SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS AFTER THE IMPLANTATION
Although seeds contains radioactive material, the patient is not radioactive. One of the benefits of seeds is that almost all radiation stays within the cancerous mass. After implantation, the patient can continue to enjoy physical contact with other adults. A physician may also recommend that patients avoid close contact with small children and pregnant women for the first 2 months after treatment.
Advantage- Seed therapy is a local ablation; therefore, there it is not harmful to whole body. It does not expose the entire body to radiation.
- The seeds cannot be absorbed by body or excreted out of body, thus making it not harmful to the surrounding people or environment.
- There are none of the side effects that are associated with the traditional combination of chemo/radiotherapy
- Seed implantation can be performed percutaneously and is a minimally invasive procedure.
- As a primary or supplementary modality, seed implantation can be used for: prostate cancer, tumors of soft tissue (sarcoma), brain cancer (glioma), breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, tongue cancer, oral cancer, pharyngeal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, cervical cancer, ovary cancer, thyroid cancer, metastatic lymph nodes.
- Ideal for eradication of unresectable or residue lesions during or after operation, as well as for the prevention of cancer recurrence.
- There is a synergistic when brachytherapy is combined with cryosurgery. Often, both procedures will be performed together during one surgery session.
The following is an example of how brachytherapy would be performed on prostate cancer:
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