Bone cancer treatment with brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is based on radionuclide radiation. Radioactive grains are injected directly into the tumor or nearby tissues. It creates intense radiation, practically without affecting healthy cells. Therefore, it is possible to use high doses of radiation without damage to the whole body. As a result, only bone cancer cells die, and the tumor size is significantly reduced. When conducting brachytherapy, it is essential to plan a treatment regimen, calculate the dose, choose the option of delivering a radioactive source, and follow the planned plan as accurately as possible. Therefore, a team of specialists participates in a complex process: an oncologist, a radiologist, a surgeon, a medical physicist, a dosimetrist, a radiologist technician, and a middle medical staff. In addition, the introduction of radiation sources is monitored using ultrasound, MRI, CT, and video monitors. Radioactive capsules are implanted inside the tumor under local anesthesia, the size of which can be compared with the size of a rice grain. The radioactivity of microcapsules drops to zero after a few months. Therefore, the implanted material remains in the patient's body without causing any inconvenience to the patient. Brachytherapy is not frequently indicated for bone cancer therapy. However, the treatment can be a good choice to substitute traditional radiation or put a more intense radiation source to the bone tumor after the surgery.