Brachytherapy is a form of radiotherapy ( cancer treatment ) where radioactive elements are sealed inside a seed , capsule , pellet or wire and are put implanted inside the body of a cancer patient by using either a needle or a catheter. At CMCS Health , we are associated with Best Indian radiation oncologist , who are well experienced in brachytherapy for prostate cancer treatment in India.
Brachytherapy is universally accepted prostate cancer treatment worldwide. It is used as monotherapy for men with early stage prostate cancer and also for some intermediate risk prostate cancers and in combination with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for men with larger prostate cancers.
The advantage of brachytherapy in prostate cancer treatment is that radioactive material implant allows a higher dose of radiation given to limited area and thus minimizing the damage to surrounding healthy tissues.
In Brachytherapy for prostate cancer treatment in India , a radiation oncologist places the encapsulated radioactive substance directly on tumor or surrounding tissues with the help of a needle or catheter. The duration of radioactive implant in body of patient depends on location of cancer , stage of cancer and overall health of patient. CT Scans and Ultrasound during the brachytherapy helps the radiation oncologist in placing the encapsulated radioactive material precisely on tumor or nearby tissues.
Brachytherapy for prostate cancer are usually given as either low dose rate ( LDR ) brachytherapy or high dose rate ( HDR ) brachytherapy.
Brachytherapy for prostate cancer , if done by a well experienced radiation oncologist and after proper evaluation of the size and stage of tumor is found to be as effective as conventional external beam radiation therapy and in some cases even surgery .
Brachytherapy is very useful for those prostate cancer patient where the cancer is localized and has not metastasized. In some cases brachytherapy is combined with external-beam radiation therapy, including stereotactic body radiation therapy, to get the best results.
Other types of radiation therapy for prostate cancer treatment in India :
- External beam radiation therapy ( EBRT )
- Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy ( 3D-CRT)
- intensity modulated radiation therapy ( IMRT )
- Image guided radiation therapy ( IGRT )
- Volumetric modulated arc therapy ( VMAT )
- Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) also known as gamma knife or cyberKnife
Dr A K Anand is leading radiation oncologist of Delhi and NCR and is currently HOD and Director - Dept. of Radiation Oncology at Fortis memorial research Institute , Gurgaon , India.
Dr A K Anand has a vast experience of more than 30 years in the field of radiation oncology.