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Cancer Care: Areas of Expertise
Women’s Cancer:
Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
Women’s Cancer:
Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
Diagnosing and treating breast cancer is our expertise
At the Holy Cross Hospital Women’s Cancer Center, one of our tenets
is that the sooner a woman can return to her life and work, her
family and friends, the sooner she begins to heal. Our physicians
are highly skilled in minimally invasive surgeries and techniques
that involve shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries. This
specialized training offers women the options they deserve and
allows them to make smarter choices about their health care.
Holy Cross Hospital was the first in suburban Maryland
to introduce MammoSite Radiation Therapy
MammoSite Radiation Therapy System (RTS), is a revolutionary radiation
therapy for breast cancer. Following a lumpectomy, MammoSite delivers
a more intense treatment over a shorter period of time, reducing
the length of treatment time from 6 weeks to about 1 week - and
letting women return to their lives sooner.
Recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, MammoSite delivers radiation therapy internally, immediately following a lumpectomy. The RTS device is inserted into the space left after a cancerous tumor is surgically removed and allows radiation to be delivered from inside that space. With great accuracy, RTS concentrates the radiation dose on the area of the breast at highest risk for tumor recurrence, all the while preserving healthy breast tissue.
Radiation therapy with the MammoSite RTS is given on an outpatient basis at Maryland Regional Cancer Care over a four- or five-day period. Once the catheter is inserted into the breast cavity at Holy Cross Hospital, a radioactive seed is placed into the catheter on an outpatient basis using a high-dose-rate radiation device. The seed targets the radiation to the area where tumors are most likely to recur, while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue.
Traditionally, patients undergo outpatient radiation therapy five days a week, for six to eight weeks. With MammoSite, radiation is delivered inside the lumpectomy cavity twice a day, for about 20 minutes each treatment, over four or five consecutive days. This abbreviated but highly effective treatment allows women to return to their lives - and begin the healing process - quicker than ever.
Know your options
Talk
to the surgical experts at Holy Cross Hospital. Holy Cross encourages
everyone to get multiple opinions before making a decision about
any procedure. Find
a physician who specializes in breast surgery/MammoSite.
To speak to someone about these and other minimally invasive procedures, contact Donna Appel, Nurse Navigator, at 301-754-7922 or appeld@holycrosshealth.org.
Women's Cancer Links