Cervical & uterine cancer (curative)
Multi-channel brachytherapy — tandem and ovoid applicators placed via the vagina — delivers the focused boost that makes radical (non-surgical) treatment curative, usually after external beam radiation.
Treatments
Brachytherapy treats the tumour
Brachytherapy treats the tumour
from the inside.
Brachytherapy — internal radiation therapy — places a radiation source close to or into the tumour through applicators inserted into the body. The dose falls away steeply within centimetres of the source, so the tumour receives a very high dose while surrounding organs receive little or none. AARO offers fellowship-trained, image-guided gynaecological brachytherapy.
3–5Treatments for curative gynae courses
15–30minPer treatment delivery
0Radioactivity remains in your body afterwards
Image · placeholderBrachytherapy applicator set prepared in the treatment suite
Image · placeholderIllustration — steep dose gradient around an internal source
Brachytherapy · What it is
Internal radiation, in plain language.
External beam radiotherapy treats from outside the body; brachytherapy works from within. Because the applicators sit against or inside the tumour, sources with a short range of effect can be used — in physics terms, a steep dose gradient, where dose falls off sharply within a few centimetres. Normal organs nearby receive significantly reduced or no dose, while the tumour itself can receive very high, effective doses.
There's a third advantage: if you move during treatment, the applicators move with the tumour — the geometry between source and target is fixed, ensuring consistently accurate delivery in a way external beams can't fully match.
Brachytherapy treats cancers of the cervix, uterus, vagina, prostate, breast and skin — alone or combined with external radiation, surgery or chemotherapy. Its most established role is in gynaecological cancers, where the anatomy is ideally suited to it and the nearby bladder and rectum benefit most from that steep dose fall-off.
Brachytherapy · Who is it for
Cancers and situations where Brachytherapy can help.
Brachytherapy's two main forms at AARO serve different moments in gynaecological cancer care.
After gynaecological surgery
Single-channel vaginal cylinder brachytherapy to the vaginal vault, about 6–8 weeks after surgery, reducing the risk of local recurrence.
Selected other sites
Prostate, vaginal, breast and skin cancers where an internal source achieves what external beams can't.
Brachytherapy · How it works
Insert, image, plan, treat.
Each brachytherapy session is a same-day sequence — insertion, CT-based planning, treatment, removal — with sedation and pain relief keeping you comfortable throughout.
Image · placeholderApplicator insertion in the brachytherapy suite
Applicator insertion
Under moderate sedation and painkillers, the applicators are placed — a tandem through the cervix and two ovoids beside it for multi-channel treatment, or a single vaginal cylinder for post-operative courses. About an hour for complex insertions; simpler and quicker for cylinders.
Image · placeholderCT verification of applicator placement
CT scan & contouring
A CT confirms applicator positions; your oncologist outlines the tumour and the bladder, rectum, sigmoid and bowel on every slice.
Image · placeholderBrachytherapy dwell-position planning on screen
Plan generation
A plan is computed that delivers the prescribed dose to the tumour by varying how long the source dwells at points along each applicator — longer dwell, higher dose. Planning takes around two hours.
Image · placeholderAfterloader delivering the source through the applicators
Treatment & removal
A tiny source travels through the hollow applicator channels for pre-set times. You feel nothing; delivery takes 15–30 minutes, then the applicators are removed. No radioactivity remains in your body.
Brachytherapy · What to expect
Comfortable, controlled, and you go home safe.
For curative cervical or uterine courses, approximately 3 to 5 brachytherapy treatments are needed to reach curative doses — each one a same-day procedure with sedation for comfort during insertion.
Because no radiation sources remain in the body after treatment, you are not radioactive afterwards. There's no need to keep distance from family members, children or pregnant women once each session is over.
Post-operative cylinder treatments are simpler still: insertion is relatively painless, and most women describe the experience as far easier than they'd feared.
Image · placeholderPatient resting in the recovery lounge after treatment
Brachytherapy · Cost & insurance
Is Brachytherapy covered?
Brachytherapy is claimable under Medisave and MediShield Life for approved indications, and covered by major Integrated Shield Plans as part of a radiotherapy course.
We provide a written cost estimate at consultation — covering the full number of insertions your plan requires — before any treatment begins.
Image · placeholderAARO specialists at the Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Brachytherapy · Your specialists
Meet Dr David Tan→
Who delivers brachytherapy at AARO.
Gynaecological brachytherapy at AARO is delivered by fellowship-trained specialists — Dr David Tan trained under renowned brachytherapy experts in the UK, and Dr Michelle Tseng continues to lend her expertise as a Visiting Consultant in gynaecological brachytherapy to NUH.
Dr David TanGynae · GI · Hepatobiliary · Lung
Dr Michelle TsengBreast · Gynae · Paediatric
Planning treatment for a cervical or uterine cancer?
Book a consultation. We'll explain whether brachytherapy belongs in your plan, what the sessions involve, and answer every question.