Jefferson radiation oncologists use real-time system to plant 'seeds' against cancerSeptember 24, 2007(PHILADELPHIA) Radiation oncologists and urologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia have begun using a real-time system to implant radiation-emitting seeds in prostate cancer patients. While the system, which is made by Nucletron, a technology company based in The Netherlands, is only being used for imaging and planning purposes so far, it ultimately will help with the actual placement of the seeds. To date, Jefferson is the first medical center in the Delaware Valley to begin employing the new system. The multidisciplinary team of urologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists, radiation physicists and others involved in using the device are hoping that the new federal Food and Drug Administration-approved technology will make an already good system even better, adding scientific precision to a treatment that currently relies mainly on physician experience and skill. "The device is a step above the traditional technique because it makes use of a more sophisticated approach that allows for a coordinated, real-time imaging-based implantation of seeds," Richard Valicenti, M.D., associate professor of radiation oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, says about the Nucletron device.
Patients have two options for treatment for localized, low-risk prostate cancer confined to the prostate: surgery or radiation therapy. In brachytherapy, tiny pellets - seeds - about the size of a grain of rice blanket the prostate, giving off radiation that travels only a few millimeters to kill nearby cancer cells. The seeds are carefully placed inside the cancerous tissue and positioned to efficiently attack the cancer. Brachytherapy has been proven to be very effective and safe, providing a good alternative to surgical removal of the prostate, while reducing the risk of certain long-term side effects, such as impotence. The seed radioactivity decays with time, while the seeds stay within the treatment area. "This new approach is automated, so what normally takes us many steps to do we can do very quickly," he says, noting that brachytherapy is highly operator-dependent. "For example, putting in the rectal ultrasound probe has to be done slowly by hand. Now, the device does it and takes measurements of the size and location automatically of the target gland." It collects the imaging information - the dimensions of the patient's prostate - and downloads this into a computer system, where it is rapidly processed. The doctors, radiation physicists and other specialists then specify the parameters of treating the cancer, such as how much dose to give the prostate, how much extra dose to give to the area of the tumor and the positions in which to give the radiation, all in less time than previously possible with standard techniques, Dr. Valicenti says. "Up until recently, we would produce a plan in the outpatient setting that we hoped to recapitulate in the operating room," explains Adam Dicker, M.D. Ph.D., professor of radiation oncology at Jefferson Medical College. "But there was always the concern that what we saw initially might not match the situation later." Planning, he explains, can be affected by the patient's position and the location - and condition - of his prostate. Because the device enables real-time planning in the operating room, he says, "If an area is under-dosed, you can find out right away and make corrections." The system provides a multidimensional view of the prostate and the "ability to process and accumulate more precise information, constantly updating and readjusting the treatment plan." Thomas Jefferson University | |||||||||||||
|
Related Radiation Oncologist Current Events and Radiation Oncologist News Articles Whole brain radiation increases risk of learning and memory problems in cancer patients Cancer patients who receive stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) for the treatment of metastatic brain tumors have more than twice the risk of developing learning and memory problems than those treated with SRS alone, according to new research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Hormone therapy before radiation seed implants for prostate cancer Men over 70 years of age with early-stage prostate cancer have 20 percent higher mortality if they are treated first with hormone therapy before being treated with radiation seed implants (brachytherapy), compared to men who are treated with brachytherapy alone. Severe stress more common among long-term cancer survivors Long-term survivors of adult cancers are almost twice as likely to report psychological distress severe enough to cause moderate to serious problems functioning in social, work or school situations, compared to the general population. Proton therapy lowers chance of later cancers Patients who are treated with proton therapy (a specialized type of external beam radiation therapy using protons rather than X-rays to treat cancer) decreases the risk of patients developing a secondary cancer by two-fold, compared to being treated with standard photon radiation treatment. Disparities in prostate cancer treatment suggest ways to improve care Quality of care varies greatly for the treatment of men with early-stage prostate cancer by region of the country and category of health care facility, suggesting the potential for improved patient outcomes with more standard treatment protocols. Extra radiation dose prevents breast cancer return in young women Women 40 years and younger with early-stage breast cancer who receive an additional high dose of radiation (boost dose) after undergoing breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) and standard radiation treatment are almost twice as likely to be free of cancer 10 years after treatment compared to those who don't receive the boost dose. Preventing lung scarring may extend lives of lung cancer patients Researchers have found that using a special type of drug called a pharmaceutical monoclonal antibody to block the integrin beta6-TGF-beta pathway prevents a serious side effect of radiation therapy for lung cancer patients - pulmonary fibrosis (scarring of the lungs), thereby extending patients' lives and improving their quality of life. Radiation seeds effectively cure prostate cancer in young men Radiation seed implants (brachytherapy) are just as effective at curing prostate cancer in younger men (aged 60 and younger) as they are in older men. Women with breast cancer have less dermatitis when treated with IMRT All women treated with radiation therapy for breast cancer are at risk of developing dermatitis-a sometimes-painful skin condition caused by radiation as it makes its way through the skin to the tumor area and tissue within the breast. Cancer Patients not getting live-saving flu and pneumonia shots Although flu and pneumonia can be lethal for cancer patients, more than one quarter of patients undergoing radiation therapy are not complying with national guidelines to be vaccinated against these potentially life-threatening yet preventable illnesses. More Radiation Oncologist Current Events and Radiation Oncologist News Articles |
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||