Brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy in which a sealed radioactive source is placed directly inside or next to the tissue requiring treatment, most commonly a tumor, allowing a high radiation dose to be delivered locally while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. Its name derives from the Greek brachys, meaning short-distance. The technique traces to 1901, when physicist Pierre Curie suggested to physician Henri-Alexandre Danlos that a radioactive source could be inserted directly into a tumor, and it has since become a standard treatment for cancers including those of the cervix, prostate, and breast.
Facts
FAQs
How is brachytherapy different from external beam radiation therapy?
Brachytherapy places the radiation source at the tumour instead of aiming a beam from outside the body.
In external beam radiation therapy, high-energy x-rays are directed at the tumour from outside the body. Brachytherapy instead places short-range radiation sources, such as iodine-125 or caesium-131, directly at the site of the tumour.
Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
2. Brachytherapy (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: Brachytherapy, History section
Brachytherapy dates back to 1901 (shortly after the discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel in 1896) when Pierre Curie suggested to Henri-Alexandre Danlos that a radioactive source could be inserted into a tumour.
Brachytherapy - Lead section
Brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy where a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment.
Lead section
Brachytherapy was the OR procedure with the greatest change in occurrence among hospital stays paid by Medicare and private insurance. == Radiation sources == Commonly used radiation sources (radionuclides) for brachytherapy include: == History == Brachytherapy dates back to 1901 (shortly after the discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel in 1896) when Pierre Curie suggested to Henri-Alexandre Danlos that a radioactive source could be inserted into a tumour.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachytherapy, lead section
Brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy where a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment.
Lead, first sentence
Brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy where a sealed radiation source is placed inside or next to the area requiring treatment.
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