May 11 2010  |  Press Release 

Meeting follows launch of Brachytherapy campaign and the launch of aboutbrachytherapy.com 

Rome, ITALY (10 May, 2010) – Gathering an international group of highly esteemed physicians at the forefront of cancer therapy, the first Brachytherapy meeting in Rome took place on Friday, 7th May 2010 at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirugia “A.Gemelli.”

Speaking at the event, Professor Vincenzo Valentini, Medical Director responsible for Complex Structures, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, said the three main advantages of brachytherapy lie in its ability to be guided during treatment, controlled with regard to dosage and minimized with respect to exposure to radiation.

“The objective of this therapy in addition to curing the patient, is to preserve the patient’s organs and function,” he said. “With brachytherapy a patient’s quality of life is preserved.”

A scientific exchange between the Associazione Italiana di Radioterapia Oncologica and European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology experts, the aim of the meeting was to discuss successful practices in Italy and Europe to formulate best possible treatment options for patients. The Rome meeting focused mainly on the use of brachytherapy to treat prostate, head, neck and gynecological cancers.


This event follows the official launch of the brachytherapy campaign entitled ‘Because Life is for Living,’ which raises awareness about brachytherapy as a very precise and highly effective form of radiotherapy in the treatment of cancer.

Compared to other forms of radiotherapy like external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), brachytherapy can deliver the required dose of radiation over a significantly shortened treatment time.  In treating prostate cancer, for example, normal treatment times that can take up to seven weeks with EBRT take only one or two days with brachytherapy.  Additionally, the precise delivery of radiation reduces the risk of unnecessary damage to surrounding healthy tissue and organs which can help reduce side effects.
The campaign encourages people with cancer and their carers to enter the new website aboutbrachytherapy.com to source information that along with their doctors can help them make informed treatment choices. 

The ‘Because Life is for Living’ campaign and http://www.aboutbrachytherapy.com/ website are supported by Nucletron.

About Brachytherapy
Brachytherapy is a high-precision radiation therapy, in which the radiation source used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours is placed in or close to the tumour itself. Brachytherapy offers a precise, highly effective and well tolerated treatment option tailored to the needs of individual patients. The precision brachytherapy approach allows a physician to concentrate a high dose of radiation in a small area, minimising damage to nearby, healthy body tissue and organs, over a shorter treatment period.


About Nucletron
Nucletron provides state of the art radiotherapy solutions for cancer treatment that meet the evolving needs of patients, their carers and healthcare professionals around the world.  Nucletron has unmatched global leadership in brachytherapy, a very precise, highly effective and well-tolerated treatment option for healthcare providers, tailored to the needs of individual patients. We work with clinical teams to constantly improve and develop an innovative portfolio of integrated products, software and services that assures excellent patient outcomes.  Headquartered in Veenendaal, The Netherlands, Nucletron employs more than 500 employees, with offices in 15 countries, and products available in more than 100 countries around the world.  Please visit http://www.nucletron.com/ to learn more about our healthcare solutions.

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