Luca Tagliaferri, Associate Professor at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“We are committed to brachytherapy (interventional radiotherapy) because it offers a unique approach to cancer treatment. By placing the radiation source inside, on, or very close to the tumour, we can intensify the treatment while protecting the surrounding healthy tissue.
The extraordinary technological evolution that has taken place in recent years is what truly makes interventional radiotherapy unique. Today’s treatments are completely different from those performed in the past using traditional brachytherapy techniques. Advanced imaging, sophisticated treatment planning systems, and artificial intelligence-assisted technologies allow physicians, in collaboration with physicists, to visualize tumors in three dimensions and personalize treatment for each patient.
Radiation can be shaped and modulated millimetre by millimetre, point by point, so that a very high ablative dose is delivered to the tumour, while the surrounding healthy tissue receives a much lower dose. This precision maximises the chance of a cure while minimising side effects.
Interventional radiotherapy is part of the radiotherapy family. Depending on the disease, it can be used alone or integrated with external beam radiotherapy or other treatments, offering our patients a valuable opportunity.”