Brachytherapy for Rapid Cancer Treatment
Project Description
Radiation therapy remains an important component of cancer treatment with approximately 50% of all cancer patients receiving radiation therapy during their course of illness; it contributes towards 40% of curative treatment for cancer. Brachytherapy is one form of radiation therapy that minimizes exposure to healthy tissue during procedures to treat cancers of the breast, prostate, and other organs.
Problem: Currently there are only two types of brachytherapy - Low dose radiation (LDR) and high dose radiation (HDR) brachytherapy. LDR uses very low energy radiation sources that are permanently placed in the body with a low dose rate to minimize the radiation risk but the treatment time could take weeks or months. HDR uses a much higher energy radiation source and a high dose rate, and the treatment time is shorter, but there is a higher risk of radiation exposure to healthy cells and tissue.