Brachytherapy | Step-wise Procedure

What is the step wise procedure of administering Brachytherapy?
In the previous article about brachytherapy, we learnt about the basics of it.Now, lets talk in detail about the procedure of brachytherapy.

• Thorough clinical examination of the patient is done.

• Investigative procedures like X Rays, Ultrasonography,CT scan, MRI are carried out.

• Shape, size, location, etc of the tumor are determined.

• Position of 'source applicators' (applicators without the radioactive source) is decided and placed in situ using image guidance by X rays, ultrasonography, CTscan, MRI, etc.

• Images of patient are taken with applicators inside, and fed into a treatment planning software which converts  2 D images into 3 D images.

• Hence, a 'virtual patient' is created.

• Now, 'virtual radiation' is given to the 'virtual patient' to determine the spread of irradiation in terms of its spatial and temporal components.

• This can be seen as 'virtual dose painting'

Virtual dose painting

• Now, radioactive substance is inserted in the source applicators by two methods, Manual method or Afterloading technique.

• Manual delivery of brachytherapy can be done, but is risky for the one who delivers.

• Afterloading technique consists of insertion of only applicators which are later loaded with the radioactive source.

• This is connected to an 'afterloading machine' with guided tubes, and the treatment plan is set up in the machine, which controls the delivery of the radioactive sources.

• Applicators are removed after the treatment is completed.

Machine used to insert radio-active substance

Also read

Brachytherapy for Prostate cancer.

What are the side effects of radiation therapy?

12 causes of cancer.