Doctors of MGM Cancer Institute performed brachytherapy, an internal radiation therapy, to treat a patient diagnosed with stage-II breast cancer.

According to a press release, the 54-year-old woman underwent lumpectomy (surgical removal of the tumour), following which the team performed brachytherapy, which targets residual microscopic cancer cells and helps lower the risk of recurrence.

Teams headed by Sivakumar Mahalingam, senior consultant, Surgical Oncologist, and Alex A. Prasad, senior consultant, Radiation Oncologist, performed the procedure.

In brachytherapy, thin tubes, known as catheters, are inserted into the area from which the tumour has been removed, delivering radiation precisely to the site at risk of recurrence rather than to the entire breast. In this patient, five catheters were placed in the breast and radiation was administered in four sessions over two days.

Dr. Mahalingam said one of the main advantages of brachytherapy was its ability to preserve the breast, while minimising radiation exposure to vital internal organs such as the heart and the lungs.

Dr. Prasad said it helps reduce the side effects associated with conventional radiation therapy, including skin peeling, fibrosis, pigmentation changes, and scarring. Brachytherapy is covered under health insurance, they said.

M.A. Raja, Director and Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology, said interstitial brachytherapy allows them to precisely target the tumour bed with radiation after surgery, significantly reducing unnecessary exposure to the heart, lungs and skin.