Brachytherapy: Treatment of Prostate Cancer
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) offers both low dose rate (LDR) and high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy, a minimally invasive treatment for localized prostate cancer.
About Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive procedure in which radioactive seeds are placed in the prostate where they target and eliminate the cancer from inside the gland.
The seeds remain inside the prostate permanently and the radioactive material delivers localized radiation for a number of months to destroy the prostate cancer.
New advances in ultrasound technology and radiation seeds allow surgeons to place the seeds in a more precise location along the prostate and there is minimal exposure to normal tissue in the prostate.
Before the Procedure
Once a patient is referred to RWJUH, your doctor may require blood tests, an electrocardiogram or a chest x-ray. A treatment team comprised of a radiation physicist, a dosimetrist, a physicist and a radiation oncologist all consult using pre-treatment imaging to determine the correct path of treatment and the appropriate dose of radiation.
The Day of Treatment
To begin the procedure, a catheter is inserted and radioactive seeds are placed inside the tumor. The insertion device is removed and the seeds are left behind to begin treatment on the tumor.
After the Procedure
Brachytherapy is typically an outpatient procedure, most men go home the same day and return to their normal activities a few days after treatment.
For more information on brachytherapy, click here to request an appointment online.