do you know what is brachytherapy?what your oppinion about it?

Question

please include in your answer if you are a doctor ,a patient, or just a common person...
i admire it a lot!

Answer 1

Brachytherapy is therapy "at a short distance". It is effective when the disease, usually cancer but not always, is confined to a relatively small area or volume. An encapsulated source of radioactive material is placed within the diseased tissue, or as near to it as possible, and left for a prescribed time. The actual treatment can now be simulated by computers to show what the resulting radiation distribution will be prior to the administration of the radioactive source(s), and radiation source placement for optimal effect can be planned for maximum medical outcome. The doses outside the body are not always small when considering what the general public is allowed, and patients receiving brachytherapy treatments are often put in hospital semi-isolation while the radioactive sources are in place. After the removal of the radiation sources there is NO residual radioactivity in the patient, and it is safe for the patient to mix with the public.

When used properly it is a great additional tool for the medical profession. See radiation oncologists (M.D. radiation therapists).

Brachytherapy treatments have been used and are useful in treating diseases of the lungs, esophagus, head, neck, breast, vagina, cervix, endometrium, eyes, muscles, bladder, and prostate.

The levels of radiation are NOT usually low, the radiation and the sources are NOT HARMLESS, and it DOES NOT COMPETE WITH CHEMOTHERAPY which is for disseminated disease, not localized disease as brachytherapy treats.

Answer 2

As above, it's level of radiation outside of the patient is low. It can be used in regions where it is too dangerous or otherwise inadvisable to remove the tumor. Sometimes the morbidity (side effects) of surgical excision of a tumor are too harsh and the patient decides on brachytherapy
There are indications for brachytherapy as a primary treatment (treatment of choice) or as a palliative type of therapy (to slow down the tumor growth or alleviate tumor symptoms).
Without further clinical information it is impossible to say much more.

Answer 3

Brachytherapy, also known as 'sealed source radiotherapy' or 'endocurietherapy', is a form of radiotherapy where a radioactive source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment. Brachytherapy is commonly used to treat localized prostate cancer and cancers of the head and neck.