Latest generation equipment in operation that allows treatment in a few minutes, ensuring greater antineoplastic efficacy and better preservation of the surrounding healthy tissues
A trolley with wheels that vaguely resembles a vacuum cleaner in size and structure. But which, in reality, represents the last technological frontier of radiotherapy in the fight against tumors: it's called Microselectrons he was born in'brachytherapy equipment now available, in agreement with the National Health Service, at the Oncological Radiotherapy Center of the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital. Brachytherapy is a particular radiotherapy procedure which is carried out by applying a source of radiation directly in contact with the area to be treated.
The latest generation technology gives the oncological radiotherapy team of the Campus Bio-Medico the possibility of deliver very high radioactive doses to the tumor mass, with a better preservation of healthy tissues adjacent to the tumor, compared to the traditional external beam approach. Brachytherapy is used, in particular, for the tumors of the uterus, esophagus, bile ducts, rectum or prostate.
"The system - explains the Prof. Lucio Trodella, Head of the Oncological Radiotherapy Center of the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital – it allows to minimize the involvement of healthy tissues, while maximizing the yield of the radioactive source, in our case an isotope of iridium. For this reason, brachytherapy is a complementary tool par excellence to traditional radiotherapy. We have created a dedicated clinic through which, on a weekly basis, we verify which patients are most useful for this particular type of therapy".
The treatment takes place positioning the radioactive source using a probe, which is brought into the body through natural cavities. The isotope is shielded by a special flexible tube, to ensure maximum operator safety during the execution of the procedure. The patient is then led, lying on the mobile bed, to an adjacent room, for theexecution of a dedicated TAC, which is carried out to confirm the correct positioning of the source of radiation and to allow for the development of the treatment plan. This is processed by the medical physicist and radiation oncologist. Subsequently, the actual brachytherapy treatment begins, which usually lasts a few minutes.
"This service – underlines Trodella – allows us to complete and strengthen the therapeutic process that our Center makes available to patients. Furthermore, it is a procedure that affects many cancer patients. Furthermore, the availability of this technology is a precious ally in the training of new generations of radiotherapy specialists and technicians: an area that theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma has always been particularly close to his heart".
