AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ijb.4252
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Development of a biocompatible radiotherapy spacer using 3D printing and microcellular foaming process for enhanced prostate cancer treatment

DongHwan Lim1 ,  DoKun Yoon2 ,  JaeHoo Kim3 ,  KiHoon Sung4 ,  YoungEun Choi4 ,  HeeSoon Sheen3 ,  Han-Back Shin4* ,  Sung Woon Cha1*
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1 School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
2 Department of Radiation Oncology, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea
3 Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
4 Department of Radiation Oncology, School/Faculty, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Republic of Korea
IJB 2024, 10(5), 4252 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.4252
Submitted: 15 July 2024 | Accepted: 5 August 2024 | Published: 6 August 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

In this study, a new active spacer was developed using three-dimensional (3D) printing technology and microcellular foaming process to overcome the limitations of current spacers used in prostate cancer treatment. In prostate cancer treatment, a spacer is inserted between the prostate and rectum to increase the distance between the two organs so as to reduce the radiation dose to the rectum. Radiotherapy spacer is widely used in particle therapy, such as proton and carbon beams, and X-ray radiation therapies, including intensity-modulated radiotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy. However, existing spacers have been reported to cause significant side effects. Therefore, this study introduces a 3D printing technique using polycaprolactone to develop a spacer that provides customized treatment and minimizes side effects. This technique utilizes the volume expansion that occurs when a 3D spacer printed to fit a patient’s organs undergoes foaming through a supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2)-assisted microcellular foaming process. Additionally, the use of scCO2 allows simultaneous gas absorption and sterilization, thereby reducing the number of process steps. This study confirms the potential of the newly developed spacer to provide effective and safe radiotherapy for prostate cancer, reduce patient discomfort, and minimize rectal side effects during radiation treatment.

Keywords
3D printing
Prostate cancer treatment
Radiotherapy spacer
Microcellu¬lar foaming process
Biodegradable polymer
Funding
This work was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grants funded by the Ministry of Education (RS-2023-00247348).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing
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