Background: The authors report the compatibility of iridium-192 (Ir-192) to Radium-226 (Ra-226) based on the clinical results of three-decades.
Methods: From 1967 through 1985, 119 patients with early oral tongue cancer (T1-2N0) were treated with conventional Ra-226 needles and 135 patients with Ir-192 hair pins.
Results: Local control rates at 10 years for T1 and T2 tongue cancer were 79% and 61% for patients treated with Ra-226, 83% and 68% with Ir-192. The 10-year cause-specific survival rates for the T1 and T2 patients with Ra-226 were 76% and 63%, and those with Ir-192 were 77% and 68%, respectively.
Conclusions: Ir-192 showed good possibilities as a substitute for Ra-226 in brachytherapy for early oral tongue cancer.