September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
We proudly support prostate cancer patients and survivors. See How
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
We proudly support prostate cancer patients and survivors. See HowYou have questions — we want to help answer them.
A diagnosis is just the first step toward treating your cancer. We are here to help you make an informed treatment decision with your doctor so you can begin living your life again.
Cs-131 is a favorable isotope for use across a wide range of tumors and its dose distribution properties facilitate easy calculation and use in the clinic.
Voichita Bar Ad, MDIs brachytherapy only for prostate cancer treatment?
No. While brachytherapy has been used extensively over time to treat prostate cancer, its application goes beyond prostate to other treatment areas. We are seeing particularly exciting applications in head/neck, brain, as well as other treatment areas.
What is brachytherapy?
With brachytherapy (or seed therapy), cancer-fighting medical radioisotopes are implanted in and/or around the affected tissue, as close to the cancer as possible. The isotopes are encased in capsules the size of a grain of rice and release a radiation dose, tailored to each patient, over a period of days. This allows doctors to effectively treat the infected area without damaging nearby tissue, and thereby reducing negative side effects. Learn more about brachytherapy here.
How effective is brachytherapy relative to other treatment types?
Brachytherapy has been found to be just as effective as other forms of treatment but has the benefit of shorter treatment times as well as having less side effects. Learn more about brachytherapy here.
What are the advantages of Cesium-131 by Isoray over other isotopes?
Cesium-131 by Isoray has a higher average energy as well as a shorter half life than other commonly-used radioisotopes (I-125, Pd-103). Benefits of these unique attributes are a reduction in some common prostate side effects (such as urinary or sexual performance side effects), greater coverage of the infected organ, and a reduction of the total radiation treatment time. Learn more about the benefits of Cesium-131 by Isoray here.
Who can I speak with regarding my treatment?
We're proud to be connected to many of the finest brachytherapy practitioners in the US. You can learn more about their work as well as contact them directly via our Cesium Pioneers page.
Why Brachytherapy?
Brachytherapy (derived from the Greek word brachys, meaning near or short) refers to cancer treatment with ionizing radiation delivered via radioactive material placed at a short distance from, or within, the tumor. By placing the cancer-fighting medical radioisotopes in and/or around the affected organ, the treatment can be customized to the individual, delivering high levels of radiation to the targeted area while limiting dose to the surrounding healthy tissue and or critical structures.
The internal targeting allows doctors to effectively treat the area while minimizing damaging nearby tissue, and thereby reducing negative side effects — delivering the ultimate in personalized radiation treatment. Other radiation treatments that require targeting the tumor from an external source, which exposes healthy tissues and limits how high a dose can be safely delivered. (1, 2, 3)
Why Cesium-131 by Isoray?
With a shorter half-life and higher energy than other commonly used radioisotopes, Cesium-131 by Isoray has been shown to be a highly effective cancer treatment with less side effects and quicker recovery time.
Breakthroughs in brachytherapy by Cesium Pioneers.
Doctors across the US are using Cesium-131 by Isoray in powerful ways with great outcomes. Check out their work.
The ability to deliver high concentrated radiation treatment in a tightly controlled area at the time of surgery really allows us to customize and individualize cancer treatment for our patients.
Dr. Adam J. Luginbuhl, MDResources
1. DeFoe SG, et al. Is There Decreased Duration of Acute Urinary and Bowel Symptoms after Prostate Brachytherapy with Cesium 131 Radioisotope? Int. J. Radiation Oncology Biol. Phys. 2008:72(S1)S317.
2. Shah AB, et al. A Comparison of AUA Symptom Scores following Permanent Low-Dose-Rate Prostate Brachytherapy with Iodine-125 and Cesium-131.
3. Tomaszewski JJ, et al. Cesium 131 versus iodine 125 implants for prostate cancer: evaluation of early PSA response. The Canadian Journal of Urology. 2010;17(5): 5360-5364.