High Dose Rate Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy is defined as the placement of radioactive sources directly into or close to a tumor. High radiation doses are delivered to the cancer cells with rapid fall-off in dose to normal tissues. Brachytherapy is often combined with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), serving as a 'boost dose' to the area of suspected or gross tumor residual. Brachytherapy alone or in conjunction with other treatment modalities has become an important part of radiation treatment. HDR brachytherapy is used in our department to treat gynecological, breast, and prostate cancers. At Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, CT and/or MRI are used to plan HDR brachytherapy.
Augmented Reality Guided Interstitial Brachytherapy
In 2024 we introduced augmented reality (AR) driven MR guided brachytherapy for interstitial brachytherapy to treat gynecologic (GYN) malignancies in our clinic. The AR platform provides real-time information to physicians performing interstitial free-hand or applicator-based catheter insertions. With the use of custom 3D printed brachytherapy applicators, MR pre-insertion images, and fast template localizers, the physician can guide all needles to the target consistently, and the workflow can incorporate any potential errors related to patient or template motion during insertion.
Eye Plaque Brachytherapy
Eye brachytherapy uses an Iodine-125 radioactive isotope (gamma radiation) in an eye plaque to treat choroidal melanomas (eye cancer). The gold eye plaque with Iodine seeds (number of seeds is decided by the tumor size) is placed on the tumor via a surgical procedure, thus delivering a high dose of radiation directly to the cancer cells, leading to shrinkage or elimination of the tumor. This treatment also has the potential to preserve the eye and vision.
Internal Radiotherapy Treatment (Radiopharmaceutical)
Internal radiotherapy, or radiopharmaceuticals, delivers radiation to the cancer from inside the body. In our clinic we use Xofigo, which contains Radium-223 dichloride, as a targeted internal alpha therapy for patients with metastasized prostate cancer and symptomatic bone metastases. The use of Radium 223 can allow for shrinkage of cancer cells that have spread to the bone, and is used for pain management, thus resulting in improved quality of life.
Elekta Flexitron afterloader
