New hope for women with breast cancer at an early stage -
Women with early stage breast cancer can now receive treatment radiation a dose along with lumpectomy surgery, eliminating the need to return to the hospital every day for up to six weeks to submit surgical radiation treatment.
relatively new treatment option available to Rush, intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), delivers an accurate dose of concentrated radiation to the tumor site immediately after surgical removal of the cancer.
After breast cancer is removed, a device similar to a catheter with a balloon on the end is inserted into the lumpectomy cavity. The balloon is inflated with saline and the quays radiation source precisely in the catheter for delivering radiation into the surrounding breast tissue the cavity where the tumor has been removed, while preventing the radiation to adjacent organs. At the end of radiation treatment, the balloon is deflated and easily removed and the cavity is closed.
"We are currently IORT for women with breast cancer in early stage. However, there are exciting research on the use of this modality for other types of patients, including those who breast cancer recurrences or those subject to a mastectomy nipple preserving "said Dr. Katherine Kopkash, Assistant Professor of surgery, Rush University Medical Center.
generally breast cancer treated with lumpectomy require radiotherapy after surgery to ensure the lowest risk of recurrence. Standard radiation therapy requires patients to return after recovery from surgery to start daily radiation treatment to the entire chest five days a week, for a total of three to six weeks.
"As the time of surgery with intraoperative radiotherapy recovery is the same as surgeries performed without IORT, the total time patients spent in the hospital receiving treatment for breast cancer decreased significantly. This allows patients to return to their lives faster by potentially reducing the need for new therapies and improve their quality of life, "said Kopkash.
IORT may be a treatment option especially important for women who live in rural areas and have to travel long distances for treatment against breast cancer, "said Kopkash." the distance creates a real barrier to women returning repeatedly to the treatment of radiation . Unfortunately, these women often choose to have a mastectomy to avoid the need for radiation. "
Currently IORT is not yet widely available in the United States but has been used in Europe since the 190s began being used more widely in the United States there are about ten years and has been studied in clinical trials. Rush began to deal with his unit of IORT in February 2014 more than 15 women have been treated with IORT by Kopkash and colleagues at Rush.
cancer patients Rush to the breast are able to be seen by a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist and surgeon at the same time in Coleman Foundation Comprehensive cancer Clinic. These cancer doctors work in teams to present a well -defined diagnosis and plan treatment for each patient.
According to the American cancer Society, approximately 40,000 women die each year of breast cancer and 232.670 new cases will be diagnosed in women each year.
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