In the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer, preoperative chemoradiotherapy improved the rate of local recurrence after surgery and anal sphincter preservation [1]. Because it resulted in down-staging of tumors and changes of histologic characteristics, it is now regarded as the standard treatment in the patients with stages II-III advanced rectal cancer [2]. Conventional preoperative ch...

High dose rate (HDR) afterloading brachytherapy in the management of localised prostate cancer has practical, physical and biological advantages over low dose rate seed brachytherapy. There are no free live sources used, no risk of source loss and since the implant is a temporary procedure following discharge no issues with regard to radioprotection use of existing facilities. Adequate coverage...

Inherently, brachytherapy is the most conformal radiotherapeutic technique. As an aid to brachytherapy, ultrasonography (USG) serves as a portable, inexpensive, and simple to use method allowing for accurate, reproducible, and adaptive treatments. Some newer brachytherapy planning systems have incorporated USG as the sole imaging modality. Ultrasonography has been successfully used to place app...

PURPOSE To report the treatment effect of interstitial brachytherapy for abdominal wall metastases of ovarian cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS The patient is a 44-year-old female with a diagnosis of stage IA ovarian cancer. After surgery and two cycles of chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin, the patient noticed dull pain in the lower abdomen and found a mass located in the subcutaneous t...

Pulsed-dose-rate (PDR) brachytherapy is a recent brachytherapy modality combining the radiobiological advantages of low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy with increased possibilities of dose optimization and radiation safety. However, treatment duration remains protracted, as the prescribed dose is typically delivered through pulses that do not exceed 0.5 Gy/h for critical organs. It is frequently ...

Breast conserving surgery (BCS) with following external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) of the conserved breast has become widely accepted in the last decades for the treatment of early invasive breast cancer. The standard technique of EBRT after BCS is to treat the whole breast up to a total dose of 42.5 to 50 Gy. An additional dose is given to treated volume as a boost to a portion of the breas...

Pediatric soft-tissue sarcomas are managed with a multimodality treatment program that includes surgery, chemotherapy, and external-beam radiotherapy (teletherapy). The use of teletherapy in young children can result in significant long-term toxicities (especially growth retardation of bones and organs). Brachytherapy, if feasible, is an attractive alternative for the treatment of pediatric sof...

Objective: In locally advanced cervical cancer, the management consists of external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. The impact of intracavitary brachytherapy versus interstitial brachytherapy on local tumor control, survival and complications were prospectively investigated in this study. Methods: A total of 60 patients with stage IIB, IIIB cervical cancer were treated using a combination ...

The biological rationale for the use of brachytherapy, which is undergoing a significant resurgence in the United States, is reviewed with emphasis on low dose rate (LDR brachytherapy). Some of the newer alternatives that have recently been developed, such as pulsed dose rate (PDR) brachytherapy, are discussed.