Medical Physics Gives Neurosurgeons New Tool to Fight Cancer
September 1, 2003
A new procedure, called Gliasite radiation therapy system, delivers a high dose of radiation to a specific site. During surgery to remove the tumor, doctors place a balloon-tipped catheter into the hole where the tumor used to be. Radioactive liquid is injected into the balloon, which immediately radiates the area surrounding the cancer site -- where tumors are most likely to recur. The device stays in place for three to five days and then is surgically removed.
