New frontiers in brachytherapy.
Brachytherapy gives a high dose to a tumor (better cell kill) because the sources are close to or within the tumor. Because of the location of the source (usually within target volume), the surrounding normal tissues are spared, resulting in lower morbidity. In the past, radiation exposure hazard to caregivers was a major disadvantage of brachytherapy; however, this concern has been reduced with the use of low energy isotopes and remote controlled afterloading techniques. The need for surgical exposure and its associated trauma has been overcome by using percutaneous, image-guided brachytherapy techniques. Use of brachytherapy to treat prostate and intravascular sites can be expected to increase.
Nag
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Division of Radiation Oncology, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. nag.1@osu.edu
D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D017028:Caregivers; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control; D015642:Radiology, Interventional; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000009:adverse effects; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy
D015386:Hazardous Substances; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals