Historical Development and Current Indications of Image-Guided Brachytherapy
Corradini S, Marschner S, Reitz D (2021)
Publication Type: Authored book
Publication year: 2021
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
ISBN: 9783030780791
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-78079-1_2
Abstract
The history of brachytherapy began with the discovery of radium in 1898, when Marie Curie’s groundbreaking research culminated in the discovery of new radioactive substances. Marie and Pierre Curie discovered early on that radium, as a compact source of constant, highly penetrating radiation, was suitable for cancer treatment. In 1903, two cases of basal cell carcinoma were the first known oncological treatments using brachytherapy. Radium sources remained in widespread clinical use, even though the use declined over the years owing to the problem of exposure of medical staff to radiation through the manual application of radioactive sources. In 1958, Ulrich Henschke first used the artificial nuclide Iridium-192 for a brachytherapy treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, USA). Furthermore, the development of remote-controlled afterloading systems, which allow the radiation source to be delivered automatically from a shielded safe through connecting tubes, has nowadays reduced radiation exposure of medical staff. Today, it has become standard of care to use cross-sectional images as the basis for 3D treatment planning in modern brachytherapy for a large number of indications. On the cross-sectional images, target volumes are defined and organs at risk are identified before the catheters are reconstructed and the dose distributions optimized by medical physicists. Image-guidance is also used for the catheter implantation itself. Available imaging techniques for brachytherapy implantation include ultrasound, X-ray, CT, and MRI imaging.
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Corradini, S., Marschner, S., & Reitz, D. (2021). Historical Development and Current Indications of Image-Guided Brachytherapy. Springer International Publishing.
MLA:
Corradini, Stefanie, Sebastian Marschner, and Daniel Reitz. Historical Development and Current Indications of Image-Guided Brachytherapy. Springer International Publishing, 2021.
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