The WBRC has a very experienced and expert brachytherapy service, for patients who have problems that would benefit from this form of radiation treatment.

Brachytherapy is an "invented" word, coined earlier in the 20th century from the Greek words for "short" [distance] and treatment. It was coined to distinguish brachytherapy from external beam treatment (sometimes termed teletherapy, also from the Greek, meaning "long" [distance] therapy). The term teletherapy is not commonly used now, but brachytherapy has become commonly employed.

The essential feature of brachytherapy is that for treatment it uses the emitted radiation from radioactive sources placed in close proximity (short distance) to the cancer. The sources can be either placed against the tumour, or through the tumour.

Brachytherapy has been used for the curative treatment of some cancers since soon after the discovery of radioactive elements by Marie Curie in 1898. The dramatic advances in radiation physics, computing, and engineering over recent years has led to a the development of a powerful radiation treatment which is flexible, well-tolerated, safe, and highly effective for patients with the appropriate problems.

At the WBRC, brachytherapy is mostly employed to treat some men with prostate cancer. In this particular area, the WBRC is about the most busy and experienced radiotherapy centre in the country. In addition brachytherapy can be employed for patients with a diverse range of other problems: gynaecological, breast, lung, oesophageal, skin, anal canal, head & neck, and soft tissue cancers to name a few.

The WBRC "brachy" team comprises of a dedicated team of radiation therapists, physicists, and specialist radiation oncologists, headed by Dr Jeremy Millar.