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Radiation Options Are Expanding — Find Out What’s Right for You
Radiation given from inside the breast (brachytherapy) is a relatively new option for early-stage breast cancer patients after lumpectomy, and innovations in the design of brachytherapy devices mean that it may be a viable choice for still more women in the near future. If you’re considering lumpectomy, talk to your radiation oncologist about the choices available to you.
Brachytherapy involves inserting a small device with one or more catheter tubes into the breast through a small incision; the device stays in the breast until the final treatment. The radiation oncologist then places a radioactive seed inside the catheter for five to 10 minutes twice a day to deliver radiation directly to the tumor site. The dosing takes only five days, as opposed to the six weeks of daily treatment required for external radiation. The procedure may also have fewer side effects because it focuses on the tumor site rather than the entire breast.
Newer brachytherapy devices, such as the Strut-Adjusted Volume Implant (SAVI), are designed with multiple flexible catheters to target the margins around the lumpectomy site even more precisely, with minimal radiation to the ribs, skin and other organs. As of early December 2008, more than 50 surgeons and 40 radiation oncologists working at 100 U.S. sites had performed more than 1,000 SAVI procedures. Two other FDA-approved brachytherapy devices, Contura and ClearPath, work in similar ways.
