History of Brachytherapy in Japan

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.