Advantages of brachytherapy
The advantages of brachytherapy vary depending on the patient, their priorities, and preferences but as a minimally invasive treatment method, the benefits of avoiding surgery are universal. These can include:
- quicker recovery time
- less time spent in the hospital or no admission to the hospital
- potential saving of healthy tissues and organs
- reduced risk of postoperative infections
Advantages in comparison with EBRT are related to time needed to deliver the treatment, reduction in exposure to organs at risk and consequently a reduction in side effects.
We should not bias brachy to EBRT in the treatment of patients with cervical cancer because they are complimentary.
Brachytherapy is a part of treatment protocol for these patients which includes chemotherapy, EBRT and brachytherapy. Although brachytherapy has advantages over EBRT, EBRT has other advantages like large irradiation volume covering lymph nodes and parametrium which make it possible to treat lymph node metastases and the whole tumor volume.
The doctor should choose the best treatment combination for the patient according to the tumor stage and other conditions.
