Breast cancer treatment with brachytherapy

With brachytherapy, so-called internal radiation therapy, breast tissue is treated from the inside, so radiation has no adverse effect on the entire body. Instead, radioactive grains are implanted directly into the tumor site. That allows doctors to significantly reduce the number and severity of side effects of radiation, facilitate the recovery period and make the patient's stay in the clinic as short as possible. Before the procedure, the patient must undergo a complete diagnostic examination so that doctors can study all the characteristics of the tumor – its size, nature, and exact localization. In each case, the radiation dose is individual. It is calculated by a team of specialists using a computer. Radioactive granules with isotopes of cobalt, iodine, cesium, and palladium are used for treatment. Brachytherapy is performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. Radioactive microcapsules the size of a grain of rice are implanted in the mammary gland in the tumor area. Implantation is carried out under the control of a CT scanner. Complete decay of radioactive material occurs after a few weeks or months without damage to healthy body tissues.