Brachytherapy treatments for prostate cancer were carried out last week at Bougainvillea Clinic, marking a first for the territory. Photo: PROVIDED

A team of doctors and support staff at Bougainvillea Clinic in Road Town recently carried out a type of prostate cancer treatment for the first time in the territory.

Radioactive seed implantation, also known as brachytherapy, treats the early stage of the cancer by inserting radioactive implants directly into a patient’s tissue.

Brachytherapy treatments for prostate cancer were carried out last week at Bougainvillea Clinic, marking a first for the territory. Photo: PROVIDED
On Friday, two patients who live here and one who lives on a neighbouring island underwent the outpatient procedure at the clinic, according to Bougainvillea. The process lasted about an hour and 20 minutes for each patient, and each was discharged a few hours later.

The effort was organised through Dr. Dwayne Thwaites, a urologic surgeon who covers several of the Leeward Islands and visits Bougainvillea to see patients once or twice per month. With Dr. Thwaites, the clinic arranged for a team of radiation therapy specialists from 21st Century Oncology Inc, of Florida, to visit the territory to carry out the treatment.

The team was led by Dr. Christopher Chen, a radiation oncologist, and supported by a radiation physicist, a radiation therapist and administrative personnel, among others.

In the Caribbean, prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men, followed by cancer of the colon and rectum, according to the clinic.

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