History of Brachytherapy in Japan

Abstract

In Japan, brachytherapy using radium source began in 1911. The Cancer Institute Hospital had been leading brachytherapy in Japan since purchasing 5 g of radium source in 1934. After the World War II, the number of facilities using radium sources had been increased. However, the problem of radiation exposure by medical staff of brachytherapy treatment hindered the development of brachytherapy. In 1966, the remote afterloading system (RALS) using high dose rate cobalt sources was developed to overcome the problem of radiation exposure to medical staffs.

Thereafter, the introduction of high dose rate iridium RALS in 1991 and the start of prostate seed therapy in 2003 have resulted in an increase in the number of patients in Japan. More than 7000 patients are now undergoing brachytherapy in a year.

In 1999, Japanese group of brachytherapy (JGB) was established as a subgroup of the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology (JASTRO). Interest in not only academic activities but also education and quality assurance was raised. The academic activity is shown through the increased number of published articles written in English by Japanese authors.