Editorial
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Dear Colleagues,
there are many important achievements in brachytherapy which are sometimes unrecognized or overlooked. Some chosen examples:
IsoRay, Inc. announced on 15 June that doctors at Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute and WellSpan Health's York Cancer Center started using Cesium-131 seeds for the treatment of lung cancer. Radiation Oncologist Dr. Amit Shah, Thoracic Surgeon Dr. Brian Pettiford, and Jadwiga Wojcicka, Ph.D., Director of Medical Physics, worked together using Cesium-131. "Intraoperative Brachytherapy with Cesium-131 offers a method to target radiotherapy to reduce local recurrences (of cancer) without excessive radiation to the remaining lung tissue. Cesium-131 offers several advantages by allowing radiation to be delivered in a shorter time period which may be helpful in higher grade tumors," said Dr. Shah. In addition to lung cancers, more than 100 centers across the US are using Cesium-131 to treat colon, head and neck, ocular melanoma, and prostate cancers. And in Europe – should we give up?
And another news from the same company – IsoRay has gained exclusive worldwide rights to distribute Hologic's GliaSite dual balloon system for delivering radiation therapy to treat brain cancer. According to Richland, Washington-based IsoRay, the GliaSite is the only balloon catheter device approved by the FDA for this kind treatment. The GliaSite system places a specified high dose of a liquid radiation source in the areas most likely to contain cancer after brain tumor removal and is less likely to damage healthy brain tissue. It helps eliminate the ability for the tumor to reoccur, which in turn impacts patient longevity. IsoRay is also moving forward with the regulatory approval process for its new liquid form of Cesium-131, an exciting advance in brachytherapy for the treatment of brain cancer, that would be delivered using the GliaSite radiation therapy system. Previously, approximately 500 GliaSite cases were performed annually at some 40 hospitals. GliaSite therapy has established reimbursement for both in-patient and out-patient settings.
“Brachytherapy: A US and European Market Report” announced by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a comprehensive review of prevailing market issues and trends, competitive scenario, and recent industry activity in the brachythera-py market. Analytics for the period 2005-2015 provide a comprehensive understanding of markets including the...


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