WE RECENTLY INTRODUCED YOU TO A CANCER TREATMENT CALLED
BRACHYTHERAPY. IT'S NOT NEW BUT IT DOESN'T GET
A LOT OF COMMERCIAL ATTENTION. SO, YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF
IT. BUT WHAT IS NEW, IS THIS RIGHT
HERE: A PATIENT FRIENDLY SOLUTION THAT USES BRACHYTHERAPY
TO TREAT SKIN CANCER. HERE TO TELL US MORE THIS
MORNING IS DOCTOR MICHAEL KASPER, RADIATION ONCOLOGIST AT
LYNN CANCER INSTITUTE. GOOD MORNING, DOCTOR.
GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
LAST TIME WE DID THIS SEGMENT AND I WAS INFORMED ABOUT
BRACHYTHERAPY, I'LL BE HONEST, I HAD NOT HEARD ABOUT IT.
VERY INTERESTING, CAN YOU JUST RECAP A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT
BRACHYTHERAPY IS? YES, BRACHYTHERAPY IS A TARGETED
TYPE OF RADIATION THERAPY. AND AS OPPOSED TO TYPICAL AND
MORE TRADITIONAL RADIATION THERAPY WHICH MOST PEOPLE ARE
FAMILIAR WITH. BRACHYTHERAPY DELIVERS THE
TREATMENT RIGHT INSIDE THE TUMOR OR NEXT TO THE TUMOR.
WOW. SO, INSTEAD OF THESE LARGE
MACHINES WHICH SHOOT DOWN THE RADIATION AND THE PATIENT IS
LYING ON THE TABLE. BRACHYTHERAPY USES A RADIOACTIVE
SOURCE WHERE WE ACTUALLY PLACE IT IN THE TUMOR OR SMALL
MACHINES PLACE IT NEXT TO THE TUMOR.
AND THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS TO DOING THAT AS OPPOSED TO THE
OTHER RADIATION THERAPIES, CORRECT?
THAT'S CORRECT. THERE ARE BENEFITS OF
BRACHYTHERAPY OVER TRADITIONAL RADIO THERAPY BECAUSE WE ARE
SPARING MUCH MORE NORMAL TISSUE BECAUSE IT'S SO CLOSE TO THE
TUMOR. WE CAN USE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE
HIGHER DOSES TO TREAT THE CANCER.
AND WHEN WE ARE DOING THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY INCREASE THE AMOUNT
OF DOSE THAT WE ARE GIVING EACH TIME WHICH LESSENS THE TIME THAT
WE HAVE TO TREAT THE PATIENT. SO, FOR INSTANCE, FOR A TYPICAL
THAT MAY TAKE 6-8 WEEKS OF DAILY TREATMENTS, WITH TRADITIONAL
RADIO THERAPY, WITH BRACHYTHERAPY WE CAN OFTEN DO
THE SAME TREATMENT IN 1 TO 2 WEEKS.
WOW! WHAT A BIG DIFFERENCE.
ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO JUST GO ON WITH THEIR LIFE ON
A DAY TO DAY BASIS. THAT'S CORRECT.
WHAT ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE IS A
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO AS WELL.
GENERALLY, THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE GOING TO BE MUCH LESS WITH
BRACHYTHERAPY. EXCELLENT.
I MEAN, IT HAS TO BE DONE CAREFULLY IN A, YOU KNOW, WITH
SOMEONE WHO IS VERY EXPERIENCED IN DELIVERING THE TREATMENT.
BUT FOR THE MOST PART, SIDE EFFECTS ARE MUCH LESS.
THAT'S AWESOME. WE CERTAINLY ARE ADVANCING AND
ESPECIALLY WITH THIS RIGHT HERE. LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS NOW.
THIS IS CALLED ESTEYA. THIS IS ESTEYA.
THIS IS AN INNOVATIVE NEW MACHINE IN TREATING SKIN CANCER.
IT'S INNOVATIVE BECAUSE IT'S MOBILE AND IS TREATING CANCER
WITHOUT A RADIOACTIVE SOURCE. SO SHIELDING IS NO LONGER A
PROBLEM. REALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR
PATIENTS THAT ARE BEING DIAGNOSED
TODAY WITH SKIN CANCER. ABSOLUTELY.
ALRIGHT, I WANT YOU TO STAY RIGHT THERE.
I WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT ESTEYA.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. WE ARE GOING TO TALK MORE ABOUT
ESTEYA AND ABOUT THE ADVANCES IN TREATING SKIN CANCER WITH THIS
MACHINE RIGHT HERE. SO, STAY RIGHT HERE.
WELCOME BACK EVERYONE. THIS MORNING WE ARE TALKING
ABOUT AN INNOVATIVE TREATMENT FOR SKIN CANCER THAT USES
BRACHYTHERAPY. DOCTOR, BEFORE THE BREAK WE
INTRODUCED ESTEYA. BEFORE WE GET INTO THE MACHINE.
LET'S TALK ABOUT FIRST SKIN CANCER IN GENERAL.
YOU LIVE IN FLORIDA. YES.
I LIVE IN FLORIDA. ALWAYS BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE
SUN AND MY GIRLS ESPECIALLY. I'M ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS TRYING
TO PUT AS MUCH PROTECTION ON THEIR FACE AND BODY.
AND I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU LIVE IN THE COUNTRY.
YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE IT'S PROMINENT.
ABSOLUTELY. YOU ARE RIGHT TO WORRY.
LAST YEAR IN THIS COUNTRY MORE PEOPLE WERE DIAGNOSED WITH SKIN
CANCER THAN BREAST CANCER, PROSTATE CANCER, LUNG CANCER.
IN FACT, MORE PEOPLE WERE DIAGNOSED WITH SKIN CANCER THAN
ALL OTHER CANCERS COMBINED. AND IT'S THAT OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE
THAT SO MANY OF US AND ENJOY. ESPECIALLY, HERE IN FLORIDA.
THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RAPID INCREASE IN SKIN CANCER
BECAUSE IT'S SUN EXPOSURE THAT CAUSES SKIN CANCER.
SO, IT'S VERY VERY IMPORTANT TO USE SUNSCREEN.
EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY COVER UP. AND BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT
EXPOSURE TO THE SUN. AND THAT'S SOMETHING I TRY TO
TELL MY GIRLS AS WELL. BECAUSE I ALWAYS TELL THEM THIS
IS SOMETHING, THIS IS ONE THAT WE CAN AVOID.
OR AT LEAST MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO AVOID.
PREVENTION IS KEY. NOW LET'S BRING IN NOW, ESTEYA.
AND HOW BRACHYTHERAPY AND THIS MACHINE ARE HELPING PATIENTS
DIAGNOSED WITH SKIN CANCER. ABSOLUTELY.
THIS IS ESTEYA. THIS IS AN ELECTRONIC
BRACHYTHERAPY MACHINE AND IT'S QUITE INNOVATIVE BECAUSE IT'S
TREATING SKIN CANCERS WITHOUT A RADIOACTIVE SOURCE.
WOW! AND BECAUSE THERE IS NO
RADIOACTIVE SOURCE, SHIELDING REQUIREMENTS ARE MINIMAL.
AND THAT REALLY EXPANDS WHERE WE CAN PLACE THIS MACHINE.
RIGHT NOW, FEWER THAN HALF OF THE RADIATION CENTERS IN THIS
COUNTRY, I BELIEVE THERE ARE WELL OVER 2,000 IN THE COUNTRY.
LESS THAN HALF OF THEM HAVE BRACHYTHERAPY.
SO, WITH MINIMAL SHIELDING REQUIREMENTS, WE BELIEVE THAT
MORE CENTERS WILL BE ABLE TO BRING IN ESTEYA AND OFFER THIS
TO THEIR PATIENTS. NOW, WALK ME THROUGH HOW IT
WORKS. PRETEND YOU KNOW, THAT I'M A
PATIENT, YOU KNOW, I COME IN. HOW WOULD YOU APPLY IT?
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? WELL, TYPICALLY IN RADIATION
THERAPY PEOPLE ARE WALKING IN TO THE DEPARTMENT AND THEY ARE
GOING IN TO A RATHER A LARGE SCARY VAULT.
WITH A LARGE MACHINE. WITH ESTEYA, THEY ARE WALKING
INTO, PERHAPS A SMALLER SOFTER ROOM BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE TO
BE AS LARGE WITH MINIMAL SHIELDING.
AND THEY ARE LYING ON A TABLE OR SITTING IN CHAIR AND WE ARE
GOING TO MOVE THIS MACHINE RIGHT OVER TO THE PORTION OF THE BODY
THAT NEEDS TO BE TREATED. USUALLY THE FACE, LIMBS, OR
BODY. SO, ANYWHERE.
ANYWHERE ON THE BODY. SO FOR INSTANCE, IF WE ARE
TREATING A HAND, WE WILL PLACE THE HAND.
IMMOBILIZE THE HAND AND THEN MOVE THE MACHINE RIGHT TO THE
AREA TO BE TREATED. AND HOW LONG WOULD THAT PERSON
BE, I GUESS, STANDING THERE? AND HOW MANY SESSIONS WOULD THEY
BE COMING TO? THE TYPICAL COURSE OF TREATMENT
IS GOING TO BE 6-8 SESSIONS AND EACH SESSION COULD BE AS SHORT
AS 1 TO 2 MINUTES. WOW!
BIG DIFFERENCE FROM WHAT MANY PATIENTS HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN THE
PAST. THAT'S CORRECT.
MANY TIMES, EVEN SKIN CANCER, COULD BE AS LONG AS 6 WEEKS OF
TREATMENT. WOW.
DAILY TREATMENT. AND THIS IS, I WANT TO ASSUME
HERE, CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE I HAVE A FRIEND WHO WAS
EXPOSED TO SKIN CANCER AND SHE UNFORTUNATELY GOT SCARRING ON
HER FACE SO THIS OBVIOUSLY WOULD HELP IN THIS SITUATION AS WELL.
THAT'S RIGHT. THE COSMETIC RESULT IS EXCELLENT
WITH HIGH DOSE RATE BRACHYTHERAPY.
THERE'S NO CUTTING OR SCARRING. EXCELLENT.
SURGERY? THERE IS NO SURGERY INVOLVED.
SO, PEOPLE HEAL UP VERY QUICKLY AND DO QUITE WELL FROM THE
TREATMENT. YOU KNOW, DOCTOR, I'M ALWAYS
MARVELED AT THE ADVANCES THAT WE ENCOUNTER AND WHAT WE ARE SEEING
DAY IN AND DAY OUT. REALLY BIG DIFFERENCE WHAT
ESTEYA CAN DO TODAY. YES.
WE ARE QUITE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO BRING TO OUR
CLINIC. AND WE THINK THAT IT'S GOING TO
BRING THIS CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO MORE PATIENTS.
NOW IF PATIENTS ARE INTERESTED AND SOMEONE OUT THERE HAS BEEN
DIAGNOSED WITH SKIN CANCER, AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALWAYS
CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR. ABSOLUTELY.
IT'S BEST TO SPEAK WITH YOU PHYSICIAN.
MOST IMPORTANTLY YOUR DERMATOLOGIST.
WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR DERMATOLOGIST.
UNFORTUNATELY, MOST PHYSICIANS, EVEN SOME DERMATOLOGISTS JUST
ARE NOT AWARE OF WHAT THE MODERN RADIATION THERAPY DEPARTMENT
OFFERS. SO, IT MAY TAKE SOME EDUCATION
ON THE PART OF THE PATIENT. BUT KEY IS, SPEAKING TO YOUR
DOCTOR. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
EDUCATING US TODAY. YOU'RE WELCOME.
GOD BLESS YOU. THANK YOU DOCTOR.
AND IF YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE, JUST LOG ON TO OUR WEBSITE
THEBALANCINGACT.COM WE'VE GOT
INFORMATION ABOUT TREATING SKIN CANCER AND ESTEYA.
THAT'S THEBALANCINGACT.COM
WE ARE ALSO ON FACEBOOK AND
TWITTER.