It is used to treat lesions in specific areas of the body. The area in which we have tremendous expertise includes treatment in and around the brain. In that instance, a head frame and high resolution CT scanning are used to help localize the malignancy. Radiosurgery sends beams from thousands of angles to attack the tumor while minimizing radiation to the surrounding structures. Examples include endobronchial implantation for primary or recurrent lung cancers.
Most lung cancers begin in the airways and often can cause obstruction of the airways.
New methods most commonly treat these conditions effectively and quickly. Brachytherapy can also be used in other sites like the esophagus for esophageal cancers, and is commonly used for gynecologic malignancies such as cervix and endometrial cancer. Those are uses of temporary brachytherapy. We obtain a high degree of local control. Current data shows the effectiveness of brachy therapy or seed implantation for prostate cancer.