Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Saturday, Sep 28, 2002
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Saturday, Sep 28, 2002 |
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Industry & Economy
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Health Tackling eye cancer with radiation Our Bureau
HYDERABAD, Sept. 27 THE L.V. Prasad Eye Institute has gained recognition as the only eye care centre to have been allowed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to treat cancer-affected eyes by using radioactive material within the affected part. For more than 100 years the standard treatment for eye tumours was to remove them. Now the emphasis in tackling eye cancers is on improving the quality of life of patients by treating the affected portion with radiation. According to Dr Vijay Anand P. Reddy, consultant oncologist and radiotherapist of the institute, `Retinoblastoma' is the most common type of cancer found in children. There are two ways to treat it — Tele-therapy and Brachy-therapy. In Tele-therapy, radiation is delivered to the affected part from a distance and the inherent drawback is that it is likely to damage the healthy part of the eye. In Brachy-therapy, radiation is given only to the affected area in high dose and in very low dose to the remaining part. For this the institute had imported from Germany the radioactive source, "Ruthenium 106". In this treatment, the radioactive source is placed over the eyeball and sutured under anaesthesia. The patient is kept in isolation for two to four days for observation. The radioactive material is removed from the eye after ensuring the tumour destruction and the patient is then discharged. Radiation emission is measured in the operation theatre by a physicist with the help of a survey meter. The entire team wears radiation measuring badges on the chest and wrist and the badges are sent to BARC every month to measure radiation exposure. The institute has successfully performed Brachy-therapy on two patients. The cost of treatment varies from Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000.
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