MR-guided 125I seed implantation treatment for maxillofacial malignant tumor

This study assessed the therapeutic efficacy of postoperative magnetic resonance (MR)-guided interstitial ¹²⁵ I seed implantation for treatment of oral and maxillofacial malignant tumors.

A total of 127 patients with oral or maxillofacial malignant tumors were included in this study who received interstitial ¹²⁵ I treatment after the surgery resection. Before implantation, all the patients received MR scans to assess the lesion scope, extent, and nature. ¹²⁵ I implantation target regions were based on the pre-operative imaging. ¹²⁵ I seeds were delivered to target regions via puncture needles under the real-time guidance of MR. Computed tomography (CT)or MR was performed immediately after implantation and again every 3 months later.

After successful ¹²⁵ I implantation, all patients were also examined regularly to detect tumor recurrence, lymphatic, and distant metastases. To date, CT or MR verification showed that 13/127 patients experienced tumor recurrence or lymphatic metastasis or distant metastasis. No seeds migration was observed, no serious treatment-related complications affected patient quality of life, and no important organ (such as major cervical vessels, spinal cord, etc.) injuries were observed.

Our results show that MR-guided ¹²⁵ I implantation is an effective approach to site-specific treatment for oral and maxillofacial tumor, which could potentially reduce postoperative complications and tumor recurrence rates, increase patient survival, and improve quality of life.