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Leakage test evaluation used for qualification of iodine-125 seeds sealing

Feher A., Rostelato M. E. C. M., Zeituni C. A., Calvo W. A. P., Somessari S. L., Moura J. A., Moura E. S., Souza C. D., Rela P. R.

Nukleonika

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2011

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Vol. 56, No. 4

375-379

EN

Brachytherapy is one of the possible treatments with ionizing radiation available for prostate cancer, in which small seeds containing iodine-125 radioisotope are implanted directly into the prostate. The seed consists of a sealed titanium tube containing a central silver wire with adsorbed iodine-125. The tube sealing is made with titanium at the ends, using plasma arc-welding (PAW) or laser process. This sealing must be leakage-resistant and free of cracks, therefore avoiding iodine-125 to deposit in the silver wire to escape and spread into the human body. To ensure that this problem is not occurring, rigorous leakage tests in accordance with the standard ISO-9978 should be applied. The aim of this study is to determine, implement and evaluate the leakage test to be used in the iodine-125 seeds production, in order to qualify the sealing procedure. The standard ISO-9978 presents a list of tests to be carried out according to the type of source. The preferential methods for brachytherapy sources are soaking and helium. To assess the seeds leakage, the method of immersion test at room temperature was applied. The seeds are considered leakage-free if the detected activity does not exceed 185 Bq (5 nCi). An iodine standard was prepared and its value determined in a sodium iodide detector. A liquid scintillation counter was calibrated with the standard for seed leakage tests. Forty-eight seeds were plasma arc-welded for these tests.

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Development of an automation system for iodine-125 brachytherapy seed encapsulated by Nd:YAG laser welding

Somessari S. L., Feher A., Sprenger F. E., Rostelato M. E. C. M., da Costa F. E., Calvo W. A. P.

Nukleonika

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2011

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Vol. 56, No. 4

369-374

EN

The aim of this work is to develop an automation system for iodine-125 radioactive seed production by Nd:YAG laser welding, which has been used successfully in low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy treatment. This small seed consists of a welded titanium capsule, with 0.8 mm in diameter and 4.5 mm in length, containing iodine-125 adsorbed onto a silver rod. The iodine-125 seeds are implanted into the human prostate to irradiate the tumor for cancer treatment. Nowadays, the Radiation Technology Center, at Institute for Nuclear and Energy Research, Săo Paulo, Brazil (IPEN-CNEN/SP) imports and distributes 36,000 iodine-125 seeds per year, for the clinics and hospitals in the country. However, the Brazilian market potential is now over 8,000 iodine-125 seeds per month. The local production of these iodine-125 radioactive sources became a priority for the Institute, in order to reduce the price and the problems of prostate cancer management. It will permit to spread their use to a larger number of patients in Brazil. On the other hand, the industrial automation plays an important role for iodine-125 seeds in order to increase the productivity, with high quality and assurance, avoiding human factors, implementing and operating with good manufacturing practices (GMP). The technology consists of appliance electronic and electro-mechanical parts and components to control machines and processes. The automation system technology for iodine-125 seed production developed in this work was mainly assembled employing a programmable logic controller (PLC), a stepper motor, an Nd:YAG laser welding machine and a supervisory. The statistical repeatability of correctly encapsulated sealed sources with this automation system is greater than 95 per cent.

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Development and production of radioactive sources used for cancer treatment in Brazil

Rostelato M. E. C. M., Rela P. R., Zeituni C. A., Feher A., Manzoli J. E., Moura J. A., Moura E. S., Silva C. P. G.

Nukleonika

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2008

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Vol. 53, suppl. 2

99--103

EN

The number of cancer patients in Brazil is increasing and part of the patients are submitted to brachytherapy treatment using iridium-192 wire and iodine-125 radioactive seeds. The Nuclear Energy Research Institute established a programme to produce iridium-192 wire and iodine-125 radioactive seeds. With the purpose of settling a laboratory for iridium-192 sources production, a wire activation method was developed and a hot cell for the wire manipulation, quality assurance and packaging was built. The iodine-125 seeds consist of a welded titanium capsule containing iodine-125 adsorbed onto a silver rod. Concerning the setup of the local production, the following activities were carried out: superficial treatment of the silver rod, development of a process to absorb the iodine in the silver rod, welding methodology to seal the seeds, leakage and contamination test and source activity measurement.