Lung Cancer Treatment: HDR Brachytherapy
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HDR Brachytherapy for Lung Cancer
Radiation oncologists at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) utilize innovative tools to target lung tumors. One of these tools is High-Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy. This particular lung cancer treatment helps to contain radiation within the tumor site, reducing damage to surrounding, healthy lung tissue. Furthermore, brachytherapy treatments can be provided in a shorter amount of time than some other traditional radiation treatments.
In a HDR brachytherapy procedure for lung cancer, brachytherapy catheters are implanted into your bronchus (breathing tube) using a bronchoscope. Once the bronchoscope is removed, a thin tube remains in place for about 30 minutes, delivering a highly radioactive dose directly to that site. This is done to avoid affecting the surrounding lung tissue, reducing your need for external beam radiation.
Brachytherapy can benefit lung cancer patients by providing a high dose of radiation to tumors in the airway. This can help stop bleeding and open up blocked lobes of the lung.
The best way to determine if you may be a candidate for brachytherapy is to discuss it with your treatment team at CTCA.
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