Brachytherapy, which is conducted, among others, by the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center in Krakow, involves direct irradiation of disease lesions by placing a radiation source in the tumor or its vicinity. That is why brachytherapy is also called contact therapy or close-up radiotherapy. The most important advantage of this method of treating malignant tumors is its precision. By placing the radioactive source directly near the tumor (or even inside it), it is possible to increase the dose that reaches the tumor lesion, while reducing the exposure of healthy organs to radiation.
Special devices are used in brachytherapy of the prostate, breast, female reproductive organs, lungs and other organs applicators, placed in natural body cavities (vagina, bronchus, esophagus) or directly in the patient's tissues (breast, prostate). This is done in various ways, using special plastic tubes or needles. Their shape and design are adapted to the treated area. A transfer cable (tube) is connected to the applicator, which allows for the introduction of a radioactive source, e.g. the isotope iridium-192. The radioactive source, closed in a tight capsule, is placed in the immediate vicinity of the tumor for a precisely defined period of time. After completion of therapy, the source is removed from the patient's body and the patient is sent home or to a hospital ward.
Brachytherapy, as an independent method or combined with teleradiotherapy, is used in the treatment of such malignant tumors as:
- leather
- skin
- prostate,
- breasts
- reproductive organ in women,
- lungs,
- esophagus
- head and neck region.
Limiting the exposure of healthy organs to radiation is particularly important, especially in the case of head and neck cancer, where many vital organs are located. Brachytherapy makes it possible to administer a large dose of radiation with great precision directly to the cancerous lesion, which increases the chance of cure with a relatively low risk of complications.
Brachytherapy can be divided according to the method of introducing the radiation source into the patient's body:
- contact brachytherapy – the radiation source is applied directly to the skin,
- intracavitary brachytherapy - a cylinder conducting radiation is inserted into the body and this technique is most often used in malignant tumors of the uterine corpus, cervix, vagina,
- interstitial brachytherapy - involves piercing the tissue to introduce an applicator that directly touches the lesion, and diodes supplying a radioactive source are connected to it, often used in cases of malignant tumors located around the head.
To increase the strength and effectiveness of the therapy, doctors at the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center combine teleradiotherapy with brachytherapy and chemotherapy. This happens, among others, in the treatment of head and neck, lung, rectal and gynecological cancers.
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