Brachytherapy

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Endometrial Cancer — In a recent Mayo Clinic study, researchers reported that endometrial cancer patients at risk for recurrence could be treated safely and effectively with three high dose rate brachytherapy treatments during a one- to two-week period. The researchers found the treatment not only to be more convenient than a six-week course of daily external beam treatments, but also highly effective and associated with significantly fewer side effects for patients in whom the main risk for cancer relapse was in the upper vagina. For patients in whom pelvic lymphatics or nodes are at risk for relapse, in addition to the vagina, brachytherapy would preferably be combined with external beam pelvic radiation (25 to 28 treatments during 5 to 5 1/2 weeks).

Bile Duct Cancer — Mayo Clinic investigators have found that a pre-transplant regimen of chemotherapy, external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy resulted in a higher cure rate following liver transplantation for bile duct cancer than would be expected with liver transplantation alone.

Ocular Melanoma — A recent study demonstrated that use of a temporary low dose rate implant was an effective alternative to removal of the eye for patients with melanoma.