Identifying and Handling Patients with

Radioactive Seeds Implant

Presented by

Mr. Ooi Gim Chee (Cancer Centre)

This document remains the intellectual property of Sri Kota Specialist Medical Centre and may not be reproduced or used in any form whatsoever without the
permission of its custodian.
 Ionising Radiation - Exposure and Side Effects

 Tissue Reactions

 Stochastic Effects
 Stochastic Effects

 Tissue Reactions

United States Environmental Protection Agency | US

EPA
 Radioactive Seeds Implant

 Commonly done for early stage prostate cancer

only.

 No clinical evidence of its benefit for other sites

of cancers.

 External Beam Radiotherapy technique such as

IMRT or SBRT/SABR is as effective for early
stage prostate cancer.
 “Alternative” Treatment for Cancers

 “Advantages” over Malaysian – omit the use of surgery,

chemotherapy and external beam radiotherapy.
 BUT! These 3 are the foundations of cancer management,
with significant clinical evidences.
 Identifying the Patients

 By far, this kind of “alternative” cancer treatment is

only offered in a province of China.

 For walk-in patients, casually ask the patient or

relatives whether they have seeked/done any
treatment elsewhere.

 Cancer patient with unusual vest should also be

suspected to have undergone this implant.

 Reminder! Be polite and respect the patient at all

times, do not make them uncomfortable!
 Handling the Patients

 If you have identified a patient who has undergone

such procedure within 1 year, isolate the patient
from the public and pregnant staffs.

 At the same time, inform Medical Physicist from

Cancer Centre, Level 1.

 Note: Identify 1 room for such purpose, we may

need it in future. Usually takes 15-20 minutes for
the Physicist to perform the measurements.
 Handling the Patients - cont

 Maintain some comfortable distance from the

patient, around 1 metre is good enough.

 If you’re pregnant or suspect to be, then get your

colleague to attend to the patient instead.

 Explain to them that Physicist will perform some

measurements for the radioactive source, nothing
to be worried about. This is to determine the dose
level so that other clinical staffs can take necessary
precautions.
 Handling the Patients - cont

 Once measurement is done, if the reading is above 10

µSv/hr at 1 metre; then the patient needs to be isolated
from children and pregnant women at all times in the
hospital premise.

 The medical personnel attending to the patient shall be

briefed by the Physicist on radiation protection.

 Written advice will be given to the patient and relatives

regardless of the dose level, to educate them to practice
proper radiation protection to the family members and
public.
Radiation Protection – Basic Pricinples
Time
Distance
Shielding
Thank You!