Radiotherapy Glasses

The sol-gel process has been used to produce high purity YAS glass spheres. The radioactive isotope produced when the YAS glass spheres are irradiated is °Y, a P emitter with a half-life of 64.1 hours. The average penetration of P-particles (electrons) in human tissue is 2.5 mm (maximum pen- 

FIGURE 35.8 Lithium calcium borate glass mictospheres produced by passing through a flame at 1400°C. 

Although the use of radiotherapy glass spheres in treating liver cancer is still at a relatively early stage the results appear promising. The commercially available product called TheraSphere made by MDS Nordion is approved in the United States and Canada for treating patients with inoperable liver cancer. Other medical applications for these glass spheres have been considered such as the treatment of cancers of the kidney and brain. 

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Araki N, Nagata Y, Fujiwara K, Aoki T, Mitsumori M, Kimura H, Itasaka S, Saitou H, Hiraoka M, Kawashita M, Kokubo T (2001) Evaluation of glass microspheres for intra-arterial radiotherapy in animal kidneys. Int J Radial Oncol Biol Phys 49 459-463... 

Kawashita M, Miyaji F, Kokubo T, Takaoka GH, Yamada I, Suzuki Y, Inoue M. (1999) Surface structure and chemical durability of PH—implanted Y2O3—AI2O3—Si02 glass for radiotherapy of csincei. JNon-Crys Solids 255 140-148. 

J.K. Christie, A. TQocca, Molecultir dynamics simulations and stmctiual descriptors ofradioiso-tope glass vectors for in situ radiotherapy. J. Phys. Chem. B 116,12614—12620 (2012)... 

J.K. Christie, A. Tilocca, Aluminosilicate glasses As Yttrium vectors for in situ radiotherapy understanding composition-durability effects through molecular dynamics simulations. Chem. Mater. 22(12), 3725-3734 (2010)... 

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