Small particles are effective in treating mid- to late-stage pancreatic cancer

  Pancreatic cancer is a common tumor of the digestive tract, and its incidence has increased significantly in recent years, yet our knowledge of it is far from adequate. Since the pancreas is in the deepest part of the abdominal cavity, there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage, and usually most patients are already in the middle or late stage once pancreatic cancer is diagnosed. In clinical practice, some patients have undergone major surgery, but the final result is not satisfactory.  In recent years, a new treatment method has brought new hope to the treatment of pancreatic cancer. This method is called 125I radioactive particles. Although the small particles are only the size of “sesame seeds”, they can kill the pancreatic cancer tissue. The small “sesame seeds” are precisely planted one by one inside the tumor at a certain spatial distance apart through in vitro or minimally invasive surgery under the precise guidance of CT or ultrasound, just like placing dozens of radioactive sources inside the “enemy”. The particles can continuously radiate low-dose γ-rays, which are very sensitive to actively growing tumor tissues, but not to normal tissues, so the particles directly kill the tumor. Since its radiation radius is only 1.7 cm, it has no effect on the people around the patient.  However, most of the pancreatic cancer patients we encounter are in the middle and late stages, and the results of major surgery for such patients are comparable to those of particle implantation, even less than particle implantation in terms of pain and risk, quality of life and economy.