Brachytherapy Pros
& Cons
Brachytherapy is an outpatient procedure to address different types of cancer. It serves as an alternative treatment to surgical removal of cancer-ridden body parts and lessens the risk of long-term side effects. There are two different kinds of Brachytherapy: permanent, when the seeds stay in the body, and temporary, when the seeds are placed in the body but then removed.
What Types of Cancer Does Brachytherapy Treat?
Brachytherapy can treat a number of cancers and diseases, including: endometrial, prostate, cervical, as well as coronary and artery disease. Temporary Brachytherapy is most often used for gynecologic diseases.
How Does It Work?
High-energy radioactive seeds are placed carefully inside cancerous tissue (implant radiation) so that it can attack the cancer by damaging the DNA of the cancerous cells. The radiation treatment may be injected, swallowed or implanted directly into the tumor. Intracavitary treatment is when the "seeds" are placed inside the body cavities. When an interstitial treatment is done, the implants are placed directly into the tumor. And when an unsealed internal radiation therapy is done, medication that contains the radioactive material is injected into the body cavity or into a vein. The healthy cells in the body are able to repair themselves or resist any damage that the radiation may cause but the unhealthy cells cannot.
Pros
There are advantages to doing Brachytherapy. You will need only one treatment of Brachytherapy, and there is minimal discomfort after the procedure. It is also an outpatient procedure, so it will not affect your daily life activities. Compared to the removal of a cancerous body part, Brachytherapy is a minor surgical procedure and poses fewer long-term side effects than other extreme treatments.
Cons(iderations)
With any procedure, there are risks or disadvantages. There is a chance that a radioactive "seed" accidentally escapes and damages healthy tissue. Infection is possible, as with all surgical procedures. If a mistake occurs, it cannot be treated with surgery. Since the prostate, for instance, is not removed during Brachytherapy, there is a chance that the tumor will grow back. This treatment is expensive. It also is "high tech," so you want to get an experienced doctor who has done this procedure many times before.
Effectiveness
According to Chicago Prostate Cancer Center, Brachytherapy has gained popularity as a primary treatment for cancer because it has shown survival statistics "essentially equal to surgery and is minimally invasive."
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