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posted by cmn32480 on Monday April 27 2015, @11:43PM   Printer-friendly
from the will-it-give-me-superpowers dept.

A team from the Vancouver Cancer Center presented findings at the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology that patients being treated with radioactive "seeds" (chunks of metal) and 3D printed "shields" survive twice as long as those undergoing conventional therapy.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men, developing primarily in those over the age of 50. In 2012 there were 1.1 million reported cases with 307,000 deaths worldwide, and any improvement in treatment is bound to improve many lives. Brachytherapy is a highly cost-effective method, even though it requires long training and much experience to produce consistent results, according to James Morris, who led the Vancouver study.

Even with brachytherapy, though, there is room for improvement. Because the tumor is close to the radiation source, the dosage used is lower and thus the side-effects for healthy tissue aren't as bad. Still, implanted seeds release radiation in all directions.

A simple solution to minimize side-effects has been developed by researchers at Louisiana Tech University and University of Mississippi Medical Center. They created customizable 3D-printed shields for the low-dose-rate radioactive seeds used in prostate brachytherapy. The shields were made using a combination of plastic-forming raw material and barium sulphate, a chemical that is compatible with the human body's innards but also effective in stopping radiation.

This Brachytherapy gives those diagnosed with prostate cancer another option, for everyone else there's lycopene for prevention.

 
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  • (Score: 2) by Gravis on Tuesday April 28 2015, @12:12AM

    by Gravis (4596) on Tuesday April 28 2015, @12:12AM (#175905)

    the "radioactive seeds" are really just radioactive chunks of metal. i'm assuming this was an oversight because it quite obviously should have been explained in the summary.

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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday April 28 2015, @01:54AM

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Tuesday April 28 2015, @01:54AM (#175926) Journal

    Thanks, changed.

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  • (Score: 2) by VortexCortex on Tuesday April 28 2015, @03:05AM

    by VortexCortex (4067) on Tuesday April 28 2015, @03:05AM (#175943)

    Plant nukes in their asses from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.