The treatment of cervix cancer using high activity 60 Co sources.

Abstract

The application of an intracavitary afterloading device, the Cathetron, in combination with telecobalt therapy, to the radical treatment of cervix cancer is described. The short treatment times allow four or five patients to be treated per hour. The method described allows rectal and bladder doses to be kept low, whilst maintaining a Manchester type dose distribution. It also removes much patient discomfort and the difficulties of nursing these patients. The exposure dose to the fingers of theatre staff has been reduced by a factor of 25 since 1966. The problems inherent in combining physical rads from different regimes of treatment are overcome by calculating two RBEs, one which is dose-rate dependent and one which is dose dependent. Such calculations enable doses from radium with teletherapy to be compared with those from the Cathetron with teletherapy in terms of iso-effect rather than isodose. One hundred and forty-four patients with various stages of cervical carcinoma have been treated during the previous 15 months. The results in terms of survival, local recurrence and morbidity compare favourably with those of conventional radiotherapy.