What is high dose rate brachytherapy?
-
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital answered:During high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR) treatments, a tiny highly radioactive source is computer guided through a catheter to the area to be treated. It is left in place for a few minutes to deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation and then removed. There is little or no discomfort. This type of HDR treatment is often given to treat cancers within the bronchial tubes of the lung, breast, prostate, head and neck. Patients, who need additional radiation but cannot get additional conventional radiation because of prior treatment, also may benefit from this type of targeted therapy.
During high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR) treatments, a tiny highly radioactive source is computer guided through a catheter to the area to be treated. It is left in place for a few minutes to deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation and then... More -
Dr. Marc Garnick answered:In rare cases of prostate cancer, instead of permanent brachytherapy, a doctor may suggest a different type of brachytherapy called high-dose-rate brachytherapy.
As with permanent brachytherapy, the radioactive material is inserted into the prostate. But given the high intensity of the material, it cannot be left in the body for long. After a set period of time, a remote-controlled machine pulls the material out. The process is then repeated several times in one day or over multiple days. Catheters remain in place until after the final treatment.
In patients with intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer tumors who plan to undergo external beam radiation, having high-dose-rate brachytherapy beforehand might kill tumor cells more effectively. It could also reduce the number of weeks of external beam radiation from eight to about five.In rare cases of prostate cancer, instead of permanent brachytherapy, a doctor may suggest a different type of brachytherapy called high-dose-rate brachytherapy. As with permanent brachytherapy, the radioactive material is inserted into the... More -
UCLA Health answered:Nearly half of all people with cancer receive radiation therapy to treat their cancer or relieve symptoms. Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by destroying their DNA, but it may also affect normal cells and adjacent organs in the process. The goal of brachytherapy, or internal radiation therapy, is to precisely target the radiation exposure to the tumor where it is needed and avoid surrounding healthy tissues by placing radioactive sources directly on or inside cancer tissues.
“By treating the tumor from the inside out, we can rapidly deliver higher doses of radiation to the tumor, with relatively few side effects,” explains UCLA radiation oncologist and chief of the Division of Brachytherapy D. Jeffrey Demanes, MD, a pioneer of high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy. HDR brachytherapy has been used successfully to treat prostate, breast, head and neck, gynecologic, gastrointestinal, skin, soft tissue sarcomas and many other types of cancer. “In some cases, it is used as the only treatment, and in other cases, this precision radiation therapy is combined with surgery, external-beam radiation therapy or chemotherapy, depending upon the type and extent of the cancer and needs of the individual patient,” Dr. Demanes says.
HDR brachytherapy uses a computerized robotic-delivery device to temporarily insert a tiny radiation source into a tumor. It is performed by inserting thin, straw-like applicators about the size of an intravenous line in or near the treatment site.Nearly half of all people with cancer receive radiation therapy to treat their cancer or relieve symptoms. Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by destroying their DNA, but it may also affect normal cells and adjacent organs in the process. The goal... More
