Radioactive iodine therapy has been used primarily to treat thyroid cancers, but in early 2006 Fox News reported that several studies were under way to evaluate its effectiveness in treating breast cancer. One benefit of radioactive iodine therapy for breast cancer is the reduction in the length of treatment time from six weeks to five days.
Radioactive Iodine Therapy
Radioactive iodine therapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses radioactive material to kill cancer cells. It can be administered in several ways. When used to treat thyroid cancer the radioactive material is typically ingested in the form of a pill or a liquid. But for treatment of breast cancer it is placed directly inside the body (as a seed or capsule) through one of two processes: interstitial brachytherapy or balloon brachytherapy. This new approach to treating only the portion of the breast that is affected by cancer is referred to as partial-breast radiation.
Interstitial and Balloon Brachytherapies
The interstitial brachytherapy form of radioactive iodine therapy for breast cancer involves the implementation of thin tubes into the affected breast area. This is followed by the placement of radioactive pellets--administered twice a day--into the tubes.
In balloon brachytherapy, a machine known as the MammoSite inserts the radioactive pellet material into a balloon that has been placed into the cancerous tumor area of the breast. Like interstitial brachytherapy, the radioactive pellet material is only placed in---or near---the affected cancerous tissue in the breast to be treated, eliminating unnecessary damage to healthy tissue.
Radioactive Material Used
Radioactive isotopes (iodine 125 and iodine 131) found in radioactive iodine are the source of energy used to produce the internal radiation that is used for the pellets in radioactive iodine therapy. But other sources of energy are used for this type of radiation treatment, too, and they include cesium, cobalt, iridium, phosphate, phosphorus, palladium and strontium 89.
Breast Cancer and Radiation
Breast cancer is the second-most common type of cancer experienced by women, according to the Mayo Clinic. Given that staggering statistic it is interesting to note that, according to Fox News, not all women who have breast cancer need to have a mastectomy to deal with their breast cancer. In fact, of the 200,000 women expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2006, 70 percent of them needed to have only a lumpectomy and radiation therapy (like radioactive iodine therapy) to deal with their cancer.
Benefits
One of the most significant benefits highlighted in the 2006 Fox News article about radiation therapy in treating breast cancer pertained to treatment time length. Typically, radiation treatments were given over a period of six weeks, but that time has been reduced to five days when using these newer approaches. Pellets or seeds of radioactive material delivered straight to the cancerous site also eliminate the potential damage to healthy tissues.
Tags: iodine therapy, breast cancer, interstitial brachytherapy, radioactive material, 2006 News
