RESUMO
Remote afterloading high dose rate brachytherapy(HDRB) is a new technology and needs new biological principle for time and dose schedule. Here, authors attempt to evaluate the technique and clinical outcome in 116 patients, 590 procedures performed at Asan Medical Center for 3 years. From Sep. 1985 to Aug 1992, 471 procedures of intracavitary radiation in 55 patients of cervical cancer and 26 of nasopharyngeal cancer, 79 intraluminal radiation in 12 of esophageal cancer, 11 of endobronchial cancer and 1 Klatskin tumor and 40 interstitial brachytherapy in 4 of breast cancer, 1 sarcoma and 1 urethral cancer were performed. Median follow-up was 7 months with range 1~31 months. All procedures except interstitial were performed under the local anesthesia and they were all well tolerated and completed the planned therapy except 6 patients. 53/58 patients with cervical cancer and 22/26 patients with nasopharynx cancer achieved CR. Among 15 patients with palliative therapy, 80% achieves palliation. We will describe the details of the technique and results in the text. To evaluate biologic effects of HDRB and optimal time/dose/fractionation schedule, we need longer follow-up. But authors feel that HDRB with proper fractionation schedule may yield superior results compared to the low dose rate brachytherapy considering the advantages of HDRB in safety factor for operator, better control of radiation dose and volume and patients comfort over the low dose brachytherapy.