My Story
Administrative Assistant
Overgaard, AZ
3 years, 11 months since her MammoSite treatment.
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At the beginning of 2008, I had my annual mammogram and to my surprise, it came back with a suspicious area. After re-testing, I had the same results. My Ob-Gyn referred me to a wonderful oncologist surgeon who stated I needed a stereotactic biopsy to find out the meaning of the suspicious area. After the biopsy, Dr. Jeffrey Singer was very surprised to find that I had Stage 2 cancer in my left breast. However, the most encouraging news he had for my husband and I was that he thought I would be a candidate for a newer radiation therapy called, “MammoSite,” which would be used after he performed a lumpectomy. I was referred to Dr. Luci Chen and she did agree that the MammoSite targeted radiation would work for me.
Dr. Singer performed the lumpectomy (partial mastectomy) and removed one lymph node, which thankfully, was not cancerous. I then met with my oncologist, Dr. Luci Chen of Arizona Oncology Services and she checked the breast area and then several CT scans were taken to prepare for the insertion of the balloon catheter, which would be placed in the tumor cavity. On the 3rd day after my surgery, Dr. Singer was pleased to receive the report of “negative margins” and he was ready to proceed with the targeted therapy. The balloon is filled with a saline solution inside the cavity and a portion of the catheter hangs outside the breast. With a sport-type bra and a cushioned gauze pad, the catheter stays in place for the duration of the therapy.
MammoSite radiation therapy consists of 5-days of high-intensity radiation, which is given twice a day to the targeted area where the lumpectomy was performed. It is used in early-stage cancer. A catheter is inserted into the area and then after several CT scans; the individualized radiation is transferred from the radiation storage tank through a thin tube into the catheter. My radiation was for 6 minutes each session. One session is in the early morning and the other is in the afternoon. There was no pain whatsoever and after the 5-days of therapy, the catheter was removed. I was able to resume my regular daily schedule and my recovery from the surgery was amazingly fast. My only side effect from the radiation was fatigue, which only lasted about one month.
I am extremely thankful that I was a candidate for this newer therapy and that I was fortunate to have excellent referrals all throughout my journey of diagnosis, surgery and therapy. I had my surgery and radiation therapy in March of 2008 and I am healed and have re-gained all my energy. My hope is that everyone who faces breast cancer will be informed of this therapy and that they may be a candidate for MammoSite radiation instead of the 5-6 weeks of traditional radiation.
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This profile is solely the words of the person who received MammoSite Targeted Radiation Therapy to treat breast cancer. Note that this profile is specific to this particular person, and experiences will vary.
