title: The American College of Radiology and the American Brachytherapy Society practice parameter for the performance of low-dose-rate brachytherapy.
abstract: Brachytherapy is the use of radionuclides to treat malignancies or benign conditions by means of a radiation source placed close to or into the tumor or treatment site. This practice parameter refers only to the use of radionuclide brachytherapy. Brachytherapy alone or combined with external beam therapy plays an important role in the management and treatment of patients with cancer. Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy has traditionally been used for treating prostate, head and neck, breast, cervical, and endometrial cancers as well as obstructive bile duct, esophageal, or bronchial lesions. It has been practiced for over a century with a variety of sources including radium-226, cesium-137, and, more recently, iridium- 192, iodine-125, and palladium-103. Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy can be given as interstitial, intracavitary, intraluminal, and/or plesiotherapy to a wide variety of treatment sites. This practice parameter addresses sealed sources as they are used for LDR brachytherapy. It is recognized that unsealed sources (e.g., yttrium-90) are also a form of LDR brachytherapy.
authors.affiliation: The Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: njamiolkowski@acr.org.
authors.forename: Akila N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Viswanathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
authors.forename: Beth A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Physics, Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Geoffrey S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ibbott
authors.affiliation: Loyola University, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Small
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Physics, Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Eifel
mesh_terms: D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D001984:Bronchial Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007496:Iridium Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010165:Palladium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D018787:Radiation Oncology; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011871:Radiology; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011883:Radium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014481:United States; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D015021:Yttrium Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D007496:Iridium Radioisotopes; D011868:Radioisotopes; D015021:Yttrium Radioisotopes; D010165:Palladium; D011883:Radium
keywords: Brachytherapy; Breast cancer; Bronchial lesions; Endometrial cancer; Esophageal lesions; Head and neck cancer; LDR applicators; LDR brachytherapy; Low-dose-rate brachytherapy; Obstructive bile duct lesions; Prostate cancer; Pulse-dose-rate brachytherapy; Radiation safety; Radionuclide brachytherapy; Radionuclides; Treatment goals; Treatment planning