Prostate brachytherapy is becoming an increasingly popular treatment for localised prostate cancer. The application of brachytherapy techniques allows the safe delivery of higher doses of radiation than those that can be delivered by a conventional external beam approach. Dose escalation is now an important component of radiation medicine in the treatment of prostate cancer. In the United States, the use of brachytherapy is now almost as common as radical prostatectomy.
Brachytherapy is either applied as low dose rate (LDR) permanent implants or high dose rate (HDR) temporary implants. LDR Brachytherapy, also known as seed implants, is typically used as a stand alone treatment for low risk prostate cancer. HDR Brachytherapy is usually employed in conjunction with external beam radiation where the tumour characteristics suggest an intermediate or high risk prostate cancer.
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