Outpatient consultations
Secretariat
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Telephone: 02 31 45 50 20
- Location: garden level (RDJ), in the Radiotherapy department
The team
- Department Head: Dr Marlon SILVA
- Health managers: Magali MICAUD, Astrid PIANTINO
- Radiation oncologists :
Dr DAMILEVILLE Mathilde
Dr KHALLADI Nazim
Dr LEROUGE Delphine
Dr SILVA Marlon
Hospitalization
Conventional hospitalization
- Open: 24-hour service
- No visits authorized
- Hospital secretariat: Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm: 02 31 45 51 41
- Nursing office: 02 31 45 50 50 extensions 53.72
- Location: 7th floor, sheltered area
Missions
The department treats various cancers using a special radiotherapy technique known as brachytherapy. This involves placing the radiation source used to treat the disease in contact with, or even inside, the tumor, to improve dose distribution. This technique almost completely spares the healthy tissue around the tumour, and greatly increases the dose that can be administered to the tumour.
Brachytherapy can be used exclusively to treat localized prostate cancer, or as an adjunct to external radiotherapy for gynecological cancers (cervix, body of uterus, vagina); it can also be used to treat certain skin cancers (face, hands, etc.). There are still other indications.
These are usually short treatments, which can be carried out on an outpatient basis or during a hospital stay of a few days. Radiation sources are usually introduced under general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia.
Care and Expertise
Iodine-125 brachytherapy for localized prostate cancers with a good prognosis, as an alternative to surgery or external radiotherapy. The sources are placed in the prostate under general anaesthetic during a 48-hour hospital stay.
High-dose-rate brachytherapy for intermediate-prognosis prostate cancer as an adjunct to external radiotherapy. Single session under general anesthesia, 48-hour hospital stay.
Brachytherapy for the salvage treatment of non-metastatic local relapses of prostate cancer initially treated with external radiotherapy. Two applications of high-dose-rate brachytherapy, one or two weeks apart, with a 48-hour hospital stay each time.
Brachytherapy of localized penile cancer as an alternative to non-conservative excisional surgery.
High-dose-rate brachytherapy in 4 fractions using a customized endovaginal applicator for cervical cancers. This treatment is carried out in a short hospital stay two weeks after the external chemo-radiotherapy that necessarily begins the treatment of this disease.
High-dose-rate brachytherapy of the vaginal fundus in 4 fractions using a standardized endovaginal applicator after hysterectomy for cancer of the body of the uterus. Outpatient treatment in the form of sessions.
Salvage vaginal brachytherapy after colpo-hysterectomy for cancer of the uterine body or vagina. Treatment is performed with a customized applicator. The number of sessions varies from case to case, over the course of a week's hospitalization. Application is performed under general anesthesia.
Various localizations of small skin cancers (face, hands) are treated with high-dose-rate brachytherapy in repeated applications. This technique uses customized 3D-printed applicators for each patient.
The brachytherapy unit at the Centre François Baclesse is the only unit dedicated to this technique in Normandy.
Service equipment
- High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy source projector
- Iodine 125 bead placement equipment for the prostate gland
- 4 brachytherapy hospitalization beds in the conventional hospitalization ward on the 7th floor
Research areas / Projects
Local/regional: Brachytherapy unit at the Centre François Baclesse and involved PCUs (Urology, Gynecology, Dermatology):
- Development of complex customized applicators using 3D printing based on 3D scanner imaging.
- Research into predictive factors for treatment optimization (improving the benefit/risk balance).
- Development of partial breast irradiation using brachytherapy.
Training courses
Initial training: the unit welcomes trainees in all professions involved in brachytherapy: technicians, nurses, medical physicists, young doctors specializing in oncology-radiotherapy.... Courses are given at the Institut de Formation en Soins Infirmiers (IFSI) and the Institut de Formation des Manipulateurs en Electroradiologie Médicale (IFMEM).
In-service training: brachytherapy is a highly specialized and sometimes little-known activity, which can give rise to training or information initiatives as part of the Center's didactic activities.