The American College of Radiology and the American Brachytherapy Society practice parameter for the performance of low-dose-rate brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is the use of radionuclides to treat malignancies or benign conditions by means of a radiation source placed close to or into the tumor or treatment site. This practice parameter refers only to the use of radionuclide brachytherapy. Brachytherapy alone or combined with external beam therapy plays an important role in the management and treatment of patients with cancer. Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy has traditionally been used for treating prostate, head and neck, breast, cervical, and endometrial cancers as well as obstructive bile duct, esophageal, or bronchial lesions. It has been practiced for over a century with a variety of sources including radium-226, cesium-137, and, more recently, iridium- 192, iodine-125, and palladium-103. Low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy can be given as interstitial, intracavitary, intraluminal, and/or plesiotherapy to a wide variety of treatment sites. This practice parameter addresses sealed sources as they are used for LDR brachytherapy. It is recognized that unsealed sources (e.g., yttrium-90) are also a form of LDR brachytherapy.