Flexitron HDR Brachytherapy
High dose rate internal brachytherapy for gynaecological and prostate cancer.
Radiation delivered from inside the tumour — maximum dose where it matters, minimum dose where it doesn't.
The Flexitron HDR afterloader delivers an Ir-192 radioactive source directly inside or adjacent to a tumour via applicators or catheters. Because the source is positioned within the target, dose is highly concentrated at the tumour and falls off rapidly with distance — protecting the rectum, bladder and other adjacent structures in ways that external beam radiotherapy cannot achieve. HDR brachytherapy is the evidence-based standard of care for cervical and endometrial cancer per GEC-ESTRO and NCCN guidelines. Jos•Hansen supplies, installs and supports Flexitron systems across East Africa — including source procurement, applicator supply and medical physics commissioning.
Internal precision
The Ir-192 source is positioned inside or immediately adjacent to the tumour — delivering radiation from within the target with ±1 mm accuracy. No other radiotherapy modality achieves this level of geometric proximity to the disease.
Selectivity
Dose from a brachytherapy source falls off with the inverse square of distance. The tumour receives a very high dose; structures 2–3 cm away receive a small fraction of it. This physical property protects the rectum, bladder and bowel in gynaecological treatments.
Brevity
Each HDR fraction is delivered in 5–15 minutes of dwell time. No anaesthetic is required for most fractions. Patients attend as outpatients, complete treatment and leave — making brachytherapy compatible with African referral hospital patient volumes and limited inpatient bed capacity.
The clinical gold standard for cervical and endometrial cancer.
GEC-ESTRO and NCCN guidelines both recommend combined external beam radiotherapy and HDR brachytherapy as the standard of care for locally advanced cervical cancer. Meta-analysis data consistently show improved local control and overall survival with combined modality treatment versus external beam alone. For African oncology centres where cervical cancer is the leading female malignancy, a functional HDR afterloader is not optional infrastructure — it is the difference between curative-intent treatment and palliation.
Sub-millimetre source positioning — the Flexitron HDR workflow.
The Flexitron afterloader positions its Ir-192 source with ±1 mm accuracy via a motor-driven cable system. Before each fraction, the treatment plan specifies dwell positions and dwell times along the applicator. The source stops at each position, delivers its prescribed dwell time, then advances to the next. The entire fraction is typically completed in 5–15 minutes, with the treatment plan generated by Oncentra Brachy TPS — included in every Flexitron commissioning programme.
Source procurement, applicator supply and physics support — managed by Jos•Hansen.
Ir-192 sources have a half-life of 73.8 days and require regular replacement. Jos•Hansen manages the full source supply chain: source procurement, import licensing, regulatory notification to the national nuclear medicine authority, and physical source exchange. Applicator sets — ring, tandem, cylinder, interstitial needles — are supplied and replenished. Medical physicists receive commissioning training, QA protocol development and ongoing support under Jos•Hansen service agreements.
Technical specifications.
Source
Ir-192 (Iridium-192) HDR
Source activity
Up to 10 Ci at time of calibration
Positioning accuracy
± 1 mm source dwell position
Source stepping
2.5 mm minimum step size
Channels
Multi-channel (simultaneous applicators)
Applications
Cervical · endometrial · prostate · breast · H&N
Regulatory
FDA cleared · CE Marked · IEC 60601
Source dwell position accuracy — geometric precision that determines the clinical validity of every brachytherapy fraction
Ir-192 source half-life — requiring scheduled source replacement managed by Jos•Hansen's nuclear medicine supply chain
Local control rates for locally advanced cervical cancer with combined EBRT and HDR brachytherapy (GEC-ESTRO published data)
Why Flexitron.
Clinical gold standard
HDR brachytherapy combined with external beam RT is the evidence-based standard of care for cervical cancer per GEC-ESTRO and NCCN guidelines.
Rapid dose falloff
The inverse-square law protects adjacent organs at risk — rectum, bladder and bowel receive a fraction of the tumour dose regardless of anatomical proximity.
Outpatient compatible
5–15 minute dwell times, no anaesthetic for most fractions, no hospitalisation — patients attend, receive treatment and leave the same day.
Source and applicator supply
Jos•Hansen manages Ir-192 source procurement, regulatory licensing, applicator sets and physics support across East Africa.
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