Sunday, February 24, 2008

Mammosite Breast Brachytherapy

Last year, North Shore Radiation Therapy continued it's groundbreaking treatments for breast cancer. In 2007, more women underwent targeted partial breast radiation therapy, called MammoSite, at North Shore Radiation Therapy, than anywhere else in the region.

MammoSite was approved by the FDA in 2002. Since then, more than 35,000 women have been treated with this remarkable procedure which is the most widely utilized and accepted method of accelerated partial breast irradiation. MammoSite therapy delivers radiation internally, directly to the site of the tumor, where the likelihood of recurrence is greatest.

North Shore Radiation Therapy is proud to play a role in "success stories" for women who have battled breast cancer. Many of the community's surgeons from Suffolk County and surrounding areas have participated in TCC's MammoSite program, contributing to this great achievement. This New Year, the physicians and staff of North Shore Radiation Therapy look forward to spreading the word on this innovative treatment and helping more and more women get back to their normal lives.

This is how MammoSite 5-Day Targeted Radiation Therapy simplifies breast cancer treatment…

1. Placement

MammoSite Targeted Radiation: Breast Cancer Treatment

After the breast cancer tumor is removed (lumpectomy), a small, soft MammoSite balloon attached to a thin tube (catheter) is placed inside the lumpectomy cavity through a small incision in the breast.

  • The balloon is “inflated” with saline solution so that it fits snugly into the cavity. It remains inflated during the 5-day treatment.
  • A small portion of the catheter remains outside the breast; this is secured to a cushioned gauze pad to prevent movement of the catheter.

2. Treatment

MammoSite Targeted Radiation: Breast Cancer Treatment
  • Treatment is planned by a radiation oncologist who will take images of the MammoSite balloon catheter in the breast and determine the amount of radiation needed.
  • During therapy, the portion of the catheter that remains outside your breast is connected to a computer-controlled High Dose Rate (HDR) machine that inserts a radiation “seed” to deliver the therapy.
  • Once therapy is complete, the seed is removed, the catheter is unplugged, and you will be free to return to your normal daily activities.
  • No radiation remains inside your breast in between treatments.

3. Removal

MammoSite Targeted Radiation: Breast Cancer Treatment
  • After 5 days of treatment, your MammoSite balloon catheter will be removed, usually on the last day of treatment.
  • The balloon is gently removed through the same incision made to place it.

For more information, call North Shore Radiation Therapy at

(631) 864-5600 or visit their website at www.licancer.com

Thursday, February 14, 2008

New Prostate Cancer Treatment

A groundbreaking new development provides image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) two to eight times faster and more precisely than is possible with traditional IMRT or helical tomotherapy. This is a winning combination that enables physicians to improve the standard of care and treat more patients.

Plan studies comparing fixed-beam and helical IMRT with RapidArc show that RapidArc can reduce the amount of non-therapeutic radiation reaching healthy tissues during treatment. For example, in the case of head and neck cancer treatments, RapidArc plans are better at protecting critical structures such as the spinal cord, brain stem, eyes, optic nerve and chiasm, parotid (salivary) glands, and brain. Moreover, with Rapid Arc’s highly efficient use of the primary beam, secondary stray radiation caused by scatter and leakage are reduced by over 50% on average compared with fixed field IMRT.

Other tests showed that even complex RapidArc treatment plans can be delivered in less than two minutes, with fewer than 750 MUs. In comparison, Varian’s best IMRT treatments, delivered one field at a time, require approximately one minute per field to deliver, while the average multislice helical IMRT treatment requires 10 to 15 minutes.

Studies by Cedric Yu, DSc, professor of radiation oncology at the University of Maryland Medical Center into single-arc IMRT has shown it to be equal to or better than multiple-field IMRT in terms of target volume coverage and normal tissue sparing. He found that a single arc can deliver essentially similar dose distributions compared with IMRT plans that incorporate as many as 36 fields.

THIS NEW INNOVATIVE TREATMENT IS ONLY ONE OF THE MANY OFFERINGS TO BE AVAILABLE AT THE NEW NORTH SHORE RADIATION THERAPY ON LONG ISLAND IN NEW YORK, OPENING MARCH 2008.


See the link on the right for more information