The word brachytherapy is derived from the word "braki" which means close to the meaning of dolphin and is used in the meaning of near distance treatment. Brachytherapy; The radiation sources are placed in close proximity to the target site or sometimes directly into the tumor. Brachytherapy; It can be done by direct manual placement of radiation sources or it can be done by loading resources to specific apparatuses later.

What are the characteristics of radioactive sources used in brachytherapy?

Used beam sources; Radioactive materials with limited access range. For example, in the early stages of prostate cancer, a small operation uses needles inserted into the prostate. Due to the limited access distance, the radiation emitted from the needles is limited only within the prostate. This has the advantage; The intact tissues around the target volume are hardly exposed to radiation and are protected from possible side effects of radiation. The radiation emissions of the needles disappear in the course of time.

  
In another example, gynecological cancers are implanted by placing various apparatuses in the body cavities. Here, the radiation source is placed on these apparatuses and then removed again after being held for a certain period of time. In this application, the robust tissues around the targeted volume are protected from the possible effects of the radiation as high as possible.