Brachytherapy

Orange Regional Medical Center provides a comprehensive program of brachytherapy including the technology and clinical expertise specifically required for "High Dose Rate Remote Afterloader" (HDR) and "Seed Implantation" therapies. 

High Dose Rate Remote Afterloader Therapy (HDR) is an important adjunct to external beam radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. It has proven to be an effective way to treat proliferative cancer disease of the breast, cervix, lung, prostate, liver, and brain, as well as various head and neck tumors. Utilizing the remote afterloading HDR brachytherapy system, a controlled dose of radiation is delivered with pinpoint accuracy directly and rapidly to the target sight, then quickly removed, sparing healthy tissue. Because of the high concentration utilized in this procedure, some patients may only require a few treatments which can be performed on an outpatient basis.

Seed Implant Therapy has become an extremely valuable technique thanks to recent technological improvements in ultrasound imaging. This technique involves the implantation of 60 to 100 tiny radioactive seeds in and around the prostate. An alternative to surgery, this technique allows the delivery of a highly concentrated, yet confined, dose of radiation directly into the prostate without affecting surrounding tissue.

To read more about our Radiation Oncology Services and additional Oncology Services, please view our 2011 Oncology Annual Report.