High Dose Rate Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer

Procedure Description:

Some patients may be candidates for high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy for treatment of their prostate cancer.  HDR brachytherapy involves the remote placement of a powerful radiation source, accurately directed by your radiation oncologist and team, into the prostate for several minutes through multiple tubes called catheters. It is usually given in multiple doses over two days and involves an overnight hospital stay.  The high-dose-rate remote afterloading machine allows the radiation oncologists to deliver a brachytherapy treatment quickly, in about 10 to 20 minutes. HDR also allows delivery of  high, localized radiation doses not possible with other types of radiation.