Abstract
Ready-to-use applicators and spacers are now available for radiotherapy. However, there are cases in which a more sophisticated device is required to meet highly specific therapeutic needs: cases, as in the maxillofacial region, where radiation is applied in a tightly defined site which is part of a complex structure or cases where a precise distance must be maintained between irradiation source and target. We report two applicators that we have devised in our department for specific purposes. One applicator, equipped with a 137Cs small radiation source, was for intracavitary irradiation on an oral cavity tumor, and another for surface irradiation on a penis tumor, both with built-in shield effect to keep healthy tissues surrounding the lesion from accidental exposure to radiation. In the oral tumor case, the applicator itself was made of lead alloy, which has a natural radiation shielding effect, and the possibility of peri-lesion healthy tissues becoming exposed to radiation was minimized. To reduce the radiation dose that the radiologist would be exposed to, the fastening and detaching of the small radiation source was made as easy as possible by an attachment device. In the penis tumor case, a shape-specific applicator was made of acrylic board, fastening of a small radiation source thereon was also made easy, and sufficient shielding was built in to protect the testes from exposure. We have had good results by using these applicators.
