Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a form of internal radiotherapy where a dose of radiation treats your cancer from inside your tumour or very close to it. This allows the radiation to damage and kill the cancer cells while limiting the dose to other healthy areas of the body. Brachytherapy is an effective treatment for a range of cancers.

If brachytherapy is recommended by your team, it can be delivered in a number of ways. It will involve having an applicator or tube inserted into your body. A machine will then allow a source of radiation to pass through it. Alternatively, you may have small metal implants, or seeds, put into your body permanently. These implants contain radioactive iodine and they give a very high dose of radiation to your cancer cells.  

Depending on the treatment you are having, brachytherapy may be delivered as an in-patient or outpatient. If you are being admitted to our Day Surgery Unit you will receive independent information regarding your admission. The length of the treatment also varies, it can take a few minutes or days. Your team will explain your treatment plan to you in full and answer any questions that you may have.

 You can read more about Brachytherapy on the Macmillan website (opens in new tab).