Celebrating the 100th High Dose Rate Prostate Brachytherapy Procedure
Published Tuesday, June 20, 2023
By Caitlund Davidson, Health Promotion and Communications Planner
On April 17, 2023, our Cancer Centre’s multidisciplinary brachytherapy team reached an exciting milestone. The 100th high dose rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy procedure at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) was completed!
Prostate brachytherapy is a type of radiation therapy that can be used to treat prostate cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate. HDR brachytherapy involves placing a radioactive metal pellet in different positions within the prostate gland and delivering a high dose of radiation in a few minutes before the source is removed. The radiation can kill the cancer cells while causing less damage to nearby healthy tissues.
HDR prostate brachytherapy is done in the operating room under general anaesthesia, first by placing about 15 hollow needles through the skin behind the scrotum, into all regions of the prostate gland, under ultrasound guidance. Then a radioactive metal pellet travels within the needles under the guidance of a robot to distribute radiation inside the prostate over approximately 10 minutes. The needles are then removed and the patient is taken to the recovery room before being discharged later that day. The procedure takes about two and a half hours.
Once the procedure is completed, there is no left over radioactivity, and there is no implant left in the body. The radiation treatment kills cancer cells over the following months, while causing less damage to nearby healthy tissues. HDR prostate brachytherapy can be used on its own for less aggressive cases, or can be used in combination with other types of cancer treatment for more aggressive cases.
“The HDR prostate brachytherapy program has been running in our Hospital since January of 2020,” explains Dr. Marlon Hagerty, a Radiation Oncologist at TBRHSC. “Before this, patients were treated in Toronto. HDR brachytherapy is also used in Thunder Bay to treat gynecologic and esophageal cancers, but some larger cancer centres may also use it to treat other cancer types.”
The HDR prostate brachytherapy team in Thunder Bay includes Medical Physicists, Radiation Therapists, Operating Room Nurses and Anaesthetists, and a Radiation Oncologist. The team is excited to be offering this treatment in Northwestern Ontario, keeping care close to home.
“I am proud to be a part of a successful program at our Hospital,” says Dr. Hagerty. “Many of our patients have told me how much they appreciated receiving their prostate brachytherapy here in Thunder Bay. I’ve met many new patients that have already heard about the program and were interested in the treatment, which is a great sign that it has been well received in our region.”
Find out more about TBRHSC’s Regional Cancer Care program at https://tbrhsc.net/programs-services/regional-cancer-care/