The voice of medical imaging and clinical oncology

Radioactive iodine-125 seeds in the localisation of breast tumours

breast Carole Ellen Holmes George Petrides Nidhi Sibal NM nuclear medicine Richard Peace women's health

Iodine-125 seeds have been licensed for use in prostate cancer for many years. Since 2001 there has been growing evidence for radioactive seed localisation (RSL) off-licence to mark breast tumours prior to wide local excision (WLE). The seeds are about the size of a grain of rice. The titanium shell houses a ceramic core impregnated with iodine-125. The iodine-125 emits gamma rays of around 30keV with a half-life of 59.4 days. They are relatively cheap and commercially available.

Clinical RSL services are established in The Netherlands and United States. However, The Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was the first to implement the service in the UK in 2014. In this article, we present our experience of RSL including the advantages and disadvantages compared with traditional guide wire localisation (GWL) and the potential practical and safety issues when using RSL.

The content on this page is provided by the individuals concerned and does not represent the views or opinions of RAD Magazine.

Read more scientific articles

Automated breast ultrasound in breast screening: UK insights from the BRAID trial

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the role and implementation of automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) in breast cancer screening, particularly for women with dense breast tissue. ABUS is emerging as a valuable adjunct to mammography in breast cancer screening, especially for dense breast tissue. Dense breasts not only reduce mammographic sensitivity but also increase […]

Iris Illajbeu

Dr Iris Allajbeu

University of Cambridge

Read Article

Small bowel obstruction – towards higher calibre care

Small bowel obstruction (SBO) remains a critical emergency with high morbidity and mortality, often exacerbated by delays in diagnosis and treatment. National audits, including NCEPOD’s Delay in Transit and NASBO, highlight that timely imaging is pivotal in improving outcomes. CT with intravenous contrast is strongly recommended as the definitive diagnostic tool, outperforming plain abdominal radiographs, […]

Teddy Truneh

Dr Teodros Truneh, Dr James Stephenson

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Read Article

A guide to cross-sectional head and neck cancer imaging

This multidisciplinary guide provides a comprehensive overview of cross-sectional imaging techniques used in the diagnosis, staging, and management of head and neck cancer (HNC). As the eighth most common cancer in the UK, HNC presents significant diagnostic challenges due to its complex anatomy, diverse tumour sub-types, and frequent late stage presentation. The article outlines the […]

Amy Barnes

Amy Barnes, Dr Ram Vaidhyanath

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Read Article

Stay up to date with
RAD Magazine

Sign up for our newsletter.

We care about your data. Read our privacy policy.