{"entity":{"id":"brachytherapy-term","kind":"term","name":"Brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy)","aka":["brachytherapy boost","HDR brachytherapy","LDR brachytherapy","seed implant","interstitial brachytherapy","intracavitary"],"tldr":"Radiotherapy from the inside: radioactive seeds or a temporary source are placed in or next to the tumour, so the dose falls off steeply and nearby organs are spared.","summary":"Low-dose-rate seeds (iodine-125) permanently implanted in the prostate cure low-risk disease as well as surgery; high-dose-rate brachytherapy boosts external beam in intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer (ASCENDE-RT) and is essential for cervical cancer, where image-guided brachytherapy to ≥85 Gy EQD2 drives cure (EMBRACE). Also used for oesophageal palliation, skin, breast (partial-breast) and eye (plaque for uveal melanoma). It needs skilled operators and access has declined in some countries as external-beam options improved.","asOf":"2026-09-09","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachytherapy","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachytherapy"}],"tags":[],"related":["gray-unit","hypofractionation","imrt-term"],"cancers":["prostate","cervical"],"sections":["radiation"],"technologies":["brachytherapy"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Procedures"},"route":"/terms/brachytherapy-term/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"gray-unit","kind":"term","name":"Gray unit (Gy)","route":"/terms/gray-unit/"},{"id":"hypofractionation","kind":"term","name":"Hypofractionation (fewer, larger radiotherapy doses)","route":"/terms/hypofractionation/"},{"id":"imrt-term","kind":"term","name":"IMRT / IGRT / VMAT (modern external beam radiotherapy)","route":"/terms/imrt-term/"},{"id":"re-irradiation","kind":"term","name":"Re-irradiation","route":"/terms/re-irradiation/"}],"cancer":[{"id":"cervical","kind":"cancer","name":"Cervical cancer","route":"/cancers/cervical/"},{"id":"prostate","kind":"cancer","name":"Prostate cancer","route":"/cancers/prostate/"}],"section":[{"id":"radiation","kind":"section","name":"Radiation Therapy","route":"/fronts/radiation/"}],"technology":[{"id":"brachytherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Brachytherapy","route":"/technologies/brachytherapy/"},{"id":"hdr-brachytherapy","kind":"technology","name":"High-dose-rate brachytherapy","route":"/technologies/hdr-brachytherapy/"},{"id":"ldr-seed-brachytherapy","kind":"technology","name":"Low-dose-rate seed brachytherapy","route":"/technologies/ldr-seed-brachytherapy/"},{"id":"brachytherapy-afterloaders","kind":"technology","name":"Remote afterloaders for HDR brachytherapy","route":"/technologies/brachytherapy-afterloaders/"}],"trial":[{"id":"ascende-rt","kind":"trial","name":"ASCENDE-RT","route":"/trials/ascende-rt/"}]}}