Affordable and personalized solutions for radiation therapy of superficial skin tumors : [kumulative Dissertation]

Abstract

Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in humans. The primary treatment for skin cancer is surgery because of the excellent control rate of the malignancy. However, post-surgery complications contraindicate the use of surgical procedures on some skin cancer patients. As an alternative, radiation therapy techniques are applied to skin cancer patients. Although the current radiation therapy techniques are effective, they are listed as the most expensive treatments available for skin cancer patients. Additionally, conforming the radiation dose to the skin tumor to reduce irradiation of healthy tissue is a challenging and difficult task. To propose a solution to this challenge, a new method of radiation therapy was developed in this work. The proposed method was the use of beta-emitting isotopes as a source of radiation, and 3D printing technology as a tool to create personalized skin brachytherapy applicators and patches. Calculation and simulation data showed that most of the beta radiation dose is delivered within the very first few millimeters of tissue. This makes it a suitable radiation source for treating superficial skin tumors while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. Furthermore, these characteristics makes the shielding of this radiation less intensive than gamma and X-ray photons, reducing the treatment delivery costs. Using the 3D printed applicators and patches, it was possible to conform the radiation dose based on the 2D shape of the tumor. Because of the use of 3D printing technology in the fabrication process, the applicators were prepared in a quick and cost-effective way. In conclusion, the use of 3D printing technology in fabricating beta-emitting radiotherapeutic models seems to be able to offer an affordable and customized treatment for thin skin tumors.