Radioactive sources in brachytherapy

Background. In modern brachytherapy, a great step forward was made in the 1960s in France with the introduction of new radioactive isotopes and new techniques. These innovations spread rapidly across Europe, though no single dosimetry standard had been set by then. In the new millennium, the advances in brachytherapy are further stimulated by the introduction of 3-D imaging techniques and the latest afterloading irradiation equipment that use point sources. The international organization ICRU (International Commission on Radiation Units) worked out brachytherapy techniques and standardized them in 1985 and in 1997. Due to rapid development of new techniques, the revision is required in order to set new international standards in dosimetry and brachytherapy techniques that will fit to the changed conditions in radiotherapy. Conclusions. This is an outline of radioactive sources that are currently used in brachytherapy, such as Cs- 137, Ir-192, Sr-90, Ra-226, Rn-222, Co-60, I-131, I-125, Pd-103, Tu-106 and Cf-252. (author)