A subsidiary of IsoRay Medical and a manufacturer of Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds, IsoRay has announced that a number of medical treatment centers and hospitals are adopting the company’s mesh brachytherapy treatment for use along with the da Vinci Surgical System to treat patients with early stage lung cancer. Archbold Memorial Hospital in Georgia is the first hospital of the state to adopt IsoRay’s internal radiation therapy.
The FDA approved Cesium-131 is a radioactive chemical element that can be directly placed on the affected area. Isoray’s Cesium-131 mesh brachytherapy seeds offer treatment alternatives to cancer patients who were not able to live normally due to health issues or limited pulmonary function.
Archbold’s general and thoracic surgeon Edward Hall along with radiation oncologist Steven Johnson provided treatment to a 64 year old patient using the da Vinci robot and mesh brachytherapy. Dr Johnson stated that since the procedure involves targeted radiation, there is a decreased chance of the cancer recurring. Additional benefit of the procedure is that it reduces possible damage to the lung. Unlike conventional external radiation procedures, the mach brachytherapy treatment does not require weeks of treatment or frequent visits to the hospital.
The Chief Executive Officer of IsoRay, Dwight Babcock stated that a number of medical facilities and physicians are considering the use of the treatment method along with the da Vinci robot to treat a variety of cancers such as lung, prostate, brain, ocular melanoma, gynecological, colorectal and head and neck cancers.