Radioactive Seed Therapy Shows Significant Reduction In Lung Cancer Recurrence

Radiation oncologists at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) in Pittsburgh today will report to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Boston that a newer, minimally invasive approach to treating high risk patients with Stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) may significantly reduce the risk of local disease recurrence. Developed at AGH over the past decade, the procedure involves removing only the cancerous section of the lung and enveloping the surgical site in a mesh material that is embedded with radioactive seeds. The seeds emit a low dose of radiation over a prolonged period of time in an effort to eradicate any remaining cancer cells. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the Un...