Patent Number: 
Section: abstract

A therapeutic energy system for performing interstitial laser therapy and brachytherapy includes two categories of components. The first category includes components usable to perform both interstitial laser therapy and brachytherapy. The second category of components includes components usable to perform either interstitial laser therapy or brachytherapy, but not both. The components co-act to apply therapeutic energy to tissue. The components of the first system include components inserted percutaneously into the tissue, such that interstitial laser therapy and brachytherapy can be performed sequentially without removing and re-inserting percutaneous components. Components of the second category include components not requiring additional puncturing of the skin of a patient, such that removing and inserting components of the second category from a patient is done easily and painlessly. An energy probe component does not maintain a cavity around the tumor mass. Surgical excision of tissue can be performed coincident to therapeutic energy treatment as disclosed.