Brachytherapy in India for Prostate Cancer

​GetWellGo connects patients to India's top hospitals for prostate cancer brachytherapy, a targeted internal radiation therapy. offering the best treatment using the latest technologies

Brachytherapy in India for Prostate Cancer

  • Category

    Cancer

  • Published By

    GetWellGo Team

  • Updated on

    25-Mar-2025

Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer in India​

​Brachytherapy is one of the methods of radiation treatment, in which a radioactive source is positioned close to the tumour or inside it to deliver a large dose to cancer cells with minimal damage to the neighbouring tissue. In this case, brachytherapy can be used in the following forms in the treatment of prostate cancer:

  • The low dose rate (LDR) seed implantation is a permanent procedure, in which the radioactive seeds are inserted into the prostate.​
  • Temporary High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy: The radioactive sources are inserted in the prostate for some time and then taken out.​

Factors Affecting Prostate Cancer Brachytherapy Cost India​

The cost of prostate cancer brachytherapy in India depends on several factors, including:

  • Type of Brachytherapy
  • Hospital and Location
  • Oncologist’s Expertise
  • Radiation Source Used
  • Pre-Treatment Tests and Scans
  • Hospital Stay & Post-Treatment Care

Best Hospitals for Prostate Brachytherapy India​

Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket

Max Super Speciality hospital, Saket that undertakes the advanced procedure of brachytherapy in the treatment of prostate cancer. It consists of effective radiation oncologists, physicians and other helping staff who spend much of their time focusing on the proper treatment of their patients. The instrumentations, imaging and treatment planning in a hospital dealing with brachytherapy operations are sophisticated to ensure that radioactive sources are implanted effectively. It also enables high dose of radiations to be administered to the cancer cells without affecting the healthy cells in the surrounding region. ​

The other prostate cancer related services offered are radical robotic surgery, stereotactic body radiation, and other cutting edge radiation therapy. Their multidisciplinary approach ensures personalized treatment plans tailored to each patient's specific condition.

Apollo Hospital, Delhi

​Brachytherapy is one of the foremost treatments offered at the Apollo Hospital situated in Delhi –India. In this process, the radioactive sources are put either within or close to the tumor, so that high radiation doses are given to the cancerous cells while sparing the wholesome cells. ​

Thus, the options of the Low-Dose Rate (LDR) and High-Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy are offered at the hospital to address the peculiarities and the stage of the illness. The staffs at Apollo Hospital has a team of well-trained counsellors and specialists including radiation oncologists, physicians and technologists involved in the delivery of health services.

Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon

​Prostate cancer can be treated through brachytherapy treatment which is available in Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) situated in Gurgaon. Brachytherapy is commonly referred to as internal radiation therapy and is carried out through inserting radioactive isotopes into the prostate tumor with a view of eradicating the diseased cells while sparing healthy tissues. ​

Specifically, the brachytherapy at FMRI offers both the Low Dose Rate (LDR) and High Dose Rate (HDR).

LDR Brachytherapy: This is the process of implantation of radioactive seeds like the iodine-125 or palladium-103 into the prostate gland. It is commonly advised for men with localized, low-grade, and small volume cancer in their early stages of prostate cancer. ​

HDR Brachytherapy: Refers to a process where the treatment involves placing seeds like iridium-192 into the prostate gland for short periods only and with multiple implantations. This is usually done when the cancer is advanced or the level of risk is high with the prostate cancer. ​

FMRI brings a team of qualified radiation oncologists, medical physicists and ultramodern specialized nursing personnel from various specialties to cancer patients.

Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon

The Artemis Hospital in Gurgaon also provides the patients with the favorable methods of brachytherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer through improved technology. Such treatment is carried on by placing radioactive sources either inside or in close proximity to the prostate gland in order to irradiate the cancerous cells without affecting healthy tissues to a greater extent. ​

The main elements that define have the exposure level of a patient include the type of radioactive seeds used, the concentration of the radioactive material, the number of seeds used, and the location of the seeds inserted by a FLEXITRON® Brachytherapy machine which is a modern system the hospital has recently adopted to accurately determine the precise location of the seeds and the precise amount of radioactivity in the seeds to give the exposed patient. This technology makes treatment to be effective and minimizes the possibility of risks arising therefrom. ​

Radiation Oncology Department of Artemis Hospital is staffed with qualified oncologists and professionals who attend to the patients. They provide both LDR and HDR solutions, specific to the situation and the patient that the doctor has in mind for a particular client.

Medanta-The Medicity, Gurgaon

​Prostate cancer and brachytherapy treatment is a specialist medical branch at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon utilizing several modern technological techniques. Brachytherapy is directly implantation of radioactive material into or in close proximity of the tumor – in this case the prostate gland is targeted with high dose of radiation which affects cancerous tissues strongly while sparing adjacent healthy tissues. ​

Technology used in Radiation Oncology Department is the Seed Selectron System, a kind of prostate implant brachytherapy used for precise positioning of radioactive seeds in the prostate. This helps to make the treatment more accurate and less hazardous thus resulting in better results. ​

LDR and High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy are the available forms of treatment in this hospital:​

LDR Brachytherapy: It entails putting radioactive seeds directly to the gland where they produce radiation that kills cancer cells for a long term.​

HDR Brachytherapy: Involves inserting radioactive sources into the prostate for a short time and provides highly intermitted radiation.​

The radiation oncology department at Medanta is well equipped with qualified radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and specially trained nurses for giving a specialized approach to every candidate surviving from cancer. This approach of care guarantees that patients with this illness are offered the right kind of therapies to fit their prostate cancer.

Prostate Brachytherapy Success Rates India​

The outcomes of prostate brachytherapy in India for the overall survival of the men are between 81% - 93%. This implies that if prostate brachytherapy in India is conducted at well-equipped centres and by qualified personnel, then its results can be as good as those recorded globally.​

Low-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Prostate India​

​LDR brachytherapy can be described as internal radiation therapy that involves placing tiny radiation sources deep within the affected tissues, specifically the prostate gland in patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer. These seeds release radioactivity for several months while being sensitive to kill cancer cells with least affecting the normal ones. ​

High-Dose-Rate Brachytherapy Prostate India​

​HDR brachytherapy is interstitial radiotherapy in which the radiation is applied directly to the prostate gland through implanted catheters, which are in place for a short duration. This method means that the affected tissues can easily be targeted with laser light while healthy tissues around the tumor are not affected. HDR brachytherapy can be used as a standalone treatment or in conjunction with External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) mainly for patients with intermediate to adverse prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy India​

The use of radiation therapy in prostate cancer in India is significant in providing a comprehensive cure to different stages of prostate cancer. It involves the use of radioactivity to obliterate cancer cells – the two techniques are:

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT): This method delivers radiation beams from outside the body particularly on the prostate gland. As for the treatment of the first stage of the disease the average cure rate is about 95% while the 3-5 years survival rate is estimated to be about 90%. ​

Brachytherapy (Internal Radiation): In this method radioactive seeds are put directly into the prostate gland so that high dose of radiation is delivered to the cancerous tissues but the healthy tissues are saved. Brachytherapy can be used as a single modality or as an adjuvant to EBRT based on the extent and invasiveness of the cancer.

Brachytherapy Side Effects Prostate Cancer India​

Another mode of delivering the radiation treatments for prostate cancer is brachytherapy, which refers to inserting the radioactive material into the prostate gland. It does have a number of side effects which if experienced, can differ from one person to the other despite the fact that the treatment is effective. Common side effects include:

  • Difficulty Urinating
  • Increased Frequency & Urgency
  • Pain or Discomfort
  • Urinary Incontinence
  • Sexual Dysfunction
  • Rectal Bleeding and Discomfort
  • Changes in Bowel Habits
  • Fatigue

Brachytherapy Procedure for Prostate Cancer India

​Brachytherapy is another type of internal radiotherapy that is a technique of treating prostate cancer using radiation beams targeted to the tumor area. In this country, this procedure takes place in specialized clinics that contain the infrastructure as well as the staff required for this surgery.​

Procedure Overview:

Consultation & Evaluation: The patients are first taken through a consultation and evaluation process where several tests are done including imaging and laboratory in a bid to establish the stage of cancer and whether the patient is candidates for brachytherapy or not.​

Planning: Ultra-modern ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging are utilized to study the topography of the prostate gland and to determine the placement of radioactive sources.​

Implantation: It involves placing of radioactive seeds or sources in or adjacent to the tumor under general anaesthesia with the help of special calibrated equipments. The placement is facilitated by imaging for effectiveness and this is within a real time manner.​

Post-Procedure Care: Patients are advised on the signs and symptoms that may be observed after the procedure and general care on how to cope with them. Another appointment is made for further treatment especially to check on the success of the particular treatment.

Prostate Brachytherapy Recovery Time India​

​It is considered an effective internal radiation therapy in India for patients with localized prostate cancer. Length and nature of the recuperation period may differ depending on the type of brachytherapy used in a particular case:

Low-Dose-Rate (LDR) Brachytherapy:

Recovery Time: It normally takes few days after the procedure and one is ready to continue with normal activities. It is better to restrain oneself from any rigorous activity and lifting heavy objects for a while as suggested by your doctor.

High-Dose-Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy:

Recovery Time: Patients may be discharged on the same day of the procedure and can carry out their normal activities within the next one to two days.

Brachytherapy vs. Surgery Prostate Cancer India​

When deciding for the management of localized prostate cancer in India, two main options are usually referred: brachytherapy and radical prostatectomy. Each carries along with it pros and cons derivable from the experience of people who applied them.​

Brachytherapy:

Radiation treatment: The radioactive seeds are inserted into the prostate gland thus the radioactivity is administered directly to the specific area of the male reproductive organ over an agreed period of time.​

Advantages:

  • Minimally Invasive: It usually involves less-invasion by the surgeon and allows the patient to leave the hospital on the same day.​
  • Side Effects: This process also has been found to be associated with a lower occurrence of urinary incontinence rates when compared to surgical process.​

Radical Prostatectomy:

Procedure: Surgical removal of the entire prostate gland.​

Advantages:

  • Comprehensive Removal: Eliminates the prostate and, consequently, the primary tumor site.​
  • Established Treatment: Widely available across India with a long track record of outcomes.​
  • Side Effects and Risks: The risk of complicated urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction is slightly higher compared to the use of brachytherapy.

Prostate Cancer Specialists India

  • Dr. (Prof.) Rajesh Ahlawat, Chairman Prostate & Urological Cancers at Max Hospital, Saket
  • Dr. Ajit Saxena, Urologist at Apollo Hospital, Delhi
  • Dr. Vinod Raina, Chairman Oncosciences at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon
  • Dr. Rajiv Yadav, Chairperson Urology & Urologic Oncology at Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon
  • Dr. Gagan Gautam, Chairman Uro-Oncology at Medanta-The Medicity, Gurgaon

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