How Does Brachytherapy Work?

Brachytherapy can involve implanting radiation directly into the tumour, or placing a source of radiation near to it for a certain amount of time.

Here at Clatterbridge, brachytherapy is mainly used to treat prostate and gynaecological cancer.

Prostate Cancer

For patients who suffer from certain types of prostate cancer, low dose rate brachytherapy may be recommended. This involves inserting radioactive seeds into the prostate gland while under a general anaesthetic. The radiation is extremely targeted, meaning adjacent organs are spared from the side effects.

In some cases, high dose brachytherapy can be used to treat prostate cancer and can be combined with external beam radiation therapy. This involves a large dose of radiation being delivered through fine tubes to the prostate through the skin. This is done under a general anaesthetic and is a one-off treatment.

Gynaecological Cancers

Womb and cervix cancers often require treatment with brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy. This increases the dosage of radiation being delivered to the pelvis while minimising the impact on surrounding tissues.

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