Brachytherapy Seeds: A Patient Guide

Brachytherapy seeds are small radioactive sources placed in or near a tumour to deliver radiation locally.

Their close position allows the treatment team to focus radiation on a defined area while planning around nearby healthy tissue. Depending on the treatment plan, sources may stay in place or be inserted temporarily and removed after the planned dose is delivered.

A radiation oncologist, medical physicist, and treatment team plan the source position and dose before treatment. Imaging and applicators or needles may guide placement, depending on the body area being treated.

Seeds and other internal radiation sources can be used when a cancer treatment plan calls for radiation from inside the body or very close to the target. The exact technique depends on the cancer type, its location, prior treatment, and the aim of care.

Placement may take place in an operating room, procedure room, or dedicated radiation setting. Your team will explain whether anaesthesia, sedation, or a local numbing medicine is part of your procedure.

External-beam radiation directs treatment from a machine outside the body. Surgery, systemic treatments, active monitoring, or another radiation approach may also be considered, depending on the clinical situation. These options are not interchangeable for every person.

Before placement, ask what you will feel during and after the procedure, who to contact for new symptoms, and whether you need a support person for the journey home. Temporary discomfort, fatigue, or irritation in the treated area can occur; the likely effects depend on where treatment is given.

Keep your treatment instructions with you and tell your team about medicines, implanted devices, pregnancy, or any difficulty lying still. Clear planning helps the team adapt the procedure to your needs.

For permanent sources, the radiation weakens naturally after placement. Your team will give personalised advice about contact with children or pregnant people if precautions are needed. Seek prompt clinical advice for fever, worsening pain, heavy bleeding, trouble passing urine, or a device that moves or comes out.