The Nuclear and Energy Research Institute has produced, since 1998, iridium-192 wires used in low dose rate brachytherapy. In the paper the authors studied the influence of wire profile on the homogeneity distribution of radioactivity of iridium-192 along the wire. The authors propose the improvements in the quality control procedure that will provide more accurate measurement data and suggest changes in control devices.
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.
Leak tests were made to detect any leakage of radioactive material from inside the iodine-125 seeds applied in brachytherapy. These seeds are used in prostate cancer treatment. In the quality control routine, during seed production, leak tests are performed according to the International Standard Organization – radiation protection – sealed radioactive sources – ISO-9978 standard, and require liquid transfer between recipients. Any leakage causes contamination of the liquid and tubes. The aim of this study is the establishment of decontamination routines for tubes, allowing their repeated use, in the automated assay process.
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.
JavaScript jest wyłączony w Twojej przeglądarce internetowej. Włącz go, a następnie odśwież stronę, aby móc w pełni z niej korzystać.