Medical Physics Seminar – Monday, March 2, 2015
New directions for low-energy photon-emitting elongated brachytherapy sources
Joshua Reed (student of Dr. Larry DeWerd)
Research Assistant, Dept of Medical Physics, UW-School of Medicine & Public Health, Madison, WI - USA
Low-energy photon-emitting brachytherapy sources are used to treat a range of cancers, including prostate cancer and lung cancer. Numerous radioactive source models are available for these applications, with each source model marked by a distinctive combination of geometry, materials, and radionuclide. Advances in diagnostic techniques are paving the way for focal brachytherapy, in which the dose is intentionally modulated throughout the target volume based on the positions of cancerous regions. This work focused on characterization of a new elongated Pd-103 source that offers several improvements over traditional source designs and investigation of elongated Pd-103 sources with variable longitudinal strength that can be used for focal brachytherapy. The results of this work facilitated the approval of a new Pd-103 source for use in clinical treatments and contributed to advancements towards a focal brachytherapy paradigm.