Brachytherapy has been used to treat prostate cancer for many years and involves the insertion of small radioactive seeds into the prostate, which deliver radiation over a period of time.
Focal brachytherapy uses the same technique, however offers even greater precision by placing the radioactive source into the tumour itself rather than the whole prostate, preserving the rest of the prostate gland.
Focal brachytherapy treatment has been made possible thanks to advances in imaging technologies, which allows doctors to visualise and treat only the diseased area of the prostate. It is delivered by a multidisciplinary care team, including a urologic surgeon, radiation oncologist, radiologist and pathologist.
