Advancements are being made every day in the world of cancer care and breast cancer is no exception. One of the more effective, cutting-edge treatments in breast cancer care which has been recently gained huge popularity is brachytherapy or internal radiation. Brachytherapy offers a highly aggressive method for pinpointing cancer cells while still allowing patients to resume their normal day-to-day activities - surely a notable benefit for anyone undergoing treatment for cancer.
How Does it Work?
Brachytherapy begins when the cancer tumor is removed from the breast during surgery. During that time, a catheter is inserted into the site of the removed tumor with a portion of the catheter remaining outside the body. During treatment, tiny radioactive seeds (about the size of one grain of rice) are placed through the tube directly into the tumor cavity. The seeds are not removed - just left in the breast where they naturally begin to disintegrate. As the seeds disintegrate, a low dose of radiation is delivered over time to the breast area. This allows radiation to be delivered to a precise location while preserving surrounding healthy tissues.
Treatment is given twice a day for five days - which is a definitely a short period of time compared with more conventional treatments. Better still; patients who undergo brachytherapy are able to return home the same day and continue with their daily routine without any hindrance. After series of treatment, the radioactive seed is removed from the body.
Benefits of Brachytherapy
In addition to the speed and effectiveness of the procedure, brachytherapy offers a variety of other benefits including:
€ Minimal side-effects- Because radiation is delivered to the precise location only where it is needed, the chances of it affecting surrounding tissue are minimized, thus minimizing side-effects.
€ Faster recovery- Brachytherapy does not require major surgery and therefore does not require general anesthesia or an overnight stay. Patients go home sooner and recover faster than external beam radiation treatment.
Brachytherapy represents one of the most advanced methods for treating breast cancer today - offering patients hope for fast, painless, and very effective treatment - and changing the face of cancer care. It can also be used to cure cancer present at various other organs of body including prostate, eye, vagina, skin, neck, head, lungs, etc. It is a type of radiation therapy which is more precise and high-tech treatment procedure than any other cancer care procedure developed so far.
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