A Spanish healthcare research institute has developed a system for inserting needles into a body controlling the position and penetration depth in radiation oncology technics. The device and system are particularly applicable for use in brachytherapy and different radioactive sources into various different tissues, such as breast tissue, prostate tissue and others
The present technology is available to license. The research institute would like to talk to companies interested in commercializing this radiation oncology technic or in a research cooperation agreement to develop it.
Cancer is often treated with a combination of therapies. One of these therapies is radiation therapy (radiotherapy).
Brachytherapy is a form of radiotherapy where a sealed radiation source is placed in the body-animal body in general at or next to the area requiring treatment. The radioactive source is placed using catheters or hollow needles, which are inserted within the body towards the target location.
In order to insert needles within the body across the skin, template devices are conventionally used. Brachytherapy template devices typically include fixation means, such as a frame or one or more attachments, and a needle guiding component for guiding the needles into the body towards the target position.
Here it is presented a guide plate having a plurality of apertures for inserting needles and a detection block permitting both the detection of the presence of needles inserted through the apertures and the penetration depth of each of the inserted needles. The detection block may be implemented by sensing means.
