ABSTRACT
Radiation therapy is one of several modalities of cancer care which can be used as definitive, neoadjuvant or adjuvant, or palliative intent. Radiation therapy can be broadly categorized as either teletherapy (tele, Greek for far) or brachytherapy (brachy, Greek for near). Teletherapy can be delivered by a linear accelerator or by a radioactive source in a treatment machine such as the Cobalt-60 unit. Brachytherapy most commonly utilizes radioactive sources placed in a patient cavity (intracavitary) and/or in patient tissues (interstitial). Radiation sources can also be placed on or near a patient surface to treat skin cancer or malignancies of the eye. Both intracavitary and interstitial applications of brachytherapy are integral to treat malignancies of the gynecologic tract. The purpose of this chapter is to outline the various disease sites, applicators, techniques, and treatment planning for gynecologic brachytherapy.
