Some lung cancers that are located near the bronchial tubes (the passages that connect the lungs to the throat) are best treated with high dose of radiation for a short amount of time. At UPMC Cancer Centers, this is routinely done by a method called endobronchial brachytherapy. In this treatment, a thin plastic tube called a catheter is placed in the area to be treated. The catheter is then attached to a machine which moves the radiation source into the catheter. Once treatment is done, the radioactive material is withdrawn and the catheter removed.
X-ray of the catheter and radioactive material
placed in the bronchial tubes
Therapy is given through the throat. First, your throat will be numbed with a spray, and a lighted tube called a bronchoscope will be passed through your nose and down your throat to the area which will be treated. The catheter, a plastic tube, is then passed through the bronchoscope and secured, and the scope is removed. The tube is then attached to the treatment machine, called a remote afterloader. The afterloader sends the radioactive treatment source to the end of the catheter, where it treats the area for 3 to 10 minutes (as determined by your radiation oncologist). After the treatment time, the treatment machine withdraws the radioactive source, and following a check by the staff the catheter is removed. Patients often are released after one or two hours of recovery.
Because the radiation source is placed next to the affected area, only small amounts of healthy tissue is exposed to radiation. Also, since the radiation is placed near the treatment area, a high level of radiation can be used, which makes treatment more effective. There is no need to perform surgery, since all the materials used go down the throat. Many patients experience a sore throat following the procedure, but otherwise there are few side-effects.