MammoSite® Therapy Allows More
Not only
is MammoSite Breast Cancer Patients
radiation therapy
to Keep Their Breasts
completed in five days
instead of six weeks, but it also
Statistics show that cure rates for women with early stage breast
allows us to put the radiation
cancer are the same for those who have a lumpectomy followed by
exactly where it needs to be.
radiation as they are for women who have their entire breast removed
It is focused only on the areas
in a mastectomy. As Anthony Dragun, MD, a specialist in radiation
at highest risk for recurrence,
oncology, explained, “Women overwhelmingly prefer the option of
avoiding skin, vital organs and
preserving their breast. That used to mean that after the lumpectomy,
other parts of the breast.
they had to undergo about six weeks of radiation therapy, Monday
There is no nausea, hair
through Friday, at a cancer center. That can present a hardship for
loss or damage to
women who don’t live within a reasonable driving distance from a
the skin.”
cancer center, for elderly women, and for those who depend on others
for transportation. For them, it could rule out the option of keeping
their breast. That’s why MammoSite therapy is such an important
advancement.”
MammoSite Targeted Radiation Therapy Cuts Treatment Time to Five
Days
MammoSite is the latest innovation in brachytherapy (implantation
of radioactive seeds) for the treatment of breast cancer. Here’s how it
works:
• After the tumor is removed in a lumpectomy, a thin catheter with
a small, soft balloon at the end is inserted through a tiny incision
into the cavity left by the lumpectomy. The balloon is filled with
saline solution so it fits snugly in the cavity.
• During therapy, radioactive seeds are placed inside the balloon
through the catheter. After treatment, the seeds are removed so
no radiation remains in the breast between treatments.
• After five days of treatment, the balloon is removed using the
same incision through which it was inserted.
MammoSite
is an innovative
“Nearly 60 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer have early
treatment modality that
stage disease, which could make them candidates for this procedure,”
gives women who are eligible
said Dr. Dragun. “That’s another reason we urge women to get regular
for it another option after breast
mammograms. Early detection increases their available treatment
preservation. The surgeon is
options.”
usually the first person women
see after they find out they have
breast cancer. They should
consider asking their surgeon
if they meet the criteria for
this type of radiation
therapy.”
Continued on next page
20 March/April 2009
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