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Local therapy
Brachytherapy
Radiation delivered from inside the body, placed directly at the target.
Opinion here · delivered at a partner centre
What it is
Brachytherapy puts the radiation source inside or immediately against the tumour, using applicators or implanted seeds. Because the dose falls away sharply with distance, very high doses can be delivered to the target while sparing tissue a few millimetres away.
In cervical cancer specifically, it is not an optional extra, it is an integral part of curative treatment, and skipping it materially changes what treatment can achieve.
When it is used
- As part of curative treatment in cervical cancer
- In selected prostate, head-and-neck, oesophageal and skin cancers
- As a boost after external radiation
How the decision is made
- Whether the anatomy allows an applicator to be positioned correctly.
- Timing, brachytherapy has a window relative to external radiation that should not be allowed to slip.
- Which centres in reach actually offer it. Availability is the real constraint in much of India.
At a partner radiation centre with brachytherapy facilities, often requiring short admission.
Who does what
What we handle, and what happens elsewhere
KPCIRC handles
- Indication and sequencing opinion
- Ensuring the brachytherapy window is not lost in scheduling
- Referral to a centre that genuinely offers it
- Follow-up and late-effects surveillance
- Sexual health and pelvic rehabilitation afterwards
Performed and billed elsewhere
- Applicator placement and delivery
- Anaesthesia and admission where required
- If you are told brachytherapy is part of your cervical cancer treatment, do not let it be dropped for scheduling reasons. Ask us if a centre is not available to you.
Questions to ask your own doctor
Take these with you. They work whether or not you are treated here.
- Is brachytherapy part of my curative plan?
- When does it need to happen relative to external radiation?
- Where will it be done, and do they do it regularly?
- What are the long-term effects, and what support is there?
Support that goes with it
Where this is used
Cancers this commonly forms part of
Not sure this is the right option for you?
That is exactly what a second opinion is for. Bring what you have, we will tell you what is missing and what the alternatives actually are, in writing.