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Interstitial Radiation Placement
What is
Interstitial Radiation Placement?
Interstitial radiation therapy: Radiation
treatment given by placing radioactive material
directly into the target, often a tumor.
Interstitial radiation therapy is also called
seed implantation or brachytherapy.
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Effects
of Interstitial Radiation Placement
Radiation therapy uses very high-energy rays to
kill prostate cancer cells, shrink tumors or to
prevent cancer cells from dividing and
spreading. In early stages of prostate cancer,
radiation therapy may cure the disease.
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Candidates for Interstitial Radiation Placement
Both
brachytherapy options may be used to treat
prostate cancer by themselves or in combination
with external radiation.
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Your Consultation
For
most types of implants, you will need to be in
the hospital and have general or local
anesthesia while the doctor places the container
for the radioactive material in your body. In
many hospitals, the radioactive material is
placed in the container after you return to your
room so that others are not exposed to
radiation.
To get the radiation as close as possible to the
cancer, doctors may use implants of radioactive
material sealed in wires, seeds, capsules, or
needles. The type of implant and the method of
placing it depend on the size and location of
the cancer. Implants may be put right into the
tumor, in special applicators inside a body
cavity, on the surface of a tumor, or in the
area from which the tumor has been taken.
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The
Interstitial Radiation Placement Procedure
Permanent or Low-dose brachytherapy - Two types
of brachytherapy are available: one is temporary
and the other permanent. Permanent brachytherapy
involves low-dose radioactive seeds, which may
be made of iodine, pallidium, cesium or iridium.
While the patient is under spinal or general
anesthesia, the seeds are inserted into the
prostate through the perineum, the area between
the scrotum and the anus. The seeds remain in
place permanently and give off low doses of
radiation until they are no longer radioactive.
Should there be a risk that the cancer has
spread outside the prostate, external beam
radiation may also be prescribed.
Temporary or High-dose brachytherapy - For more
aggressive prostate cancer or cancer that has
likely spread outside the prostate, temporary
brachytherapy is often used. This is a newer
type of brachytherapy that uses high-dose
pellets. The pellets are contained inside
catheters that are inserted through the perineum
into the prostate. The pellets stay inside the
prostate for only a few minutes and then are
removed. Two or three applications are needed,
separated by about six hours. After the last
treatment is complete, the catheters are
removed.
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Recovery
The
seeds give off radiation continuously for weeks,
months or up to a year and can remain safely in
place for the rest of a person's life. The
amount of time the seeds remain radioactive
depends on the dose and what type of radioactive
material used.
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Risks
Radiation therapy can cause a variety of side
effects. Most of these are minor and disappear
after therapy stops. These side effects include
tiredness, skin reactions in the treated areas,
frequent and uncomfortable urination, and rectal
irritation or bleeding. There is a chance of
some permanent side effects. Bowel function may
not completely return to normal even after
treatment is complete. Development of impotence
may occur up to 2 years later in a small
percentage of patients.
External beam therapy is inconvenient in that it
requires several weeks of brief daily visits to
the radiation department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
What is brachytherapy?
A:
Internal radiation implants containing
radioactive material are usually placed during
surgery or using a needle. Brachytherapy may
include placing implants inside a body cavity,
such as the vagina (a technique called
intracavitary radiation) or by putting
radioactive material directly into body tissue
(called interstitial radiation). In both
instances placement is usually done once, though
it may be done up to several times, and is
temporary, lasting from a few minutes to several
days. In some cases, such as prostate cancer,
interstitial radiation may be permanent, though
the radioactivity of the radioactive material
diminishes over time.
Q:
What is the purpose of this procedure?
A:
By using brachytherapy, radiation is placed as
close as possible to the cancerous cells, which
receive the prescribed dose while surrounding
normal tissue are relatively spared
Q:
What happens during this procedure?
A:
Radiation is given off by tiny seeds, which are
placed directly into the prostate. Brachytherapy
may be used by itself or in combination with
external radiation therapy. The seeds are too
small to be felt by the patient and do not cause
any discomfort. They are inserted into the
prostate during a day surgery procedure after
the patient is sedated using a local or general
anesthetic. Specialized equipment like CT scans,
ultrasound, and MRI help the surgeon and
validation oncologist to place the seeds
accurately.
Q:
Who is not a good candidate for this procedure?
A:
Because it is designed to target the cancerous
cells and not harm the surrounding area,
brachytherapy is rarely recommended when the
cancer has spread beyond the prostate gland.
The following list of Urology procedures are
performed at Beverly Hills Medical Group -
please click the links to find out more:
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