High dose rate brachytherapy is a highly conformal method of radiation dose escalation for prostate cancer and one of several treatment options for men with localised disease. The large doses per fraction exploit the low alpha/beta ratio of prostate cancer cells so that biological radiation dose delivered is substantially greater than that achieved with conventional external beam delivery.
This review article presents contemporary data on the rationale for high dose rate brachytherapy including treatment technique and future directions.
Cancer radiotherapie : journal de la Societe francaise de radiotherapie oncologique. 2016 Jan 22 [Epub ahead of print]
N Thiruthaneeswaran, P J Hoskin
Cancer Centre, Mount Vernon Hospital, Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, HA6 2RN, United Kingdom. , Cancer Centre, Mount Vernon Hospital, Rickmansworth Road, Northwood, HA6 2RN, United Kingdom.