Brachytherapy is one of the many procedures for treating cancer. The treatment is also known as internal radiation.

In brachytherapy treatment,the doctor plants a radioactive material inside the patient’s body. This material emits radiation which helps destroy cancer cells. Since the radiation impacts only a specific area of the body, it considerably lessens damage to the nearby healthy tissues.

Brachytherapy treatment is provided at leading hospitals like Max Hospital India and is used to treat a variety of cancers like prostate cancer, breast cancer, eye cancer, skin cancer, etc.

What are the benefits of Brachytherapy Treatment?

Brachytherapy treatment is one of the most effective cancer treatments. Some of the benefits of undergoing brachytherapy include:

• The radiation delivered in brachytherapy is exact and accurate. This makes it one of the best cancer treatments.
• Many other cancer treatments require frequent visits to the hospital. But in brachytherapy, few visits are required. It saves the patient from the burden of traveling to the hospital daily and for days or months.
• In many brachytherapy treatments, the patient is also not required to stay for the night at the hospital.
• Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive procedure.
• Compared to many other treatments, there is less risk of side effects.
• Patients usually take between two and five days to recover. It means that you can return to work or resume other normal activities in a week.

Types of Brachytherapy Treatment in India

There are three types of brachytherapy: Low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy, high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy, and permanent implants. Depending on the type of cancer, the patient can be given one of these two treatments.

Low Dose Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy

In low dose rate brachytherapy, the radiation given to the patient remains in the body for a few days, probably a week. This treatment requires hospitalization.

Following treatment and removal of the radioactive source, the doctor will allow the patient to return home and resume everyday activities.

The patient is radioactive only as long as the radioactive source is in the body.

High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy

In HDR brachytherapy, the radiation remains in the body for a few minutes. After staying in your body for 10 to 20 minutes, the doctor will remove the radiation source, and you will no longer be radioactive.

Depending upon the patient’s condition, the doctor will suggest taking the treatment once a week for some weeks. Or you will have to take the treatment twice every day for a few days.

You may either have to visit the hospital for treatment or will be advised to get hospitalized.

Permanent Implants

The permanent implant is the third type of brachytherapy treatment. In this procedure, the doctor will place the radioactive material in the body.

In the other two treatments, the radioactive source is placed in the body for a few minutes or days. But in permanent implants, the source will remain in the patient’s body for their entire life.

But this poses no complications for the patients because the radiation will get weaker with time.

Is There Any Special Preparation Needed for the Procedure?

Before starting the brachytherapy treatment procedure, the doctor will advise you to take certain tests and other precautions. These include:

• Blood tests
• Electrocardiogram
• MRI
• Ultrasound
• CT
• E-ray of the chest
• Bowel preparation
• It is necessary that you should not eat or drink anything for a few hours before the start of the procedure
• The doctor will advise you to stop taking certain medications.

How is the Procedure Performed?

Radioactive seeds or other impacts are planted either in the cancerous part or near it. The seeds will emit radiation targeting the cancerous tissues. Since the radiation will prevent the damaged cancerous tissues from thriving, they will die. One advantage of undergoing this treatment is that the radiation will not harm the normal and healthy tissues near the cancerous tissue.

How Much Does Brachytherapy Cost in India?

The brachytherapy cost in India varies from one hospital to another. Max Hospital India is well equipped with the latest technology and medical infrastructure and provides the best brachytherapy in India. The hospital provides good treatment at affordable rates. To get information about brachytherapy costs, get in touch with Max Hospital India today.