow tube) to send radiation directly into a tumor. Or we may use an applicator or implant, a device placed inside the body, to deliver radiation into a tumor.

Understanding High-dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy

We use a type of treatment called high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy.  

With HDR brachytherapy, we use high-dose rates of radiation. We can treat and kill a tumor with a short burst of radiation that lasts, on average, for 10 minutes.

You usually return home between treatment sessions. Overall, you may have one to five treatment sessions. We commonly use HDR brachytherapy for gynecologic or skin cancers.

After Treatment

It’s common to have side effects of radiation treatment, such as fatigue. Your treatment team helps you manage these side effects with a holistic, comprehensive approach. Our goal is to help you transition to a state of wellness.

If needed, Kettering Health provides multiple support services, including rehab medicine services, to help you manage the side effects of cancer treatment.