MammoSite® 5-day Targeted Radiation Therapy:
Moving breast cancer treatment forward.
An option when cancer is found early.
Over the past two decades, developments in technology have expanded women's options for treatment of breast cancer. Where mastectomy was once considered the only course of treatment, Breast Conserving Therapy (BCT) has become a viable option with similar survival rates.
Today, BCT is recommended for most early-stage cancers - those smaller than 3 cm and that have not spread to the lymph nodes. First, the cancer will be removed with a lumpectomy. Then, radiation will be used to damage any remaining cancer cells. Since cancer cells can't repair themselves, they can't replicate, reducing the chance of cancer recurring.
MammoSite® 5-day Targeted Radiation Therapy provides an option for shorter-duration treatment in BCT, with technology that minimizes damage to other healthy cells and tissues.
Targeted vs. conventional radiation therapy.
With conventional radiation therapy, beams of radiation are delivered from outside the breast. These beams pass through the skin and internal tissues to treat the entire breast. Treatment generally involves daily doses of radiation for 6-7 weeks.
With MammoSite therapy, radiation is delivered from inside the breast and lumpectomy cavity. This targets radiation directly to the area where cancer is most likely to recur1, and has several advantages:
Radiation exposure and effects are limited to a small internal area -
avoiding skin discoloration, burning and scarring that often happen
with conventional radiation therapy. With targeted treatment, there's
generally little change in appearance and less fatigue.
Higher daily doses can be delivered over a shorter period of time -
two doses a day for 5 days, allowing women to get
back to their normal lives and activities sooner.
In addition, studies have shown both survival rate and recurrence rate with targeted therapy are comparable to conventional therapy.
How MammoSite therapy works:
After the cancer is removed by the breast surgeon, a small balloon attached to a thin tube is placed inside the lumpectomy cavity.
With each treatment, a source of radiation (called a "seed") is put into the balloon and radiation is delivered to the area around lumpectomy cavity. This is done twice daily over five days.
A more complete description of MammoSite 5-Day Targeted Radiation Therapy, as well as information about what to expect with it, can be found at MammoSite.com.
1. King TA, Bolton, JS, Kuske RR, et al. Long-term results of wide-field brachytherapy as the sole method of radiation therapy after segmental mastectomy for Tis, 1, 2, breast cancer. Am J Surg. 2000: 180:299-304.
