High dose rate brachytherapy in the treatment of cervical carcinoma

Intracavitary brachytherapy has been shown to significantly reduce the rate of local recurrence in patients with cervix carcinoma. High dose rate (HDR) techniques use a high-intensity source to deliver high total doses of radiation over minutes, leading to the development of out-patient use of HDR brachytherapy procedures. HDR fractionation protocols that demonstrate rates of local control that are equivalent to low dose rate techniques and use smaller dose per fraction are recommended to decrease the probability of long-term complications with HDR.