The costs of low dose rate remote afterloading compared to manual afterloading brachytherapy

A relatively recent development in the United States in brachytherapy technology is the use of equipment to remotely afterload radioactive sources into the patient applicators. This technique competes with past practices where the source was placed by hand. With remote afterloading, the sources are automatically removed from the patient and placed into a lead safe whenever healthcare personnel enter the patient's room. The primary benefit of remote afterloading brachytherapy is to reduce the radiation exposure to the patient's visitors and healthcare providers. By comparing the operating and maintenance costs for remote afterloading brachytherapy (RAL) and manual afterloading (MAL) for patients receiving conventional low dose rate brachytherapy from interstitial and intracavitary implants, estimates of the prospective cost of this increased safety can be offered.