Breast Cancer High-Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy
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High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy for Breast Cancer
Video: HDR Brachytherapy
HDR BrachytherapyThe breast cancer experts at CTCA offer several innovative forms of radiation therapy to fight the disease. High-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy, or HDR brachytherapy, is an internal radiation therapy that offers a fast, powerful and precise way to deliver radiation directly to breast tumors.
First, your CTCA radiation team temporarily inserts laser-thin, hollow catheters into or near a breast tumor with millimeter precision using image-guidance (ultrasound, CT scan, MRI). A series of radioactive pellets are then pushed into each of the catheters, radiating the tumor from the inside out. Sophisticated computer technology controls (1) how long the pellet stays in each catheter, and (2) where along the catheter the pellet should pause to release its radiation.
With a few strategically-placed catheters, HDR brachytherapy allows your CTCA radiation team to deliver a powerful, precisely-focused dose of radiation directly to a breast tumor in just a few minutes. This helps to reduce damage to nearby healthy breast tissue and minimize side effects of standard radiation therapy.
Advantages of HDR Brachytherapy
- It delivers a precise, highly concentrated dose of radiation directly to the breast tumor.
- High-dose rate brachytherapy limits radiation exposure to healthy surrounding breast tissue, reducing some of the side effects associated with standard radiation.
- The treatment takes minutes, rather than days for low-dose brachytherapy.
- After a series of treatments, the catheters are removed and there are no radioactive seeds left in the body.
Your CTCA care team may also use this form of breast cancer radiation therapy following surgery, like a lumpectomy, to help eradicate any cancerous cells that remain after the procedure.
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