Do you need a referral for brachytherapy?

Your oncologist, surgeon, or another clinician involved in your diagnosis may send the referral with pathology, imaging, and treatment information. Brachytherapy is planned for a specific body site and clinical purpose, so it cannot be selected or booked without specialist review.

Brachytherapy places a radiation source inside the body or close to the area being treated. The radiation oncologist evaluates the diagnosis, exact location, imaging, previous treatment, nearby organs, and your general health. The team then determines whether internal radiation should be used alone or alongside other treatment.

A referral is an invitation for assessment rather than confirmation that brachytherapy will be given. Planning may involve an examination, imaging, measurements, anaesthetic review, and input from other cancer specialists.

Ask the clinician managing your cancer to refer you to radiation oncology if brachytherapy may be relevant. Check that pathology reports, scan images, operation notes, and records of earlier radiation or systemic treatment are available. Take a medicine list and describe any implanted device, bleeding tendency, allergy, or previous anaesthetic problem.

At the consultation, confirm the proposed treatment site and whether preparation of the bowel, bladder, or skin is required. Follow only the instructions issued for your procedure, because preparation differs by body site and applicator technique.

Contact your cancer team if symptoms worsen while the referral is pending or if you cannot attend a planned treatment visit. Seek urgent assessment for severe bleeding, difficulty breathing, chest pain, fainting, confusion, sudden weakness, or pain that becomes unmanageable. After treatment, report fever, heavy bleeding, inability to pass urine, or rapidly increasing pain according to the discharge instructions.

Ask why brachytherapy is being considered, how the radiation source will be positioned, and whether anaesthesia or an inpatient stay is expected. Discuss preparation, side effects for the treated body site, radiation-safety precautions, recovery activities, follow-up, and whom to contact outside clinic hours.