Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy at Jefferson

For the most advanced brachytherapy treatment in Philadelphia, turn to the highly skilled radiation oncologists at Jefferson.

Brachytherapy has been shown to be highly effective in treating many types of cancer, and is particularly effective for small, localized tumors. It works by targeting the cancerous tumor from inside the body. The source of radiation, in the form of radioactive seeds, is placed directly inside or next to the tumor. This approach reduces the risk of damage to healthy tissue and organs that are close to the tumor.

At Jefferson, our team of radiation oncologists, physicists and dosimetrists (who calculate the dose of radiation to make sure your tumor gets enough radiation) plan and deliver brachytherapy by using computer-based technology. This ensures there are no mistakes.

Brachytherapy has many advantages over traditional surgical techniques, such as:

• Eliminating the need for prolonged hospitalization
• Offering greater patient comfort during treatment
• Delivering treatment in minutes, not days or weeks
• Minimal recovery time

Brachytherapy Suite

One of the many advantages of receiving treatment at Jefferson is our new image-guided Brachytherapy Suite, the only one in the region. This dedicated treatment room offers imaging, advanced treatment planning and superior quality assurance for targeting tumors – all in one place.

Our state-of-the-art Suite also features OR lighting, a skylight image of a sunny day centered on the ceiling and customizable music for you to enjoy. A treatment planning room is next door with audio and visual, should you need assistance during treatment.

Treatment Types

The types of treatmen we offer for brachytherapy are:

• Permanent – tiny radioactive seeds, the size of a grain of rice, are placed into the tumor. The seeds give off low levels of radiation for a few months, killing the cancer cells. This is commonly used in prostate cancer.
• Temporary – the source of radiation is delivered to the tumor, and then removed after a few minutes
• LDR (low-dose rate) – commonly used to treat prostate and lung cancer. Small radioactive seeds (about the size of a grain of rice) are inserted into the tumor. The seeds are left inside the tumor and give out low levels of radiation for a few months, which kills the cancer.
• HDR (high-dose rate) – used to treat a variety of cancers. It delivers a higher dose of radiation directly inside or next to the tumor for a short time. HDR brachytherapy can also be used with external beam radiation therapy to provide an additional targeted dose of radiation.