[ RadSafe ] Facts: breast cancer, "radioactive wires implanted", "localized seeds"

Wed Aug 22 13:16:43 CDT 2007

This thread has transformed from an article about a lady "with residual radiation" from breast cancer therapy to below.   Instead of continuing this banter, I suggest that if you are interested in finding facts, you research the internet.
Types of radiation therapy are regulated by the NRC or Agreement states.
10CFR35 regulates medical use.
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part035/index.html

Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine are, as the rest of medicine, dynamic fields. There have been many new therapies developed over the years.  

Teletherapy, brachytherapy and unsealed radionuclide therapy are the basics.  
Check most any hospital's web site for information.  http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=brachy&bhcp=1

After over 30 years in the hospital "business" I have seen many changes.
Even Inventional Radiology is performing types of radiation therapy.
http://www.oncologics.org/sirt.htm

There is a plethora information at your finger tips.

Also 

Another irritation from an earlier message regarding patients not being told they are receiving radiation or radioactive materials.  I know of NO institution that does not explain to the patient and/or relatives in detail especially about radiation therapy or diagnostic procedures involving radiopharmaceuticals.  The problem is how do you get a patient to understand?  We simplify as much as possible.  Just like on this list, no matter how well you think you explain your position, somebody will misconstrue or misunderstand your message.

Bob Yoss
Radiation Safety Coordinator
FMLH/MCW

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of Robert D Gallagher
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 9:26 AM
To: Franz Schönhofer; nimmoelsa at netscape.net; radsafe at radlab.nl; Marcel Schouwenburg
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Facts: breast cancer, "radioactive wires implanted","localized seeds"

your friend is in error. Gold 198 seeds have been for many years permanently
implanted in prostate and other areas as a treatment methodology.

Bob Gallagher
NSSI
713 641-0391

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl]On
Behalf Of Franz Schönhofer
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 5:04 PM
To: nimmoelsa at netscape.net; radsafe at radlab.nl; Marcel Schouwenburg
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Facts: breast cancer, "radioactive wires
implanted","localized seeds"

RADSAFErs,

An implant is something which is introduced into the body to stay there and
not to be removed. Examples: in a hip replacement the implant is (hopefully)
never to be removed, as well as a dental implant. Nowhere in this world any
radioactive wire or seeds are implanted into any breast. Hopefully everybody
(everybody!) has understood this fact. In prostate cancer seeds are actually
implanted, though they are after some time excreted.

Next: The person I called an "expert" has distributed a few articles about
treatment of breast cancer - and thereby given himself the final prove that
he was wrong in every respect - see below.

I called a good old friend who works for the Austrian Ministry of Health and
is in charge of all medical applications of isotopes, accelerators and X-ray
machines in order to make sure whether my understanding was correct. She
told me that nowhere in Austria or all of Europe anything is implanted into
a breast or a treatment method is applied like sticking dozens of needles
(catheters) into the breast of a patient, send her home and let her come
every day to the hospital to be treated with radioactive wire or seeds or
maybe having these needles with low activity in the breast for a prolonged
time. Even in the latter case I can hardly imagine that the patient would
want to visit a baseball game - obviously the "expert" is not of this
opinion.

What is sometimes used indeed is the use of high doses. 12 to 20 needles are
stuck in a carefully according to the tumor localization determined pattern
into the breast and a relatively highly radioactive iridium source is
transported from an afterloading system into them one by one for a few
seconds. In most cases one treatment is sufficient, in a few cases depending
on the tumor it has to be repeated. After the treatment the needles are
removed and in most cases the patient can go home. If the patient would
really want to visit a baseball game, she would not give the slightest
signal on a radioactivity monitor because of lack of any radioactive
material. Again I hope that this reasoning has been understood, even by the
"expert".

Finally a very short notice on the highly ridiculous comments and personal
attacks of the "expert" - to which I am used:

I did not hibernate, because it is to hot in Europe now - up to 36degrees
(Celsius, what else). I do not feel obliged to send messages to RADSAFE at
fixed time intervals, probably defined by the "expert". I moreover enjoyed
my vacation in Estonia and Finland and take neither my laptop with me nor do
I buy any Blueberry, Greenberry or Violetberry to receive or send e-mails.
Should I have reacted and posted to the expert opinions on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki? Yes, my postings are delayed - usually a day or so, but Marcel has
since a long time not refused any one. If there is no provocation, there is
no reaction. If somebody posts wrong statements, then it must be allowed to
point to them, even sharply.

We have a saying in German, "Attack is the best defense", obviously since
long a key to the "experts" behaviour. His personal attacks cannot insult
me.

Best regards to all others

Franz

Franz Schoenhofer, PhD
MinRat i.R.
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Wien/Vienna
AUSTRIA

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] Im Auftrag
von Sandy Perle
Gesendet: Dienstag, 21. August 2007 00:58
An: nimmoelsa at netscape.net; radsafe at radlab.nl
Betreff: RE: [ RadSafe ] Technology to detect radiation

Hi Elsa,

Could be radioactive wires implanted, could be localized seeds, etc.

Regards,

Sandy

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