Eye cancer treatment with brachytherapy (plaque therapy)

Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to use methods of eye cancer therapy that affect the whole organism (e. g. , chemotherapy) or aim to remove the damaged organ (e. g. , eyeball removal surgery). In that case, doctors might offer the patient to try the brachytherapy method. It helps to damage the tumor cells' DNA, slow down cancer’s progression, and even might help to shrink the tumor and make it more possible to conduct successful surgery. Brachytherapy is done by placing small pieces of radioactive materials inside the tumor (or near it). The main issue with brachytherapy for eye cancer is that it’s pretty hard to damage the tumor while simultaneously avoiding damaging healthy parts of an organ. Still, the doctors find an excellent method that helps to prevent this unwanted damage. They combined radioactive seeds with a thin sheet of gold, called the plague, and placed it over the eye. The gold sheet protects the eye parts from excessive ionizing exposure, while the tumor gets a significant radiation dosage. Usually, the brachytherapy might last around two to five days, and patients don’t need to remain in the hospital during the whole treatment session. Still, they should visit medical practitioners regularly to monitor the treatment process and ensure the gold plague is okay.