The tiny piece of equipment on the right is a radioactive source used to precisely target and destroy cancer cells, with minimal side effects. Note: for safety reasons, the source shown in this photo is not live.
Credit
Matthew Manor/KHSC
It might surprise you to hear radiation has been widely used to treat cancer since the early 20th century, shortly after the discovery of radium by Marie and Pierre Curie. Since then, the field of radiation therapy has come a long way.
Medical physicists worldwide have honed the technologies they use to target cancer, which are now so precise that patients can be treated faster and with minimal side effects. One of these treatments, called brachytherapy, has become a steadily growing area of expertise at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC).
Brachytherapy;
(brak-e-THER-uh-pee)
The treatment of certain cancers via the insertion of small radioactive implants directly into the tissue. The radiation therapy team at KHSC uses brachytherapy to treat nearly 200 patients each year.
The treatment of certain cancers via the insertion of small radioactive implants directly into the tissue. The radiation therapy team at KHSC uses brachytherapy to treat nearly 200 patients each year.
What makes brachytherapy so effective is a combination of precision and potency. Sometimes referred to as internal radiation, brachytherapy involves guiding a tiny -yet powerful- radioactive source through a catheter, positioning it right next to or even inside the tumour.
“We can design the treatment to be extremely powerful at the location of the cancer and minimize its effects on other areas of the body,” explains Dr. Tim Olding, a medical physicist at KHSC. “This is called a rapid dose falloff, and it means other organs or tissues are spared from being exposed to the effects of radiation.”
Rather than continually delivering a low dose of radiation during a three-day hospital stay, brachytherapy is an outpatient procedure. Most patients walk out of the cancer centre the same day and may only require a few sessions. Often, results are seen shortly after the first treatment.
"Our cancer centre is home to one of the most comprehensive brachytherapy programs in the province," says Kit Tam, program manager for radiation therapy at KHSC. "We can use this technology to treat so many types of cancer including lung cancer, skin, esophageal, breast, gynecological, prostate… soon we will be offering rectal cancer brachytherapy, too.
Every time we grow the program it means more patients in southeastern Ontario can receive high-quality care, close to home."
How it works
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Once imaging determines the exact shape & location of a patient’s tumour, medical physicists use technology to chart a course for a radioactive source to travel around the cancerous region, delivering bursts of powerful treatment along the way.
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At less than two millimeters, the radioactive source (on the right) is smaller than the tip of a ballpoint pen, but powerful enough to destroy cancer cells in its path.
Please note: for safety reasons, the source in this photo is not live.
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Radiation therapists connect the treatment unit to catheters leading directly to the patient’s cancer. This equipment will push the source millimeter by millimeter to the exact location determined by the team.
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Just outside the doors of the treatment room, anesthesia teams are closely monitoring the patients vitals, allowing radiation therapists to focus on the actual delivery of treatment.
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This treatment would not be successful without a lot of collaboration between many teams at KHSC. Everyone has their own focus yet work in synergy to ensure each treatment goes smoothly.
A typical brachytherapy treatment room includes professionals from radiation therapy, nursing, medical physics, oncology, and diagnostic imaging.
This is the place that cares for our region.
We provide care to a region of more than 500,000 people across southeastern Ontario and all the way north to James Bay. People come to us for care not available in their community, like heart and brain surgery, life support, stem cells, radiation and advanced imaging. We’re also a community hospital caring for the less acute needs of residents in the Kingston area.
