title: American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and American College of Radiology (ACR) practice guideline for the performance of high-dose-rate brachytherapy.
abstract: High-Dose-Rate (HDR) brachytherapy is a safe and efficacious treatment option for patients with a variety of different malignancies. Careful adherence to established standards has been shown to improve the likelihood of procedural success and reduce the incidence of treatment-related morbidity. A collaborative effort of the American College of Radiology (ACR) and American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has produced a practice guideline for HDR brachytherapy. The guideline defines the qualifications and responsibilities of all the involved personnel, including the radiation oncologist, physicist and dosimetrists. Review of the leading indications for HDR brachytherapy in the management of gynecologic, thoracic, gastrointestinal, breast, urologic, head and neck, and soft tissue tumors is presented. Logistics with respect to the brachytherapy implant procedures and attention to radiation safety procedures and documentation are presented. Adherence to these practice guidelines can be part of ensuring quality and safety in a successful HDR brachytherapy program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI53226-3596, USA.
authors.forename: Beth A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: D Jeffrey
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Demanes
authors.forename: Geoffrey S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ibbott
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: I-Chow J
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Rabinovitch
authors.forename: Jonathan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Tward
authors.forename: Seth A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
mesh_terms: D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006283:Health Physics / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000592:standards*; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000592:standards; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D013899:Thoracic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D014481:United States; D014571:Urologic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy