Is cobalt still used to treat cancer?

Cobalt-60 technology is currently used to treat roughly 70 per cent of the world’s cancer cases treated by radiation. LHSC’s last Cobalt treatment was delivered in 2004.

What type of cancer does cobalt-60 Treat?

Stereotactic Radiosurgery using Cobalt-60 therapy allows doctors to deliver higher doses of radiation to tumours, while limiting damage to the surrounding healthy tissue and organs. For many brain cancers, Cobalt-60 therapy is one of the most precise and advanced forms of radiation treatment available.

Why is cobalt-60 used in radiation therapy?

Co-60 is used medically for radiation therapy as implants and as an external source of radiation exposure. It is used industrially in leveling gauges and to x-ray welding seams and other structural elements to detect flaws. Co-60 also is used for food irradiation, a sterilization process.

Why is cobalt-60 no longer used?

Because it decays by gamma radiation, external exposure to Co-60 can increase cancer risk. Most Co-60 that is ingested is excreted in feces; however, a small amount is absorbed by the liver, kidneys and bones.

How does cobalt cause cancer?

Exposure to high levels of radioactive cobalt can cause damage to the genetic materials within cells and may result in the development of some types of cancers. Therefore, it has been determined that cobalt and cobalt compounds may possibly cause cancer in humans.

Who invented cobalt therapy?

Dr. Harold Johns
In 1951, University of Saskatchewan medical physicist Dr. Harold Johns and his graduate students became the first researchers in the world to successfully treat a cancer patient using cobalt-60 radiation therapy.

How long does cobalt-60 stay in the body?

Cobalt-60 decays continuously. The time taken to lose 50% of its initial activity, i.e., its half-life, is 5.26 years.

What problem does cobalt-60 solve?

Cobalt-60 is used in the inspection of materials to reveal internal structure, flaws, or foreign objects and in the sterilization of food. In medicine, it is used to treat cancer and to sterilize medical equipment.

What are the benefits of Cobalt-60?

In addition to its applications in radiation processing, Cobalt-60 is used as a radiation source for medical radiotherapy where it is used in cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells. Cobalt-60 is used as the radiation source in Gamma Knife equipment that enables non-surgical treatment of brain tumours.

What happens if you eat too much cobalt?

Other health effects associated with exposure to high levels of cobalt through ingestion may include: nausea and vomiting, vision problems, dermatitis, thyroid damage, severe damage to the heart, and even death.

When was the cobalt bomb used for cancer treatment?

The cobalt-60 machine had to be designed to safely beam the radiation at the cancer source in a controlled, calibrated way. Both teams – which knew about each other’s work – finished perfecting their machines at approximately the same time, at the end of October 1951.

Where does the cobalt go in radiation therapy?

The cobalt is in the radiation head (top center), which produces a beam of gamma rays which penetrate the patient’s body and strike the tumor.

What do you need to know about Cobalt therapy?

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Cobalt therapy is the medical use of gamma rays from the radioisotope cobalt-60 to treat conditions such as cancer.

What are the effects of exposure to Cobalt 60?

Cobalt-60 decays through gamma radiation. As such, exposure to this material can result in a plethora of health complications. For example, contact with a large amount of Cobalt-60 has led to people experiencing skin burns or acute radiation sickness, a serious illness characterized by nausea, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea and hair loss.