Professor Jae-ho Cho (center) is taking a commemorative photo with the radiation oncology faculty.
[메디칼업저버 신형주 기자] Yonsei Cancer Hospital has performed 1,000 cases of brachytherapy for prostate cancer.
Since Yonsei Cancer Hospital began implementing fourth-generation brachytherapy, the most advanced treatment, in 2012, the number of patients receiving the treatment has steadily increased.
Brachytherapy is a procedure that permanently inserts a radioisotope into the prostate of a prostate cancer patient using a needle.
About 60-100 radioisotopes placed in the body generate radiation for about 3-4 months immediately after the procedure and kill cancer cells. It can be applied to patients with localized prostate cancer without metastasis.
Brachytherapy, used as one of the three main treatments for prostate cancer along with external beam radiation therapy and surgery, has developed steadily since the 1970s.
The first-generation procedure required an actual incision in the patient’s skin and the manual implantation of radioisotopes.
The second-generation procedure was inserted into the perineum using rectal ultrasound, but the treatment effect was low due to the low energy emitted by the isotope.
From the 3rd generation it was possible to vary the proportion of isotopes placed in cancerous and non-cancerous areas, reducing the side effects of the procedure, but the radiation dose distribution could only be confirmed after completion of the procedure.
The latest fourth-generation brachytherapy procedure performed by Yonsei Cancer Hospital can insert radioactive isotopes into a more precise position and direction by controlling the radiation dose in real time during the procedure.
It is the latest step to fill the shortcomings of existing brachytherapy procedures.
Brachytherapy treatment has the advantage of having fewer side effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, and of allowing you to return to daily life immediately two days after treatment.
The treatment effect is good because high doses can be irradiated on tumors while minimizing the impact on surrounding normal organs.
Yonsei Cancer Hospital also treated its oldest prostate cancer patient, at age 89, with fourth-generation brachytherapy treatment.
There are more than 10 very elderly patients over the age of 85.
Furthermore, a research paper on the safety of fourth generation brachytherapy treatment was also published based on data accumulated while performing various treatments on various age groups starting from the age of 30.
It is a leader in the related field and presents treatment results analyzed during the follow-up of patients undergoing brachytherapy treatment at academic conferences and seminars at other hospitals.
Professor Jae-ho Cho from the Department of Radiation Oncology said: “Not only are the treatment results of prostate cancer patients who received brachytherapy treatment very excellent, but they are also able to return to their daily lives in about two days after the procedure,” And he adds: “Even in the case of patients with chronic diseases such as obesity or who are elderly, “it is possible to receive brachytherapy treatment,” he said.
Meanwhile, Professor Jae-ho Cho is considered a pioneer in radiation treatment of urinary cancer in Korea.
He was invited to the International Symposium on Prostate Cancer Brachytherapy hosted by MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States and gave a special lecture.
He also served on the editorial board of the International Journal of Brachytherapy. She is currently leading the development of techniques to improve the completeness of the procedure, such as research into clinical treatment methods of brachytherapy.
2024-01-04 03:02:16
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