The team of physicians at Northeast Radiation Oncology Centers (NROC) offers cancer patients in Northeastern Pennsylvania the opportunity to benefit from Brachytherapy, a highly specialized treatment for certain types of cancer. Brachytherapy treatment is especially effective for men with prostate cancer.

Brachy is derived from the Greek word meaning short. Brachytherapy delivers an intense form of radiation over a short distance through small needles or catheters directly into the tumor site, or near the site, to destroy cancer cells. Under ultrasound visualization, the seeds are delivered to the tumor with precise accuracy. Brachytherapy differs from the standard external beam radiation treatment, which is delivered by a beam of radiation from an external machine. For some patients a combination of external beam radiation and brachytherapy is most effective. Brachytherapy may help cure cancer or help relieve pain associated with some cancers.

Brachytherapy is most often used at NROC for men with prostate cancer and for women with cancer of the reproductive organs. Is is also used in skin cancer treatment.

Brachytherapy is effective for treating organs which are difficult to reach because of their location in the body. Because brachytherapy is able to deliver radiation with extremely precise accuracy, it is particularly useful for prostate cancer. Unlike surgery to remove the prostate, it usually can be performed as an outpatient
procedure. Brachytherapy also minimizes unwanted side effects from prostate cancer treatment such as impotence and incontinence.

The team of NROC physicians has many years of experience providing brachytherapy. They have treated more people with brachytherapy than most other
physicians in Pennsylvania. As a result, patients treated at NROC enjoy special advantages thanks to the extensive experience of our physicians in this specialized
radiation treatment.