Kingston General Hospital Cancer Centre Collection
Category
Diagnostic & Treatment Artifacts
Classification
Radiotherapy
Accession Number
005020002 a-c
Description
A brachytherapy radioactive material applicator in a case; consists of the applicator device (a) which is basically a long needle mounted on a pair of clamp style forceps; there is a rules on the divide for adjusting the length of the needle; the case (b) is made of pine and has a rubber handle; th…
A brachytherapy radioactive material applicator in a case; consists of the applicator device (a) which is basically a long needle mounted on a pair of clamp style forceps; there is a rules on the divide for adjusting the length of the needle; the case (b) is made of pine and has a rubber handle; the lid of the case is lined with thick gray foam; inside the case is a removable stainless steel sterilization tray (c) which has three slots for holding the applicator and additional pieces; there are also 75 needle cleaners (which are too small to number individually, which are thin rods in rubber tubes that would be inserted into a needle to remove residue, and 31 small needles (also too small to individually number); about 120 unnumbered parts.
Number Of Parts
3
Part Names
a - applicator - Size: Length 40.9 cm x Width 8.0 cm x Depth 1.8 cm
b - case - Size: Length 47.5 cm x Width 19.5 cm x Depth 6.3 cm
c - tray - Size: Length 45.5 cm x Width 15.0 cm x Depth 3.8 cm
Provenance
The applicator was used at the Cancer Clinic at Kingston General Hospital.
Donor says it was an early version of the one used during the 1970s and 80s (005020001).
Material
metal: silver
wood: brown
rubber: black
foam: gray
Inscriptions
"Mick Radio-Nuclear Instruments, Inc. // 1470 Outlook Avenue // Bronx, New York 10465 // Telephone (212) 597-3999"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-F3-10
Condition Remarks
The instruments are like new; the foam in the case is deteriorating.
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Internet
Reference Comments
Dr. John Schreiner; Website: "Mick Radio-Nuclear Instruments, Inc. "The Brachytherapy Company""
Research Facts
Brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy in which sources of radioactive material are placed in tumours (interstitial implants) or in body cavities near tumours (intracavitary insertions); using this method, high doses of radiation can be given to tumours while sparing normal tissues; the word "brachytherapy" means "short therapy" implying that the radiation is limited to short distances; surgery, chemotherapy, external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy can be used to treat various malignancies, and a combination of two or more of these can often improve the results of any modality alone; this applicator was used intraoperatively to insert radioactive Iodine-125 seeds into a patient's prostate during an operation to sample his lymph nodes; the radiation oncologist inserted the needles into that prostate at the locations determined by a medical physicist and then attached the cartridge containing the seeds to the side of the applicator and attached to applicator to each needle in turn and inserted the seeds at the predetermined spacing; as the seeds were deposited, the needle was withdrawn, leaving the seeds in the prostate; the seeds remained in the prostate, so the procedure was known as a permanent implant.