Treatment options

High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR)

High-dose-rate brachytherapy involves placing a radioactive source of high strength directly into a tumor using specialized instruments. With the use of computerized treatment planning, physicians can vary the radiation dosage and placement, resulting in more precise treatment and potentially less harm to healthy tissue. HDR brachytherapy delivers highly localized doses of radiation to the tumor quickly. It may be used alone or with external beam radiation therapy to treat cancer. Each treatment takes approximately 10-15 minutes. The radioactive material travels from a special high-dose-rate machine that is attached to tubes or needles inserted into the tumor. Upon completion, the radioactive material is returned to the device so that no radioactive material remains in the body.